Local News

TACURONG CITY -- Police in Tacurong City have arrested two men with hand grenades and handguns minutes after two blasts rocked this city that hurt at least 14 persons, police said. The two, Waren Gani and Johari Gani, were on board a motorbike and were from Gen. SK Pendatun, Maguindanao. Two mobile phones were taken from them with images of them in fatigue uniforms and firearms. Senior Supt. Raul Supiter, Sultan Kudarat police provincial director, the two claimed they were members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

GENERAL SANTOS CITY --- Anti-narcotics agents arrested six large-scale drug peddlers and shut down a drug den in separate raids the past five days, authorities said Monday.The police first nabbed Sylvester Guiamelon and wife Sittie in a sting in Barangay Kenram in Isulan, capital town of Sultan Kudarat.Senior Superintendent Raul Supiter, director of the Sultan Kudarat provincial police, said Guiamelon is an employee of the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao.Supiter said they learned of the drug trafficking activities of the Guiamelons from vigilant neig

MAKILALA, North Cotabato -- A local lawmaker in North Cotabato has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to correct portions of the Cotabato-Davao highway prone to highway crash to save lives and properties. Provincial Board Member Socrates Pinol has submitted a resolution in the provincial council strongly urging the DPWH first engineering district to look into the faulty road design of a highway in Poblacion Makilala that resulted to frequent and repeated road accidents.

COTABATO CITY -- The Cotabato
Light and Power Company (Cotabato Light) foresees power outages in the coming
months as the summer season comes.

But the
expected power interruption can be avoided if other sectors would help the
distribution utility.

One of the
solutions to avoid power shortage in the Cotabato Light franchise area is to
address the transmission line problem.

OZAMIS CITY -- A fire triggered by electrical short circuit gutted down the announcer's booth of DXDD-FM Radio Kampana of the Dan-ag Sa Dakbayan Broadcasting Corporationhere at past 12 a.m. on Easter Sunday.Adeth Saquin, DXDD-AM and DXDD-FM bookkeeper, said the fire started at the ceiling of the FM booth located at the third floor of DXDD building along Rizal Avenue, Ozamis City. The firefighters prevented the spread of the fire to adjacent announcer booth for AM, Saquin said.

COTABATO CITY -- Seven more aftershocks greeted the people of Wao, Lanao del Sur and its environson Easter Sunday, first happening at 1:26 a.m. with Magnitude 2.3, the state volcanology office said.In its bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the strongest among the seven aftershocks of the Magnitude 6.0 last Wednesday came at 4:40 a.m. today, recorded at Magnitude 5.2.Before that, the seismologists recorded a Magnitude 4.3 at 4:37 a.m.

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao -- A team of disaster officials, led by Myrna Angot, regional director of Office of Civil Defense in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OCD-ARMM) and soldiers went to Wao,Lanao del Sur on Black Saturday to extend assistance to quake victims.Angot said personnel from the 6th Infantry Division hauled plastic tarpaulin, water containers and other non-food provisions for residents whose houses were destroyed by Magnitude 6 earthquake that hit Wao on Wednesday.As the team was traveling to Wao from Maguindanao via Alamada-Banisilan-Wao route, the Philippine Instit

GEN. SANTOS CITY -- Chief Supt. Cedrick Tradin, police regional director for Central Mindanao region on Friday led PRO-12 officers and men and women in the commemoration of Jesus Christ's 14 Station of the Cross inside the regional headquarters in Barangay Tambler here.Accompanying Train were Senior Supt. Jose Briones, deputy director for administration, Senior Supt. Leonardo Suan, deputy director for operations and Senior Supt. Manuel Lukban Jr, regional directorial staff.Supt. Jaime Serina III, PRO-12 regional chaplain said the way of the cross began 4 a.m.

KORONADAL CITY – Afraid he could not feed and raise them, a carpenter tried to hack
to death his two children after his wife left them in Tupi, South Cotabato,
police said.

Chief
Inspector Rey Egos, Tupi town police chief, said John Fritz Escalada, 44, of
Barangay Polonoling, Tupi, South Cotabato, was obviously depressed after his
wife, who was not identified, left them.

He told police
investigators he wanted to end his life and his children because he does not
know how to feed and raise them.

MAGUINDANAO --- The Army’s 33rdInfantry Battalion turned over to the police on Wednesday a Moro bandit implicated in the abduction of merchant Pipaw Ang in Mlang town in North Cotabato in 1996.Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, commanding officer of the 33rdIB, said Adam Ugalingan and a companion, Pahamudin, were intercepted by soldiers while trying to smuggle two M1 Garand rifles into the town proper of General Pendatun town in Maguindanao from somewhere in the province. They were riding a motorcycle together.