NEWSBRIEFS

CAMARINES SUR

2 soldiers hurt in car accident

TWO SOLDIERS from the Army’s 22nd Infantry Battalion were slightly injured and lost cash, guns and cellular phones after their car turned turtle and caught fire in Barangay Pamukid, San Fernando town, on Sunday.

Cpl. Albert dela Cruz was driving a Mitsubishi Lancer, with Lt. Christopher Porras on board, along the highway at around 6 a.m. when he lost control of the car, said Maj. Angelo Guzman, spokesperson of the 9th Infantry Division.

Both soldiers were able to get out of the vehicle before it caught fire but failed to retrieve the P86,000 cash intended for a paramilitary unit, their .45 cal. pistols, and three cell phones. Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon

CAVITE

2 dead, 2 hurt in shooting

A 70-YEAR-old farmer who shot three persons who he thought were thieves was killed in a gunfight with police in Kawit town early Monday.

Boy Evangelista was tracked down by policemen and engaged them in a shootout hours after he went on a firing spree that resulted in the death of Joel Hernandez Manisi and the wounding of two other persons, said Senior Supt. John Bulalacao, provincial police director.

Manisi, who was driving a motorcycle with two companions on board, was passing by Evangelista’s farm in Barangay Batundalig at around 5:45 a.m. when the farmer fired at them with a .45 cal. pistol, Bulalacao said.

When lawmen arrived at his farm an hour later, Evangelista again fired an M-16 rifle as he escaped into the woods. At about 8:45 a.m., police found Evangelista behind a large tree. A shootout ensued.  Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon

CATANDUANES

Suspected NPA leader held

ARMY soldiers captured a suspected leader of the communist New People’s Army in Catanduanes during an encounter in a hinterland village of Sioron in the coastal town of Gigmoto on Friday, the military said.

Lorenzo Jimenez, alias Enzo, 33, a native of Gigmoto, and five other rebels were cornered after a five-minute firefight with the soldiers belonging to the 83rd Infantry Batallion in Barangay Sioron, 52 kilometers from the capital town of Virac, said Col. Arthur Ang, commanding officer of the 901st Infantry Brigade.

Troops seized an Uzi sub-machinegun from Jimenez while an M-16 rifle was recovered from the battle scene.  Mar S. Arguelles, Inquirer Southern Luzon

DAVAO DEL SUR

Kidnap victim found dead

A FARM worker abducted by five armed men in a van in General Santos City on Feb. 16 turned up dead inside a banana plantation in Malalag, Davao del Sur, on Sunday, the police said.

Senior Supt. Ronaldo Llanera, provincial police director, said the decomposing body of Mohammad Manampad, of Barangay Batomelong in General Santos, was found by a laborer of AMS-MFI plantation in Barangay Bolton. The victim was identified from his company ID.

Llanera said Manampad’s body bore torture marks and bullet wounds. Orlando B. Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT

‘Big brother’ role for shipbuilder

A BEST PRACTICE program in safety and health measures is now being implemented by Korean shipbuilder Hanjin, its subcontractors and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ensure the safety of workers in Hanjin’s shipyard.

A memorandum of understanding was signed on Friday by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and Ahn Jin Kyu, president of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines Inc. Robert Gonzaga, Inquirer Central Luzon