Local News

MAGUINDANAO -- Five men achieved what could be the pinnacle of their robbery careers in a daring heist they pulled off in Parang town while garb in attires of Islamic State-inspired militants and armed with replica guns.Key members of the Parang municipal peace and order council told this news outfit Thursday that the suspects, who are known thieves, had been identified and are now subject of a joint police-Army manhunt.Senior Supt.

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- A man facing multiple count of rape charges and No.

KIDAPAWAN CITY --- A former communist rebels who surrendered to government authorities and worked as militiaman was shot dead by two gunmen in Makilala, North Cotabato, police reports said.Jolito Monon, 47 of Purok 5, Tribal Village, Barangay Biangan, Makilala, North Cotabato sustained gunshot wounds in different parts of his body, killing him instantly, according to Barangay Biangan chairpersonReynaldo Monreal.He said the shooting occurred at past 7 p.m. Monday.Monon was sitting in front of his home when two men arrived and without provocation opened fire on him using .45 cal. pistol.

SOUTH COTABATO ---- Authorities have exonerated from criminal liability the mayor of Tampakan town in South Cotabato who was detained briefly Monday for possession of firearms.Superintendent Romeo Galgo, Jr., spokesman of the Police Regional Office-12, said Tuesday that Mayor Leonardo Escobillo was cleared by probers after showing licenses for the firearms recovered by anti-narcotics agents that raided his house Monday.The raiding team did not find illegal drugs in the mayor’s house, located in the town proper of Tampakan, a hinterland town in South Cotabato.All of the firearms found in the

KORONADAL CITY
– An official of anti-narcotics agency today said it busted a big time drug
syndicate operating in this city, in South Cotabato and Gen. Santos City with
the arrest of Ruel Espinosa.

Espinosa, an
agri-product businessman, was a suspected drug lord and using his business as front
in peddling illegal drugs, according to Director Gil Castro of the Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in SOCCSKSARGEN region.

TAMPAKAN, South Cotabato - Police raided early Monday the house of Mayor Leonardo Escobillo here and seized guns and ammunition.Visibly stunned by the turn of events, Escobillo nevertheless allowed the law enforces to search his home and that of his son.Armed with search warrants issued by Judge Alandrex Betoya of Regional Trial Court in Kabacan, North Cotabato, the raiding forcibly opened the main door of the official's.The raiding team was composed of elements fromRegional Public Safety Batallion 12 and Regional Drug Enforcement Unit 12.

KIDAPAWAN CITY --- Authorities nabbed on Friday dawn a municipal councilor in Tulunan, North Cotabato for illegal possession of firearms.The suspect was identified as Jomar Cerebo Almirante, chairman of Barangay Sibsib and president of the Association of Barangay Chairmen (ABC) in Tulunan.As ABC president, he holds a post at the town council.Recovered from Almirante was an unlicensed caliber 45 pistol with three magazines inside his house at Barangay Sibsib, according to operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Team (CIDT) in North Cotabato.The team also included operatives fr

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- A friendly basketball game involving members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) turned bloody Thursday when players used guns instead of basketball in shooting game in North Cotabato.Chief Inspector Romy Castanares, police chief of Pikit town, told DXND Radyo Bida Kidapawan that two players were killed and another was injured when what was supposedly a friendly match turned bloody.Castanares identified the slain players as Ismael Muhamadali, 34 and Mamaila Udlayan, 32, both of Barangay Gokotan, Pikit, North Cotabato.

MANILA-- Malacañang on Wednesday expressed regret over the rejection of Rafael Mariano as Agrarian Reform Secretary, saying the former activist has played a key role in promoting the welfare of farmers. We regret the news of Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Rafael ‘Paeng’ Mariano’s rejection by the Commission on Appointments, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

COTABATO CITY --- Agents nabbed two large-scale drug traffickers and dismantled a drug den in separate operations here and in General Santos City in the past six days.Juvenal Azurin, director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Wednesday that drug dealer Maira Akmad, who is now in their custody, fell Tuesday night in a drug sting in Barangay Rosary Heights 10 in Cotabato City.Akmad’s husband, Saidali, also engaged in large-scale peddling of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) managed to run away, according to Azurin.He is now subject