NEWSBRIEFS

ZAMBOANGA CITY

Ex-mayor shot dead

FORMER Mayor Najiv Maldisa of Maimbung town in Sulu died at Zamboanga AE Medical Center three hours after he was shot by unidentified men on Monday.

Maldisa and his wife, Ahiba, were ambushed near the San Roque public cemetery, said Senior Supt. Edwin de Ocampo, acting city police chief.

“Ahiba was driving their car when two big motorbikes blocked their way and shot the couple using .45 caliber pistols,” Deocampo said.

Ahiba, although wounded, survived the attack and is now in stable condition, De Ocampo said.  Julie S. Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao

DAVAO DEL SUR

Detachment shoot-out

TWO soldiers and a militiaman were killed in a shootout inside a detachment of the 72nd Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangay Kolonsabak in Matanao town on Saturday night.

Lt. Col. Lyndon Panisa, battalion commander, said Pfc Bernie Penafiel, a member of the 65th IB based in Marawi City, went amuck while visiting his uncle, Sgt. Donald Penafiel, the detachment commander.

Penafiel punched and shot militiaman Macmac Lasib. The victim’s brother, Remart, who is also a militiaman, saw the incident and shot Penafiel.

Remart then saw Sergeant Penafiel coming and thought that the detachment commander was there to help his nephew, and shot him. Orlando B. Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao

Panisa said Remart Lasib is now under restricted custody.

LUCENA CITY

Tree planting

DESPITE the rains, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Calabarzon led tree planting activities in different sites in the region on Saturday to mark Arbor Day.

Nilo Tamoria, DENR-Calabarzon executive director, said the tree planting pushed through in most of the target areas, but some were canceled due to bad weather. The original plan was to cover 108 different planting sites.

“Once the weather returns to normal, those (in) cancelled (sites) will proceed with the planting activity,” he said.

Environment personnel will provide technical know-how to participants to ensure growth of the tree seedlings, he added. He said indigenous forest tree species, fruit and ornamental trees would also be planted in school compounds, roadsides, stream banks, protected areas, mangrove areas and in urban areas.

Manny Calayag, community affairs officer of the Quezon Environment and Natural Resources Office, said 629,551 trees of assorted species had so far been planted. The goal was to plant a million trees. Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon

SULU

Indian abducted

ABU SAYYAF gunmen abducted an Indian national, who was visiting his Filipino in-laws in Patikul town in Sulu on Wednesday.

Bijuh Kolara Veettil, 36, of Kozhikode, India, was in the house of his in-laws in Barangay Timpook with his wife and two children when taken by several armed men, said Supt. John Morales, Sulu deputy police chief.

Morales said no demands from the abductors have been relayed so far.

He said Patikul officials immediately convened the local crisis management council.  Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao