Newsbriefs

ILOILO CITY

Fire destroys 7 houses in Iloilo

AN EARLY morning fire razed seven houses and damaged three others here on Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection. No one was reported hurt in the fire that hit a community in Barangay San Juan in Molo district here.

Chief Insp. Jerry Berte, the Iloilo City fire marshall, said the fire started past 2 a.m. and was put out two hours later.

Initial investigation showed that the fire originated from a computer shop which was among those gutted down. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas

US exec says no worry on outsourcing

A TOP US Embassy official sought to allay fears over a bill pending in the US Congress that would stop the outsourcing of jobs.

“I think it’s premature to get too concerned about the impact of a bill that’s really in its very early stages,” said Leslie Bassett, deputy chief of mission of the US Embassy.

“There are lots of initiatives presented to our respective legislatures every year and they only have a chance to act on a few,” she said. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas

CAGAYAN

Rebs raid police station, take guns

COMMUNIST rebels raided a police detachment in Allacapan, Cagayan, and seized two firearms from policemen there on Saturday. Senior Supt. Mao Aplasca, the Cagayan police director, said at least 25 New People’s Army rebels arrived at the detachment of the police’s regional public safety battalion in Barangay Labben and took the Armalite rifle and .45 cal. pistol of two policemen manning the station.

The rebels, however, failed to enter the main camp after a group of policemen chased them, resulting in a brief gunfight. Aplasca said no policeman was hurt in the clash. Police set up checkpoints in Lasam town and in Flora, Apayao, the two areas where the rebels were expected to pass through, after the raid. Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon

BENGUET

Radioman cries foul on log raps

A GOVERNMENT broadcaster, who feuded publicly with Kalinga Gov. Jocel Baac in June 2011, is under investigation for allegedly transporting lumber without permit on March 2, reports from the Cordillera police said.

But Jerome Tabanganay of radio station dzRK in Tabuk City said he was being discredited by Baac. The governor dismissed his claims in a text message to the Inquirer.

Last year, Baac was caught on video entering Tabanganay’s radio booth to confront him about unflattering reports on the provincial government. This led to a fight between the two, which prompted a Malacañang investigation. Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon

COTABATO CITY

Bombers ‘reform saboteurs’ says gov

ACTING Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has labeled as “the handiwork of cowards” the bombings that rocked the ARMM compound on Saturday.

“Obviously, there are people who were affected by my reform agenda,” Hataman said in a statement issued by the Bureau of Public Information.

“Saboteurs of reform,” Hataman said of unidentified men who planted three improvised explosive devices inside the ARMM compound and near its main gate here. Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao

EVENTS

Gov goes all out for mangroves

PANGASINAN Gov. Amado Espino Jr. toured several mayors of the province to a mangrove nursery in Bolinao that the provincial government is helping finance and distributed 38,000 mangrove seedlings to several municipalities—Sual, Infanta, San Fabian, Anda, Lingayen and Bolinao—and the cities of San Carlos and Alaminos.

Since 2007, a total of 344,057 mangrove seedlings were propagated by the facility, 231,237 of which have been planted across the coastal areas of the province.

The mangrove massive distribution activity is part of Espino’s coastal resource management program which has earned the hall of fame award from the Regional Development Council.