Newsbriefs

GENERAL SANTOS CITY

Slain publisher buried

Slain tabloid publisher and editor Christopher Guarin was buried Sunday afternoon amid an overflowing sympathy and support from his family, friends and media colleagues.

Guarin, 41, was driving home with his wife and 9-year-old daughter when shot by two unidentified motorcycle-riding men on January 5. He was the first journalist killed this year and the 150th victim of media killings in the country since 1986.

Journalists have raised P88,000 reward money for the arrest of the killer and on January 12 launched a fund drive to raise a P200,000 bounty. The amount would be given to the triggerman if he surrendered and reveal who ordered him to kill Guarin. They also pledged to help the gunman avail of the Department of Justice’s Witness Protection Program, said Edwin Espejo, chair of the local chapter of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines.  Aquiles Z. Zonio, Inquirer Mindanao

MANDAUE CITY

Fire razes 111 houses

At least 111 families lost their homes on Monday when fire razed about 200 shanties in Sitio (sub-village) San Lorenzo Ruiz, Barangay (village) Jagobiao.

No one was reported hurt but the blaze destroyed at least P2 million worth of property, said SFO1 Arnold Lao, Mandaue City Fire Department investigator.

The fire broke out in the house of Laurencia Dumalagan at 11:37 a.m. and was put under control at 12:35 p.m. with the help of other firefighters from the cities of Cebu, Talisay and Lapu-Lapu and the towns of Consolacion and Liloan as well as other volunteer groups.

Dumalagan’s daughter-in-law, Cecil told Lao she was alone in the house when she smelled something burning. When she climbed the stairs, she saw that the second floor was on fire, which quickly spread to the nearby houses that were made of light materials.

Classes were suspended at the Jagobiao National High School to house at least 500 fire victims.

Jhunnex Napallacan, Inquirer Visayas