Local News

COTABATO CITY - A magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit the coastal town of Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat on Saturday, the state volcanology office today said.Nobody was hurt in the tremor which occurred at 12:26 a.m., the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a statement.Phivolcs said the quake was traced 59 kilometers west of Kalamansig, a coastal town in Sultan Kudarat province.No aftershock is expected in the tremor which was tectonic in origin.At 10:49 and 7:50 p.m.

STO, NINO, South Cotabato – A village chairperson in South
Cotabato, his son, his brother in law and a village watchman were arrested by anti-narcotics
agents and police during an anti-drug operation in the village of Upper Sepaka
here on Friday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said today.

In a report, PDEA-12 identified the suspects as Datu Pudi
Ambalgan, 51, village chief of Barangay Upper Sepaka, Surallah, South Cotabato,
son Ato Ambalgan, 25 and brother in law Rustom Sambaga, 47, both resident of
Sto Nino, South Cotabato.

MAGPET, North Cotabato - Police arrested here a 43-year-old man believed to be illegal drug pusher and user following a police operation at 9 .m. Friday, police said today.Chief Inspector Ma. Joyce Birrey, Magpet PNP chief, identified the suspect asRolly Sajid-Sajid, farmer and resident ofPurok 4, Barangay Kisandal, Magpet.Police seized one sachet of suspected shabu from Sajid-Sajid, the third most wanted man of Magpet.His home has been used as illegal drug den.

COTABATO CITY - Four persons were arrested during joint police and military anti-drug operation here Friday afternoon, police said.Senior Supt. Raul Supiter, Cotabato City police director, said the raid along Mahad Street, Barangay Bagua Mother led to the arrest of four men who were inside a house used as illegal drug den.

KORONADAL CITY - South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance Fuentes yesterday revealed that five employees, two of them in permanent status, have been hooked to illegal drugs.At a news conference, Fuentes did not identify the workers but said actions have been taken against them, including counselling.She said employees of one department have complained of strange attitude of an employee inside the office due to illegal drug use.

KIDAPAWAN CITY - Two poorand remotest towns in North Cotabato were declared zero open defecation (ZOD) since one hundred percent of their households have already built sanitary toilets and put up waste segregation bins. The Department of Health (DoH) declared ZOD the towns of President Roxas and Arakan, both hinterland towns in North Cotabato in a ceremony witnessed by local government leaders, health workers, education officials, and several stakeholders.

KORONADAL CITY - A farmer was shot dead by his own brother following an altercation on Wednesday night, a police report said.A police report released to DXOM-AM Radyo Bida Koronadal on Thursday identified the victim as Romy Consumo, 40,who died from bullets wounds while undergoing treatmentat the South Cotabato provincial hospital.His wife, Belen, 33, was killed on the spot after Joselito Consumo, the victim's younger brother, opened fire using a hand gun ofan undetermined caliber.The police report said the incident happened at 9 p.m.

KIDAPAWAN CITY - NorthCotabato Governor EmmynlouMendoza is set to reward at least P50 thousand cash to people that could give authorities tips as to the identities of those involved in the series of grenade throwing incidents in Kabacan town. This is aside from the reward money worth P50 thousand issued earlier by Kabacan Mayor Herlo Guzman. In a statement, Mendoza said that her peace and security efforts were again ‘put to test’ with the grenade blasts in Kabacan town and the massacre of five members of a Maguindanaon family in nearby Carmen town.

COTABATO CITY - The man believed to bebehind the series of bomb attacks in Cotabato City last week is being coddled by an elected official, the Army here said.Speaking during the Security Summit Wednesday morning, Colonel Ranulfo Sevilla, commander of the 5th Army Special Forces, said Ruben Montes alias Black Moro is the prime suspect in the rash of bombings aimed at getting back at government forces.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Police operatives arrested on Tuesday another suspect in the gruesome Maguindanao massacre after nearly six years in hiding in nearby Sarangani Province.Supt.