Regions Briefs: Construction equipment torched in Aklan town

ILOILO CITY—Unidentified persons burned two units of heavy equipment used in a road construction in Banga town in Aklan province early Tuesday but police said no one was hurt in the attack. Senior Insp. Joey delos Santos, Banga police chief, said a grader was destroyed while a road roller was damaged after the armed men torched them in Barangay Daguitan in Banga, about
9 kilometers south of the capital town of Kalibo. Delos Santos said the equipment, owned by the construction firm BSP, were parked along the provincial road. The firm is building a road from Banga to the neighboring towns of Madalag and Libacao.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack as of Tuesday noon. —NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.

Laguna village exec nabbed for illegal guns

SAN PEDRO CITY—A village councilor was arrested after police found at least four unlicensed guns in his house in Calamba City in Laguna. Apolonio Alcantara, barangay council member of Punta in Calamba, underwent inquest proceedings on Tuesday for a case of illegal possession of firearms, said Chief Insp. Ricky Neron, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Laguna. Neron said CIDG operatives found three pistols, an M-16 rifle and bullets. Neron said the guns had expired licenses. —MARICAR CINCO

Sara pushes health, education programs

DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sara Duterte issued four executive orders in April that expanded the city’s educational assistance and health programs. Duterte’s Executive Order No. 11 expanded the benefits of local scholars, giving medical students as much as P20,000 book allowance and law students as much as P8,000, among a package of other benefits. She also created the Interim Vices Regulation Unit to give more teeth to the city’s antismoking campaign and controlled alcohol consumption. Another EO created the halal council so Davao could draw more visitors from Muslim countries. Last week, Duterte issued another order creating the Davao City eye health-care team to lead the local campaign to fight blindness. —JUDY QUIROS

76 fall in Quezon anticrime drive

LUCENA CITY—Police arrested 76 people in a massive anticrime operation in Quezon province last week. Senior Supt. Rhoderick Armamento, Quezon police director, said 39 of those nabbed were suspected drug pushers and users. Seized from them were 29.14 grams of “shabu” worth P53,909. Armamento said also arrested were three brothers who belonged to a robbery group and people who had unlicensed firearms. —DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.