Newsbriefs

NORTH COTABATO

Families flee clashes

Close to 70 families have fled to safer grounds as village defenders and suspected cattle rustlers on Saturday morning clashed in a remote town, leaving two barangay watchmen hurt.

Colonel Dickson Hermoso, speaking for the 6th Infantry Division, said the fighting erupted on Saturday morning between armed barangay (village) peacekeepers and 15 heavily armed robbers.

The sporadic skirmishes lasted until Saturday evening in Barangay Maybula, Tulunan,  according to barangay chair Mateo Tadique.

Tadique said Teodoro Baladjay and a companion were wounded when they chased the cattle rustlers who took five cows and carabaos. The suspects fled toward the boundary of North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

Tadique said the evacuees, mostly women and children, were now housed at the barangay center and that the local government’s social welfare office had attended to their needs.

But not all residents of sub-village of Malipayon have fled, Tadique said. “The males opted to stay to watch their valuables and other farm animals,” the village chair said, adding that soldiers had arrived and secured the village.

Barangay officials could not say whether the attackers also suffered casualties. Edwin O. Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao

COTABATO CITY

Dud grenades puzzle cops

Unidentified armed men twice lobbed what appeared to be dud grenades at the local branch of Mang Inasal, and police on Saturday said their identities and motives remained a puzzle to this day.

Senior Insp. Alex Lanestosa, chief of the city police’s Station No. 1, said the perpetrators might have intentionally used such type of grenades but the reason was still unclear.

Lanestosa said the first incident at the local branch of Mang Inasal along SK Pendatun Ave. here occurred on Wednesday. The unexploded grenade was found by a passerby.

At  6 a.m. on Thursday, another unexploded grenade was found at the vicinity of the Jollibee-affiliated barbecue house.

“The management of Mang Inasal said no extortion demand was received prior to the incidents,”  Lanestosa said. Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao

ANGELES CITY

Hospital caters to cops

A private hospital has designated an exclusive ward dedicated for Central Luzon policemen who would be provided 30-percent discounts for its services.

Chief Supt. Edgardo Ladao, Central Luzon police director, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Dr. Vilma Caluag, president and chief executive officer of  Mother Calcutta Medical Center in the City of San Fernando, on May 23 that prescribed the new medical benefits.

“The cost of hospitalization is always a burden to our men and women who seek medical attention and the privileges granted by the MOA would hopefully alleviate this concern,” Ladao said. Jun  Malig, Inquirer Central Luzon

CITY OF MALOLOS

2 ex-cops charged

The National Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday filed charges of murder, frustrated murder and violation of the election gun ban against two dismissed policemen for the

May 5 killing of a village chair and wounding of a tricycle driver in San Miguel, Bulacan.

Jesus Manapat, chief of the NBI Bulacan district office, filed the charges against former policemen Alex Dayao and Angelito Liwag in the Bulacan prosecutor’s office.

Manapat said Dayao and Liwag, who were earlier placed by the Bulacan police on absence without official leave  status, were suspects in the shooting and killing of village chair Ronie Raura of Barangay Poblacion.

Wounded in that same attack was tricycle driver Emmanuel Manabat. The NBI said the dismissed policemen were security aides of a government official in San Miguel town.  Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central

Luzon

BATANGAS CITY

Lottery collector slain

A Small Town Lottery (STL) collector was shot dead in Barangay Wawa shortly before midnight on Saturday.

Angelito Catacutan, 43, was walking home at 11:30 p.m. when he was shot by a lone gunman for a still unknown reason, said Supt. Nicolas Torre III, city police chief.

Catacutan died on the spot while the still unidentified suspect fled on foot, he said.

Marrah Lesaba, Inquirer Southern Luzon