Mine exec shot dead

Unidentified assailants shot an official of the mining firm Sagittarius Mines Inc. in the head at 5:30 a.m. Friday inside the Central Park Subdivision in Barangay Bangkal, Davao City.

City police chief Senior Supt. Rene Aspera said Cris Bual, an offsite land acquisition superintendent for SMI, died instantly after the shooting incident.

John Arnaldo, SMI manager for corporate communications, said Bual had been working for SMI for the past three years. Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao

CAVITE

Truck recovered

Police on Thursday recovered in a Quezon City warehouse a

10-wheeler truck  loaded with cement which was hijacked in Silang, Cavite, at dawn on Sept. 6.  Four employees of RC Tagala Construction, which owned the warehouse, were arrested.

Senior Supt. Joel Coronel, National Capital Region-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group  chief, said theft charges have been filed against suspects Jacquelyn Evangelista, 33; Jeremy Harry Amar, 49; Christian Dalme Tagala 27; and Honesto Lorena Jr., 30, at the regional trial court in Imus, Cavite.

Police raided the warehouse on Wednesday but the owner, a Rosano Tagala, was not present. Police found only 210 of the 600 bags of cement in the truck. Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon

MASBATE

2 rebels killed

Two suspected rebels were killed in an encounter with government troops in Sitio Kigarao in Barangay Quintana in San Pascual town on Burias Island in Masbate on Friday.

The unidentified rebels were among 15 suspected New People’s Army members involved in the 15-minute fire fight that occurred at about 6:20 a.m., said Lt. Col. Julian Pacatan, Army commander in Masbate.

The encounter followed weeks of hot pursuit operations by the Army based in Milagros town. Jonas Cabiles Soltes, Inquirer Southern Luzon

ILOILO CITY

Ship to be refloated

The sunken MV Asia Malaysia is expected to be refloated within the month, according to Commodore Athelo Ybañez, Coast Guard Western Visayas commander.

Ybañez said on Tuesday that salvage operations have shifted to the removal of the ship’s cargo for the eventual refloating of the vessel.

The private salvor group contracted by Tran-Asia Shipping Inc. early this month successfully siphoned at least 16,000 liters of fuel from the ship’s fuel tanks. This has eliminated risks of an oil spill, according to Ybañez.

He said the salvors were already clearing heavy cargo and debris including vehicles, cement and hardware materials and were expected to complete the salvage operation within the month if there is no weather disturbance.

“The salvage operation is relatively easier because the ship sank at shallow depth. It was only delayed due to the storms,” Ybañez said.

The 2,439-tonner vessel bound for Iloilo from Cebu sank on July 31 a few hours after its 178 passengers and crew members were transferred to passing ships and boats.

It lies 13 meters underwater 3 miles off the coast of Manapla town in Negros Occidental. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas

ISABELA

Indian trader slain

An Indian businesswoman was shot and killed by her fellow Indian in Barangay Victory Norte here on Sunday, police said.

Sonia Bohjwani, 30, was on her way to an apartment rented by her compatriots at 4:45 p.m. when she met and confronted an Indian man whom police did not identify. Supt. Victorino Valdez, city police information officer, said an argument between Bohjwani and the man ensued. The suspect then pulled out a .45 cal. gun and shot Bohjwani in the neck and back.

Valdez said  reports showed that two days before she was killed, Bohjwani had a fight with an Indian identified only as Tony. Police said members of the Indian community here declined to give statements to investigators. Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon