NEWSBRIEFS

CAGAYAN

Power outage

POWER supply in four provinces in Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera will be cut off for 12 hours on Wednesday to give way to maintenance work of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

NGCP said in an advisory that it would shut down power to electricity distributors in Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga and Apayao from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 to undertake annual preventive maintenance of the power transformer and equipment in its Gamu substation in Isabela and to replace transmission equipment along the Santiago-Gamu 230-kilovolt line.

The power outage would affect Cagayan, Kalinga and Apayao and the Isabela towns of Benito Soliven, Naguilian, San Mariano, Reina Mercedes, Gamu, Burgos, Aurora, San Manuel, Roxas, Mallig, Quezon, Tumauini, Cabagan, Delfin Albano, San Pablo and Sta. Maria and the cities of Ilagan and Cauayan. Inquirer Northern Luzon

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT

Trader kills wife, self

A MAN, said to be distraught over a failed investment, shot and killed his wife and then committed suicide in their house at Binictican here on Friday, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials said.

The bodies of Allan Regala, 50, and his wife, Alita, 43, were found inside their bedroom, reports from the SBMA law enforcement department (LED) showed.

Regala, SBMA officials said, left a suicide note.

Orlando Maddela Jr., LED chief, said Regala could have been concerned about a failed business deal which the couple had made with a Pakistani who sells used vehicles at the free port. Maddela said the investment involved millions of pesos, noting that the couple had used capital belonging to Regala’s relatives.

Investigators recovered a .38-caliber revolver with two spent bullets in the bedroom, as well as a note addressed to the couple’s friend, Malen Escriba. Signed by Regala using his nickname “Bong,” the note instructed Escriba where to entrust their children.

Regala, in the letter, thanked Escriba and apologized.

Escriba told investigators that Regala called her Friday noon and asked her to come to their house. She arrived at 1:25 p.m. and found the bloodied bodies in the bedroom.

She said the family’s helper, Lourdes Macalino, was ironing clothes in the laundry room at that time.

Macalino, who had worked for the Regalas for more than a year, told investigators that she did not hear gunshots.

She said Regala took his two children and a nephew to school on Friday morning. Macalino said she last saw the couple when they took their lunch. Robert Gonzaga, Inquirer Central Luzon

DAVAO DEL SUR

Slay try on mayor

POLICE are investigating the reported ambush-slay try on Sarangani Mayor Jerry Cawa even as the military said it has deployed more troops to the island-town to help in the security there.

Senior Supt. Ronaldo Llanera, provincial police director, said investigators have no lead yet on who is behind the reported ambush on Thursday in Barangay Batuganding in Sarangani town. But Llanera said they were looking at politics as the most likely motive behind the slay-attempt on the mayor.

In General Santos City, Cawa told reporters on Friday that he went to Barangay Gomtago earlier in the day to inspect a government project with two escorts. On their way home, Cawa said an undetermined number of gunmen ambushed the vehicle he was driving as it was passing by Sitio Kawacan in Barangay Batuganding. He said his escort, Jeffrey Mandod, was hit on the right arm but was declared out of danger.  Eldie Aguirre, Orlando Dinoy and Aquiles Zonio, Inquirer Mindanao