Newsbriefs

SORSOGON

‘Tootsie’ Jamoralin; 66

FORMER Inquirer correspondent Reynaldo “Tootsie” Jamoralin died on March 12 at the age of 66, four years after he was paralyzed by a stroke.

As an Inquirer correspondent, Jamoralin was credited with exposing the slaughter of whale sharks, locally known as “butanding,” in Donsol that paved the way for whale shark protection.

In March 1998, Jamoralin won the best story of the month of the Louie R. Prieto Journalism Award for his article “Gentle whale sharks in Bicol threatened” in the Inquirer.

He founded and led the Sorsogon Arts Council (SAC) and was a member of the Sorsogon Heritage Society chaired by Inquirer founder Eugenia Duran-Apostol.

Jamoralin is survived by wife Ella, sisters Mercia and Millet, daughter Suyin, adopted son Ian and grandson CJ. His body lies at the family residence on Monreal corner Rizal Streets in Sorsogon City.

He will be buried on Saturday, March 17, at the Sorsogon Memorial Garden in Sorsogon City after Mass at the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. Inquirer Southern Luzon

DAVAO CITY

70th Save More store

THE COUNTRY’S 70th Save More store will open today in Barangay Bangkal here, according to a top Save More official in the city.

Allan Flores, Save More Davao operations manager, said the SM Group spent about P60 million to build the new 2,000-square meter Save More store.

SM built the store in front of Makro, which shut down last year. Flores said there are 30 more Save More stores to be opened this year under SM’s plan to build 100 Save More stores in the country.

“Save More is SM’s way of bringing its stores closer to the community,” he said. Judy Quiros, Inquirer Mindanao

TAGUM CITY

Fire hits commercial area

FIRE razed a commercial area here, destroying at least P10 million worth of pieces of property. No one was injured, authorities said.

Shanties, boarding houses and lumberyards were destroyed or suffered damages during the fire, according to Senior Insp. Gretchin Cinco, spokesperson of the Southern Mindanao police.

The fire lasted for more than an hour. Frinston L. Lim, Inquirer Mindanao

FORT MAGSAYSAY

Army, Church execs sign MOU

THE PHILIPPINE Army has partnered with the Catholic Church for counterinsurgency operations in Central Luzon.

Brig. Gen. Alan Luga, head of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said the partnership was formalized through a memorandum of understanding that created the Church Military Advisory Group (CMAG) at the Northern Luzon Command headquarters in Tarlac City last week.

Tarlac Bishop Florentino Cinense and Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak signed the document for the Church. Luga and other top military officials signed for the Army. Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon

DIGOS CITY

Live wire kills 9-year-old boy

A 9-YEAR-OLD boy died from electric shock while his 42-year-old mother suffered burns on Tuesday in Don Marcelino, Davao del Sur, the police said on Wednesday.

Senior Supt. Ronaldo Llanera said Alnasser Sali was killed when he accidentally stepped on a power line. His mother Mercy tried to pull him away but ended up with burned hands, Llanera said.

Police could not say why the live wire was lying on the ground.

Orlando B. Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao

EVENTS

Kapuso Village to rise in Iligan

THE CHARITY arm of one of the country’s biggest broadcast networks has ventured into a housing project for victims of the Dec. 17 disaster that struck Iligan City at the height of Tropical Storm “Sendong.”

In a statement, the GMA Kapuso Foundation said it and the local government of Iligan held groundbreaking rites for the Kapuso Village in the town of Mandulog for residents of Iligan who lost homes during the disaster.

The project will rise on a 3-hectare lot from the local government. The foundation said it would build at least 200 houses on the lot.

The ceremony was attended by Mel C. Tiangco, GMA Kapuso Foundation executive vice president; Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz and several other officials of housing agencies and the local government.

The foundation, according to its statement, will also build a water facility in Sitio Cabaro, a predominantly Muslim community and among the hardest hit by the disaster in Iligan.