MetroBriefs

Victim of stabbing found dead in Manila

The body of a man who was stabbed to death was found before dawn Monday on a major thoroughfare near a bridge in Manila. Manila Police District homicide section personnel described the victim as between 30 and 35 years old, 5’7” tall and clad in a T-shirt worn over a pair of denim pants. Case investigator Police Officer 3 Efren Flores said that the body was discovered at around 4 a.m. on Bonifacio Drive extension near Del Pan Bridge in Intramuros.—Jeannette I. Andrade

Businesswoman decries NBI criminal charges

A 65-year-old woman accused of being a criminal mastermind and financier has denied the charges filed against her by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Anita Buce, who was arraigned at the Manila Regional Trial Courts on June 29 for allegedly masterminding the murder of a reported business rival five years ago said the NBI reports about her were “malicious and baseless.” The NBI had arrested Buce, a soft drink wholesaler from Pandacan, Manila, for having allegedly ordered the killing of grocery store owner Gil Manlapaz Sr. on June 29, 2006, over a business dispute. The NBI also tagged Buce in the murder of Carmen de Guzman, the wife of her alleged lover in 1984. But in a statement, Buce said the murder charges filed against her for the killings of De Guzman and Manlapaz were dismissed by the Manila Regional Trial Court and Court of Appeals in 1989 and 2007, respectively.—Jaymee T. Gamil

Mandaluyong has emergency command center

Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos led on Monday the opening of the city’s first ever command center equipped with TV monitors connected to at least 20 spy cameras installed around the city. Aimed at improving the response of the police and local officials to emergencies, the command center monitors busy areas and intersections in the city through five flat-screen TV sets and receives emergency calls on a 24-hour basis. Benjamin Ladra, chief of Mandaluyong City Disaster Coordinating Council, said the center was linked to other government agencies such as police, fire, city rescue team, hospitals, barangay offices and traffic units.—Niña Calleja