News Briefs

GUN OWNERS TO LOSE LICENSES

FIVE of the six persons arrested in the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIAA) for carrying firearms without permits last Wednesday will lose their firearms license, airport security said yesterday.

Chief Insp. Julius Cabahug, head of the Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS 7), said they recommended the cancellation of their firearms license to the Firearms Explosives Security Agency Guard Service Section (FESAGSS-7).

Five of the .45 pistols confiscated from their possession didn’t carry any permit, Cabahug said.

Joeribe Comendador, 38, Edwin Adolacion, 45, Asher Picondo, 39, Genaro Estoque, 40, and Julia Dela Cruz, 40, will be charged with illegal possession of firearm and illegal use of uniform and insignia.

Another suspect named Tirso Mag-aso will be charged with the illegal use of uniform and insignia. The case will be filed today to avoid violation of the reglamentary period of 36 hours for detention for the suspects.

MCIAA General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete said the arrest of the group who identified themselves as International Police Commission members didn’t disrupt the flow of passengers who conducted business as usual./Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza

KOREAN DAY IN CEBU

A GROUP singing competition and a film series are among the activities lined up for Cebu City’s first Korean Day Festival next month, city officials and Korean community leaders said yesterday.

Cebu Korean Association Inc. Vice President Charlie Shin said the festival, which is their way of celebrating South Korea’s founding anniversary on Oct. 3, will also headline South Korean cultural groups.

The elimination round for the group singing competition called Cebu’s K-Pop Star began last week.

Shin said 100 groups joined the event to perform K-Pop, or Korean pop songs with the grand finals scheduled on Sept. 30 at the Terraces in Ayala Center.

The top prize is a round-trip ticket for two to South Korea and a P20,000 cash prize.

Non-winning groups will receive P3,000 in cash prizes.  Shin said a South Korean Film Festival will run from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 in SM Cinema.

Cebu City officials earlier moved to declare the first Saturday of October as “Korean Day” in appreciation of the South Korean community’s contributions to Cebu City and to develop friendship between the country and the Cebu City government.

Councilor Margot Osmeña, who sponsored the “Korean Day” resolution, said South Koreans are Cebu City’s “number one tourists.”

About 25,000 Korean tourists come to Cebu a month with an average number of 1,000 per day, making them the biggest market in Cebu.

Of the 15,000 living in Cebu, about 200 to 300 South Koreans are married to Cebuanas. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus

MANDAUE DRAINAGE CLEANUP

THE Mandaue city government started cleaning the city’s drainage system to prevent flooding.

A massive cleanup drive started two weeks ago at the back of Rolling Hills Funeral Homes in sitio Orel, barangay Banilad, said  City Administrator James Abadia.

Abadia said some drainage pipes measuring about 36 inches in diameter were clogged with plastics, diapers, napkins and other non-biodegradable materials.

He said  suction pumps could no longer suck out the garbage due to sheer volume. Some workers had to use harnesses to go 2 meters down a manhole to handle the garbage.

Abadia said they collected 26 sacks of garbage and some huge rocks from 200 drainage pipes. There were also about 50 houses built on top of the nearby Mahiga Creek.

Abadia said they plan to put screens across the openings of the drainage pipes to prevent any garbage from clogging them. He said the cleanup will cover the entire city./REPORTER JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS