NEWSBRIEFS

DAVAO DEL SUR

Ex-NPA rebel nabbed

A suspect in the May 22 burning of a General Santos-bound passenger bus in Sta. Cruz town was arrested on Wednesday, the military reported Friday.

Lt. Raul Villegas, Civil Military Operations officer of the 39th Infantry Battalion, said Reynaldo Lumagalan, a former New People’s Army (NPA) rebel, was arrested in coordination with officials of Barangay (village) Astorga. He said the suspect yielded an Uzi-type gun during the arrest but denied any participation in the bus-burning incident.

But Villegas said authorities had evidence that Lumagalan, 26, served as lookout when his former comrades set the bus on fire. “He was positively identified as one of the suspects in that bus-burning,” Villegas said.—Orlando B. Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao

NORTH COTABATO

3 found dead

Three people, two of them teenagers, believed to be victims of summary executions were found dead beside the national highway in Makilala town on Friday morning.

The victims bore shot wounds in their heads and their hands tied when found by a farmer, who was pasturing his carabao, an entry in the town’s police blotter, said.

Authorities said the victims’ remains were taken to Torreda Funeral Parlor here so that relatives could claim them.—Williamor A. Magbanua,

Inquirer Mindanao

LAGUNA

Gas worker held

Authorities arrested a gasoline station worker who was tagged as the suspect in the murder and rape of his coworker.

Laguna police director Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz said Mac Jay Blacer, 17, an employee of Maxx gasoline station in San Pablo City, was arrested Friday in his residence in Barangay (village) Silangan Mayao in Lucena City.

San Pablo police chief Supt. Ferdinand de Castro said Blacer was the suspect in the rape and murder of Shelly Panganiban, 25, who worked as a cashier at the same gasoline station.

In his statement to the police, Blacer claimed that Panganiban refused to give him his salary and never allowed him to go on break during work hours.—Maricar P. Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon

TACLOBAN CITY

DZR airport to be rehabilitated

The rehabilitation of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, the biggest airport of Eastern Visayas located in Barangay (village) Costa Brava, San Jose District, will start next year.

But Representative Neil Benedict Montejo of party-list An Waray said the project implementation would have to be done by phase because the entire project would cost P4 billion.

He said a new passenger terminal building, to cost P200 million, would be constructed first next year, just across the old terminal building.—Joey A. Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas