Local News

KIDAPAWAN CITY -Authorities nabbed four persons caught carrying unlicensed firearms in a surprise inspection along the highway in M’lang town in North Cotabato, around 1030 a.m., on Monday. Senior Inspector Jonameeh Tonacao, chief of M’lang Police, identified the suspects as Notke Talaga Makmod, 30 Norjehad Manday Utto, 31 Faisal Manday Utto, 19 and Bilay Mabatawan Utto, 51, all residents of Datu Paglas, Maguindanao.

CAMP SIONGCO, Awang, Maguindanao - A soldier has died while his companion was wounded in a highway mishap in Datu Odin Sinsuat (DOS), Maguindanao, police said today.Senior Insp. Lindsy Sinsuat, DOS town police chief, identified the accident that happened in BarangayBadak asTechnical Sargeant Rey Ladao, 50 of theHeadquarters Battalion, 6th Infantry Division, His wounded backrider was Jerwin Alentajan, 22 of Barangay Badak.Police said the duo were heading for home from a birthday party and was speeding when a group of goats crossed the street.

COTABATO CITY - A lady soldier is now under investigation for accidentally firing his cal. 45 pistol while depositing it to a mall entrance Sunday.The incident left a child slightly wounded, according to Senior Supt.

PIKIT, North Cotabato (PNA) -- A contaminated pastil (steamed rice with minced chicken) reportedly downed a family of five from Pikit, North Cotabato after eating in a carenderia in Kabacan, North Cotabato, police said.Another family of four were also downed by a cooked riced believed to be contaminated, Senior Insp.

KIDAPAWAN CITY - City Mayor Joseph Evangelista said it is likely that Superintendent Franklin Anito, currently the city police director, would be removed from office after two members of the Kidapawan City PNP tested positive for illegal drug use. Another police officer has refused to undergo a clarificatory drug test after he submitted a ‘highly questionable’ urine sample to operatives of the Cotabato Police Provincial Crime Laboratory on the day the mandatory drug test was conducted. Removing [Supt.] Anito as my chief of police is really unfair.

TANTANGAN, South Cotabato - A construction company manager sent to police detention cell four firm drivers caught in the act of stealing diesel fuel from the trucks they drivein Barangay Maibo here Sunday.John Edmundo Andres, assistant manager and chief security officerof Gemma Construction Company, has no mercy toRandy M.

KORONADAL CITY – As the cleansing campaign within the police organization against misfits and undesirables, police officers here have been subjected to random drug testing.Police Supt. Franklin Lopez Valdez from Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory Office-12 led the collection of police urine samples. First to submit urine samples wereSupt. Nestor Salcedo, Koronadal City police chief,and his deputies Chief Insp.Rey D. Egos, Senior InspectorDario F.

IMPASUGONG, Bukidnon (PNA) -– A government soldier died as fresh fighting between communist guerillas erupted anew in the outskirts of Malaybalay City in Bukidnon, a military report said Friday.Capt. Norman Tagros, spokesperson of the Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion, said that two separate armed encounters occurred in the outskirts of Malaybalay City on Wednesday morning and in the afternoon.Tagros identified the lone fatality as Private First Class Randy G.

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Two banana plantation laborers were seriously wounded when an unidentified gunmen strafed a makeshift hut in a remote village here Friday. Senior Inspector Samuel Bascon, deputy chief of the Kidapawan City Police, identified the victims as Ryman Monteverde Polines, 20, of Purok-7, Barangay Lumbay in Tulunan, North Cotabato and John Rommel Arena Sasi, 24, of Barangay Malibatuan in Arakan, North Cotabato. Bascon said the victims were asleep in the hut when the suspects, armed with high-powered firearms, peppered bullets upon them at past midnight.

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Central Mindanao (Region 12) arrested a suspected big-time shabu pusher identified as Joey Aranas of Salcedo Village, Barangay Sudapin here Thursday. PDEA agents confiscated from Aranas 15 sachets of suspected shabu, which were estimated at P200,000 during a 4:30 p.m. buy bust operation. They also seized from the suspect a hand grenade and a caliber .38 revolver, which, according to reports, have no pertinent papers. With those items, the agents considered Aranas a ‘big-time’ pusher.