Conviction of ex-Baguio City Register of Deeds upheld
MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan Third Division has affirmed its earlier decision to convict Juanito Ampaguey, former Baguio City Register of Deeds, of graft and falsification in relation to an anomalous entry made in a transfer certificate of title (TCT) in 2004.
He was sentenced to 10 years and three months to up to 20 years in prison, and was ordered to pay a fine of P5,000.
Ampaguey’s case stemmed from an unlawful entry he made on TCT No. T-83076 registered under the names of Elpidio and Nenita Dematera on July 21, 2004.
The entry stated that the Dematera couple have an approved application for validation on the lot covered by TCT No. T-83076, pursuant to P.D. No. 1271 when, in fact, there was none. —Patricia Denise M. Chiu
Bulacan towns stuck with trash due to landslide
NORZAGARAY, Bulacan, Philippines — A landslide has prevented 15 Bulacan towns and cities from delivering their trash to a private landfill in the last two weeks, leaving them with tons of uncollected garbage.
Work crews have not yet cleared rocks and debris that fell along Igay road in the City of San Jose Del Monte on May 24 due to heavy rains, affecting the Bulacan towns of Santa Maria, Angat, Doña Remedios Trinidad, San Miguel, Marilao, Guiguinto, Hagonoy, Bulakan, Bustos, Plaridel, Baliwag, Pulilan and Balagtas which haul their trash to the Wacuman Sanitary Landfill in Norzagaray town.
Garbage trucks from the cities of Malolos and San Ildefonso were also unable to reach Wacuman. —Carmela Reyes-Estrope
Army troops leave Zamboanga, return to Negros
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines — More than 400 troops of the Philippine Army’s 11th Infantry Battalion (IB) are returning to their mother unit in Negros Occidental, three years after making this city a kidnap-free city.
The men and women of 11th IB boarded the BRP Tarlac 601 at the Zamboanga city port after a brief send-off ceremony on Saturday.
Col. Rolando Gomez, commander of the 11th IB, said their tour of duty has finally concluded. —Julie Alipala