Philippine News

COTABATO CITY – Two policemen were unscathed and managed to injure one of two suspected New People’s Army (NPA) hit squad members in a shootout during an ambush on their police vehicle in Antipas, North Cotabato, Monday morning.

In a report, Col. Maximo Layugan, North Cotabato police director, identified the two "alert cops" as Master Sergeant Joel Peñalosa and Staff Sergeant Jefferson Acuna, both of the Antipas police force.

“Both cops were doing a 10 a.m. patrolling around the vicinity of Barangay Poblacion when fired upon by motorcycle riding-in-tandem gunmen,” Layugan said quoting a report from the Antipas police office.

He said the attackers sped off and the cops gave chase, resulting in a shootout that injured one of two suspects who was determined to be a minor.

Captain Rolando Violon, Antipas police chief, said Tuesday the suspect remains in serious condition at a local hospital, where he was brought following the shootout.

“The other one managed to escape but our po…

TAGBINA, Surigao del Sur, Sept. 17 -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Surigao del Sur recently turned over P1.3 million worth of common service facilities (CSF) that benefited four cooperatives in the municipality of Tagbina, this province.The provision of the CSF is funded under the Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) project of the DAR and is expected to serve more than 500 farmer members of the respective coops comprising of four units’ coffee dehuller and one unit coffee roaster.PARPO II Leoncio Bautista believes that the farm implements will augment to the needs of the coops in the processing of coffee beans for trading and eventually will generate income that is beneficial to the members.DAR Caraga 13 Regional Director Leomides Villareal expressed his congratulations to the ARBOs and the distribution of the CSFs is timely for the harvest season of coffee, thereby farmers will no longer have a problem in their coffee productio…

MANILA -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday launched the official "OFW Help" page on Facebook to provide distressed overseas Filipino workers a new system to reach the government and request for emergency assistance.The "OFW Help" Facebook page, managed by the DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs (OUMWA), seeks to assist undocumented or irregular workers who are not members of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and who are in need of emergency response."It aims to provide a more preferable system in receiving request for assistance from the next-of-kin of OFWs and OUMWA case officers. Especially if the client is unable to contact the OUMWA hotline or travel to the nearest Post," its profile reads.OUMWA is the primary office tasked to handle requests for assistance from the next-of-kin of OFWs in distress or the OFWs themselves.The said request is then referred to the concerned Foreign Service Post,…

MANILA -- The Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association, Inc. (AFPMBAI) donated eight patrol cars, six laptop computers, and two desktop computers with printers, along with one uninterrupted power supply, to the Philippine Army (PA) Monday.Maj. Gen. Reynaldo M. Aquino, Army vice commander, formally received the items for the use of PA units and officers.“In furtherance of our commitment to promote the welfare of our members, your association, [AFPMBAI], credits its corporate social responsibility through its various flagship projects on education, health, livelihood, and general welfare," said retired Maj. Gen. Robert Arevalo, AFPMBAI president and chief executive officer.In previous years, AFPMBAI projects provided hospital vehicles and equipment, computers, and support in enhancing recreational areas of the Army; in addition to the upgrade of insurance benefits received by the command’s uniformed men and women.Currently, the association is completing the patrol car equ…

PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Sept. 17 -- A total of 299 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) all throughout the municipality have recently received their respective Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) held at the Municipal Covered Court, Prosperidad, this province.The teary-eyed farmer, Leonora Abadingo said that she did wait for this moment to come along. To finally hold the title in her hand and call herself as a landowner so that when she will die, she has something to leave for her children.“Nalipay gyud ako ug dako sa dihang na nagunitan na gyud nako ang akong titulo, pamatood nga ako hingpit na nga nakapanag-iya niining yutaa nga dugay na namo gitikad (I’m very much thankful that I now have the land title, that serves as my proof as a land owner. I have been longing to have this land title),” Abadingo said.Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO II) Jamil Amatonding Jr., said that the department is doing their best to help the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs…

CAMP DANGWA, Benguet -- The Police Regional Office in the Cordillera (PROCor) on Monday administered the oath of 600 new police officers here.They comprise about 30 percent of the 1,975 applicants who successfully hurdled the rigid screening process, which includes physical, medical and neurological tests.The class is composed of 480 males and 120 females, who comprised the quota for 600 police officers in the PROCor.“We are one of the regions that received a big quota for new policemen, others got only about 300. They considered not just the population to police ratio but also the uniqueness of our area which is mountainous which needs a bigger team of policemen that will perform police functions,” said PROCor chief, Brigadier General Israel Ephraim Dickson, on the sidelines of the oath-taking ceremony on Monday.“Mas maganda pag mas maraming pulis para mas effective at efficient ang pagpapatupad natin ng ating trabaho (it is better if we have more policemen so that they will be more …

MANILA -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said it continues to intensify strict discipline, reform and internal cleansing among erring police personnel especially those involved in illegal drugs.This came after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) claimed that recycling of illegal drugs by erring policemen is still rampant.“The PNP agrees with the findings of PDEA that some corrupt PNP personnel is still able to find ways to engage in nefarious and illegal acts,” PNP spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac told reporters when sought for a comment.Banac said this is the reason why the internal cleansing of the national police leadership is continuous and remains aggressive today.“That is the reason why PNP’s campaign on internal cleansing remains relentless and we will not stop until all rogue cops are weeded out and charged in court,” he stressed.More than 400 cops were already dismissed due to involvement in illegal drugs since 2016.During a Senate hearing, PDE…

MANILA -- A definitive manual for the smooth implementation of the controversial provisions of Republic Act No. 10592 or expanding the Good Conduct Time Allowance for prisoners is being completed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)."This will handle the nitty-gritty details of the law," Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced Monday afternoon after the signing ceremony for the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) with Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.Guevarra noted that even as the IRR and the manual is nearing completion it may be both superseded by legislation amending the GCTA law.The manual, being drafted along with the revised IRR, seeks to fine-tune the details of the law. Among other things, the IRR now clearly excludes recidivists, escapees, habitual delinquents, and convicts of heinous crimes from being eligible for the GCTA.The IRR also defined heinous crimes based on jurisprudence and as …

MANILA -- Authorities seized 30 kilos of suspected shabu and arrested a high-value target during a police operation in Pasig City, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Tuesday.NCRPO chief, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, identified the suspect as Manolito Lugo Carlos, who was arrested in his house at Sorrento Oasis Residences, C. Raymundo Avenue, Barangay Rosario, Pasig City around 7:40 p.m. Monday.The operation was conducted by virtue of a search warrant issued by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 152.Police officers seized 30 pieces of big heat-sealed plastic pack of Chinese tea containing shabu weighing more or less one kilo each with a street value of PHP204 million; assorted drug paraphernalia; and different bank deposit slips indicating therein the alleged amount of remittances as payment for the illegal drugs.Eleazar said the suspect is a high-profile drug personality and was among the major targets of NCRPO under a case operational plan.“He is a main…

MANILA -- Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Monday reminded its passengers that lithium ion batteries and many other items are prohibited in their luggage.In its official Facebook page, PAL listed that more than 2 grams of lithium batteries, as well as rechargeable batteries greater than 160 watt hours, are prohibited both for check-in and hand-carry bags.Other items, such as nail cutters, umbrella, liquids, all kinds of adhesive tape, among others, may only be allowed for checked-in.Rudolf Aquinde, senior screeners officer at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) explained to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) why such items are prohibited even if they look too simple."Lithium batteries are not allowed because they might explode due to the aircraft's pressure. Depending also on how long the plane would travel, the battery might explode because planes are very sensitive," he remarked.Speaking about the aircraft's sensitivity, Aquinde said that vinegar, …