Regions Briefs

2 jail workers, inmate killed in Cebu ambush

CEBU CITY—Two workers at Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) and an inmate, who were on their way to attend a court hearing, were killed when they were attacked by armed men in Barangay Kalunasan here on Thursday. Chief Insp. Eduard Sanchez, chief of Guadalupe police station, said Prison Guard 1 Bernie Bayutas, CPDRC driver Joel Tevez, and inmate Jerryfer Perigrino were on board a CPDRC vehicle when two gunmen on separate motorcycles attacked them at past 9 a.m. Perigrino, police said, was a high-value drug suspect. —NESTLE SEMILLA

Dagupan council studies anticatcall measure

DAGUPAN CITY—The city council is studying a measure that penalizes men who harass through catcalls and unwanted touching. The measure seeks to punish a violator with up to P5,000 in fine and jail term of up to a year if caught “commenting, gesturing or acting out in a sexual manner at a woman in public or in front of an indoor or outdoor gathering” without her consent. According to the measure’s sponsor, Councilor Maybelyn Rose Fernandez, Dagupan needs to enact an ordinance because street harassment is rarely discussed or taken seriously and is often dismissed as “innocent or even complimentary behavior.” The measure also said those found guilty of ogling, flashing, stalking or making sexual gestures would be fined up to P3,000 or be made to render 72 hours of community service. Men who pat, stroke, hug, kiss, pinch, or brush against a woman’s body without her consent face the higher penalties of P5,000 fine or imprisonment. —YOLANDA SOTELO