NEWSBRIEFS

LEGAZPI CITY

3 quakes rock  Bicol, Romblon

Three separate low-intensity earthquakes were recorded in Bicol and Romblon on Sunday.

A 3.5-magnitude  quake was recorded at 5:36 a.m. south of Naga City in Camarines Sur, while a 4.1-magnitude earthquake was recorded at 1:38 a.m. south of Banton Island, Romblon, according to the website of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). Banton Island is a fifth-class municipality located close to Marinduque province. The third quake, which occurred at 11:28 a.m., was recorded at magnitude 3.5 north of Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon, the Phivolcs said.

The three earthquakes were tectonic in origin and had no felt intensities on the surface, the Phivolcs said. There were no reported damage or casualties. Mar Arguelles, Juan Escandor Jr. and Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon

COTABATO CITY

Bus plunges into ravine; 24 hurt

At least 24 persons were wounded when a minibus plying the Cotabato City-Lebak, Sultan Kudarat route plunged into a ravine in South Upi, Maguindanao, on  Saturday, officials said.

Police Officer 3 James Biscarra, South Upi police investigator, said the bus was negotiating a downward curve in Barangay Looy when the vehicle had  a mechanical problem causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel.

The minibus of Sema Express Liner bumped a metal railing of the box culvert used as bridge then plunged into a ravine. Passengers were rushed to hospitals and clinics in North Upi, Maguindanao. Edwin O. Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO

Boy killed in strafing

A 14-year-old boy was killed while two others were seriously injured when unidentified gunmen strafed and fired a rocket-propelled grenade into a house in Barira town around  4 a.m. on Saturday.

Colonel Prudencio Asto, 6th Infantry Division public affairs office chief, said Bataga Gampong died from multiple shrapnel wounds in the said incident, which was suspected to be spawned by a rido or family feud.

Two other members of the Gampong family, Omar and Wahid, were injured in the incident and were  treated at a government hospital here. Edwin O. Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao

LANAO DEL NORTE

LP man shot dead

Unidentified gunmen on Thursday evening shot dead a stalwart of President Aquino’s Liberal Party in  Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte, on Thursday evening.

Jake Ommamus, chair of Barangay Manga in Kolambugan, was driving a motorcycle when shot dead by a lone gunman along the highway in Barangay Titunod, Senior Superintendent Madid Paitao, Lanao del Norte police chief, said on Friday. Ommamus, who suffered four wounds in his back, was able to call his family through his mobile phone and told them he had been shot. Responding family members rushed him to a hospital, where he died.

Paitao said police were looking at politics and at reports the victim was involved in a land row. Richel Umel, Inquirer Mindanao

DIGOS CITY

Moneylender killed

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a moneylender here on Friday but police authorities said they were still trying to determine if robbery was the motive.

This developed as relatives of Rodel Elorsa, 27, a resident of Barangay San Jose, said he had no known enemies.

Elorsa was inside his house when two armed men barged in around 9 a.m. and shot him in the head and chest, police investigators said. Neighbors responding to the incident rushed Elorsa to a hospital, where he later died.

Investigators said they were trying to secure possible witnesses as the gunmen reportedly did not hide their faces. Eldie Aguirre, Inquirer Mindanao

TARLAC

Equipment burned

A group of men burned several  pieces of equipment of a contractor building a road in Santa Ignacia town on Wednesday, said Santa Ignacia Mayor Saklulu Enrado.

The   compact vibrator,  backhoe and  grader were  owned by Northern Builders Inc., which is building a farm-to-market road in Barangay Sta. Ines, Enrado said. He could not give details of the incident that happened at 9 p.m. at the firm’s project site in Sitio Maligaya.

Santa Ignacia and provincial police on Thursday declined to give details of the incident while investigation was ongoing. Northern Builders is also one of the contractors of Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway. Jo Martinez-Clemente, Inquirer Central Luzon