A ROBBERY suspect with 11 warrants issued for his arrest was finally captured in Marikina City. Michael Bautista, alias “Baltik,” surrendered without a fight when cornered by the police on the night of July 5 in Barangay Sto. Niño, where he also lived. The 33-year-old Bautista is considered the third most wanted man in the city and has 11 warrants of arrest to his name for robbery-holdup and vehicle theft, according to Senior Supt. Vincent Calanoga, chief of Marikina City police.
The suspect is also being linked to the Trifon Robenta robbery group, which is known to target motorcycles parked and left unattended on the streets. The gang members would later use the stolen bikes for robberies in Marikina City, Quezon City, Cogeo in Antipolo City, and Cainta, Rizal province. The police acted on a tip from the city’s Barangay Information Network indicating that the suspect had been frequenting Sadsad Street in Sto. Niño. Three teams placed him under surveillance before moving in for the arrest. Bautista remained in detention Tuesday at the Marikina police headquarters. Maricris Irene V. Tamolang
Power line tapper electrocuted in Tondo
A MANILA resident who was reportedly tapping into overhead power lines in Bambang, Tondo, was electrocuted Tuesday. The victim, identified as Eduardo Angor, 43, was known in the neighborhood for doing illegal connections and he was again tinkering with the cables that rainy morning, according to a witness who asked not be named. Crewmen from the Manila Electric Co. took about an hour to take down the lifeless Angor from the post. His body was brought to Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center. Angor’s sister, Evelyn, who last saw him alive around 7 a.m., later signed a waiver forgoing a police investigation. Jovic Yee
Churchyard near Palace yields WWII bomb
A WORLD War II bomb was unearthed near the country’s seat of power on Monday afternoon. Jefferson Larzan, a laborer hired by Dynamic Construction Co., was at a bell tower construction site on the compound of St. Jude Catholic Church in Malacañang Park in Manila when he dug up a heavily corroded 75-mm projectile. Insp. Arnold Santos, chief of the Manila Police District’s explosive ordnance disposal section, said the vintage bomb could still explode and cause damage within a 20-meter radius if not handled properly. The church compound was later declared safe, but authorities said it was possible that more WWII explosives remained buried in the area. “They should exercise caution and alert us if they spot suspicious objects,” Santos said. Jovic Yee
‘How much money do we need, mom?’
JECELLE Salango
UNLIKE most patients with congenital heart disease, 6-year-old Jecelle Salango of Barangay St. Peter, Dasmariñas, Cavite province, appears eager to undergo surgery for her condition, according to her mother Cecilia. The young girl, she said, had been constantly asking her when would the operation be, so that she could finally get well and join her older brother in school. Cecilia noted that despite Jecelle’s illness, she remains a playful child fond of singing nursery rhymes and reading books. “I earlier told her it would be difficult at this time for her to go to school.
She said, ‘Okay, then after my operation.’ But she keeps on nagging me, saying ‘You always tell me I will have surgery soon. How much money do we need for it?’” the mother told the Inquirer. Doctors at the Philippine Heart Center said Cecilia and her husband Gerardo, a jeepney driver, may need to raise P230,000 for the operation that would repair a hole in Jecelle’s heart and clear her clogged arteries. Their daughter also needs to undergo cardiac catherization, a test to determine other heart problems, which will cost an additional P40,000. Donors can reach Cecilia at 0910-2294921 and extend assistance through the bank account of Gerardo Salango at RCBC Baclaran branch, with account number 4215850020623915. Santiago R. Alcantara