MetroBriefs: DepEd, DTI hold price check of school supplies

Taxi driver dies after birthday celebration

A 56-YEAR-OLD taxi driver died on his birthday on Monday, hours after he threw a blowout for his neighbors. The body of Carlos Leonen was found inside their house in Dagat-dagatan, Caloocan City, around 7:30 p.m. by his grandson, Lorenz. Case investigator SPO2 Eduardo Tribiana of the Caloocan City police station said that the boy told them that his grandfather had been nursing a fever since that morning, prompting him to take some medicine. The victim’s sister, Catherine, also said that Leonen had complained earlier of a headache although this did not prevent him from giving his neighbors a birthday treat. She added that Leonen, despite feeling unwell, was happy as he celebrated his birthday. He was separated from his wife with whom he had five children. The Crime Laboratory Office led by Chief Insp. Ma. Shirleen Ballete said they did not find any sign of injury on the victim’s body although they have yet to conclude their investigation into his death. John Christian Alvariño

Awol QC cop kills live-in partner’s dad

A 28-YEAR-OLD former Quezon City policeman shot dead his live-in partner’s father after the latter confronted him for maltreating his daughter on Tuesday morning. PO2 Edrick Adrian Soltes, reportedly a member of the Quezon City Police District until he went Awol, killed 52-year-old Nestor Macaspac, father of his live-in partner Roxanne, inside the victim’s house on Tuna corner Talaba Streets in Barangay 28, Caloocan City, around 9:30 a.m. SPO2 Frederick Manansala, case investigator from the Caloocan City police station, said that Macaspac earlier confronted Soltes for hitting his daughter. The two had a heated debate which ended when the victim went home to his house just a few blocks away. The suspect, however, followed him and another argument ensued, resulting in the policeman shooting the victim repeatedly with his 9-mm firearm.  Macaspac was rushed to the Caloocan City Medical Center where he was declared dead on arrival. Soltes, on the other hand, escaped. Recovered from the crime scene were four casings as the police said they had started a manhunt for the suspect. Jodee Agoncillo and Jhena Sy

Navotas enforcer tags councilor’s kin in mauling

THE NAVOTAS Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday subpoenaed the father, uncle and friend of a councilor-elect after one of the city’s traffic enforcers accused them of mauling him over vote-buying allegations.  Senior Assistant Prosecutor Quennie Manalo—acting on the slight physical injury, grave threat and grave coercion charges filed by Roderick Bernal—required Danilo Ang, Rolly Alejandrino and lawyer Archie Marquez to attend a preliminary investigation on June 2 and 9. Ang is the father of Dan Israel Ang who was elected councilor in the second district  in the May 9 elections. Alejandrino, on the other hand, is Dan’s uncle while Marquez is the councilor-elect’s friend. Bernal said that around 4 p.m. on May 9, the three accosted him on Leongson Street, Barangay San Roque. They hit him and accused him of being involved in vote-buying. The incident was captured by a closed-circuit television camera and recorded by a concerned citizen on a cell phone, he added.  Bernal said he was wondering why he was being accused of vote-buying when the younger Ang, an independent candidate, ended up having the second biggest number of votes.  The five other winning councilors came from the Partido Navoteno, the dominant political party in the city. Jodee A. Agoncillo

SEN. BAM Aquino joins Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal on a price check of school supplies at a bookstore in Recto, Manila. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

DepEd, DTI hold price check of school supplies

WITH THE RESUMPTION of classes next month, the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Trade Industry (DTI) on Tuesday inspected bookstores in Manila to prevent the overpricing of school supplies. Education Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali said they wanted to ensure that vendors were abiding by the suggested retail prices set by the DTI. He noted that the stores they visited, namely, National Book Store and Morayta Book Store, were found to be compliant with the DTI order. Umali advised parents to first check the DTI’s price list for school supplies in order to stretch their budget. Notebooks, for example, can be bought for as low at P9, while for ballpoint pens, there are some priced at only P4. The price list can be found on both departments’ websites and social media accounts. Umali noted that since public schools don’t require notebooks for their students, parents could recycle their children’s old notebooks. Jovic Yee and  Ella Añata