2 minors rescued from sex dens
TWO 17-YEAR-OLDS have been rescued from night clubs in Zambales by the Manila City government after the aunt of one of the victims wrote Mayor Alfredo Lim for help on March 1. The two girls, along with other women from their barangay, were recruited as guest relations officers by Lorens Jean M. Javier, the sister of one of the victims. The girls came from Del Pan, Tondo, city social welfare office head Jay de la Fuente said. The two minors were rescued from Pasaway night club and High Resort night club in Zambales on March 6. They claimed that they were being forced to have sex with customers and that the club owners had refused to let them go even after they decided that they wanted to leave. The Manila Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Manila police, Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane and the provincial police jointly rescued the two girls who were later placed in the custody of the Manila social welfare Reception Action Center. They will undergo counseling and assessment for a week before being turned over to their parents. Lim, meanwhile, ordered De la Fuente to help the girls finish their high school education under the city’s Alternative Learning School program. He also promised to give them financial assistance to help their families start a business. Jaymee T. Gamil
SUV hits center island in QC; 4 injured
A SPORT utility vehicle that went out of control due to a blown tire injured four people when it smashed into the center island on Quezon Avenue where the victims were fixing street lights on Monday afternoon. SPO2 Renato Ocampo said the accident took place at around 1:45 p.m. near the corner of D. Tuazon Street in Barangay Doña Josefa. He said that one of the tires of a Mitsubishi Montero (JEF 08) burst, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. It smashed into a crane near the center island where the workers were standing. Ocampo identified the SUV driver as Jeffrey Lovendino. He and his passenger were both injured, the traffic officer said, along with city hall workers Arthur Dales and Allan Valenzuela. Nancy C. Carvajal
Navotas hires 160 students for summer jobs
IF YOU happen to drop by Navotas City Hall this summer, don’t be surprised to see young clerks and aides assisting you. The Navotas City government has announced the hiring of 160 poor students for various auxiliary positions to help them earn money for school this coming school year. “This program aims to instill in the minds of (the) young … the importance and value of hard work and to make use of their vacation constructively,” Mayor John Rey Tiangco said. The project, which will be implemented in April, is in line with Republic Act 7323, otherwise known as the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) passed during the term of then President Corazon Aquino. The law states that any person or entity may employ “poor but deserving students” provided they are employed “during summer and/or Christmas vacations” if they are enrolled in the secondary level. Under SPES, only students aged 15 to 25 years old whose parents’ combined income “does not exceed the annual regional poverty threshold level for a family of six for the preceding year” are eligible. Forty percent of their wages will be paid by the government in the form of a voucher which the students can use to purchase their school books or to pay for their tuition. The remaining 60 percent will be shouldered by the employer. In the case of Navotas, 60 percent of the students’ salary wage will be paid by the local government; 40 percent, by the local Department of Labor and Employment. Kristine Felisse Mangunay