Pampanga, Leyte waters clear of red tide
The coastal waters of Pampanga and Leyte provinces have been declared free of red tide, bringing down the affected areas in the country to four, according to the latest bulletin from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
But latest results of tests done by the BFAR and local governments showed that paralytic shellfish poison levels in San Pedro Bay, Samar province; Lianga Bay, Surigao del Sur province; and in the coastal waters of Dauis town and Tagbilaran City in Bohol province, went beyond the regulatory limit.
The BFAR said all kinds of shellfish and krill-like prawns from an area under red tide alert should not be harvested, sold or eaten. —Karl R. Ocampo
Baguio’s Santa Claus is gone
BAGUIO CITY — Former newsman Narciso Padilla Jr., who donned the Santa Claus outfit for a gift-giving activity in the city every Christmas, died on Tuesday from a heart ailment.
He was 87.
A veteran sportswriter who wrote for the Manila Chronicle in the 1960s, Padilla put up Baguio’s annual Christmas event called “Silahis ng Pasko” in 1973 when he served as city tourism officer.
He had been playing Santa since, putting on the costume every Christmas to distribute bags of candies here.
He served as Baguio councilor from 1992 to 1995.
He also put up an awards program for athletes, having served as Gintong Alay camp director during martial law. —Vincent Cabreza