Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:
PNP: 2 suspects in MSU explosion are members of DI Maute group
The first two suspects in the deadly bomb attack at Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi city were members of the Maute group under the command of Daulah Islamiyah (DI).
PNP spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo revealed this information in a press briefing.
LTFRB suspends operations of 15 Ceres buses after Antique ravine crash
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday said it suspended the Antique – Iloilo service of Ceres Transport after one of its buses figured in an accident in Antique that claimed the lives of at least 17 people.
“We have already issued a 90-day preventive suspension to the entire fleet, meaning to say yung mga bus na nagbabyahe ng rutang ‘yon, there are 15 of them, have already issued a preventive suspension right away,” LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said in a statement.
Marcos coping well despite COVID-19 isolation, says PCO
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is doing well while undergoing his COVID-19 isolation, according to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil on Wednesday.
The Palace announced Marcos’ diagnosis on Tuesday, saying that he would continue to work remotely.
Surigao del Sur placed under a state of calamity
The provincial government of Surigao del Sur has placed the entire province under a state of calamity after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off its coasts on Saturday evening (December 2).
The provincial council issued Resolution No. 1410-23 on Wednesday, declaring a state of calamity, following Hinatuan town’s similar declaration the previous day.
Imee Marcos backs VP Duterte’s stance vs peace talks with NDFP
Vice President Sara Duterte has found an ally in Senator Imee Marcos on the issue of the government forging peace with the communist rebels.
Like Duterte, Marcos also believes that the government should reconsider its move to return to peace negotiations with the communists.
Phivolcs: 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Mindoro not a prelude to the ‘Big One’
The magnitude 5.9 earthquake that hit near Lubang, Occidental Mindoro on Tuesday was not a prelude to the “big one,” Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Teresito Bacolcol said on Wednesday.
According to him, the temblor that shook some parts of Luzon around 4:23 p.m. on Tuesday was caused by movements in the Manila Trench.