Echiverri seeks court action on pay parking case

Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri is fighting a parking firm’s move that sought to uphold criminal charges filed against him for the supposed illegal arrest of parking attendants in 2004. A comment filed in the Sandiganbayan First Division said Echiverri asked the antigraft court to deny Jadewell Parking System’s opposition to the prosecutors’ move to dismiss the case against him. The case against Echiverri stemmed from his alleged illegal arrest of Jadewell attendants who were enforcing a pay parking system that had been suspended. The Office of the Special Prosecutor earlier asked the court to withdraw the case, after it found that Jadewell’s attendants were just brought to his office for questioning and were not brought to the city jail. The OSP’s move came after the mayor filed a motion for reconsideration on his indictment. The  mayor said Jadewell’s arguments against the dismissal of his case were “flimsy and bereft of any merit.”   Meanwhile, Jadewell also asked the Sandiganbayan to allow it to file its reply to the prosecutors’ comment where the latter stood firm on its findings for the dismissal of the case. It also sought a review of  the court  of what it said were “flip-flopping” decisions of the prosecution.  Leila B. Salaverria

Ex-prisoner shot dead by 4 armed men in QC

A newly freed prison inmate  was shot and killed by four armed gunmen while having  dinner at an eatery on Thursday night in Quezon City. The victim, Richard Ablay, 35, was a mechanic who was released recently from jail for being involved in a robbery. Case investigator PO2 Hermogenes Capili said the victim died on the spot  from several gunshot wounds  at  Joey’s Gotohan in Barangay Commonwealth. Police recovered seven fired cartridges and one deformed slug of .45 caliber bullets from the crime scene. A waiter of the eatery said there were four unidentified men aboard two motorcycles involved in the shooting. Ablay had just ordered      dinner  when two motorcycles stopped in front of the eatery, a police report said. Without warning, the suspects suddenly fired shots at the victim, after which the suspects immediately fled from the scene. Julie M. Aurelio

Toll-free travel on Skyway System on Dec. 24, 31

MOTORISTS using the Skyway System’s 13.5-kilometer Magallanes-Alabang at-grade and the 16.2-kilometer Buendia-Alabang  elevated sections will enjoy toll-free travel  starting at 10 p.m. on Dec. 24 until  6 a.m. the following day; and from 10 p.m. on Dec. 31  to 6 a.m. on Jan. 1., Skyway O&M Corp.’s external affairs head, Ed Nepomuceno, announced Friday.   “This is our way of sharing our appreciation with  our motoring patrons during the yuletide season,”  said Nepomuceno. For assistance or to report stalled vehicles or unusual incidents,  motorists  can call the Skyway System hotline at 776-7777; Globe:  0917-900-5248; Smart: 0919-560-1163 or Sun:  0923-953-6189.