US EMBASSY CLOSED JANUARY 15
THE Embassy of the United States in the Philippines and its affiliated offices will be closed to the public on Monday, January 15 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an American holiday. The embassy will resume services on Tuesday, January 16.
FIRE BURNS HOMES, MARKET IN PASIG
ABOUT 200 families lost their homes when fire gutted a residential area in Pasig City on Thursday morning. Reports said at least 100 homes and a portion of the old Pasig City market near the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig in Barangay Kapasigan, were among those razed in the morning blaze. At about 10 a. m., the fire was under the fourth alarm, according to Senior Insp. Jerson Montellana, Bureau of Fire Protection ( BFP)- Pasig chief of investigation division. Pasig City fire marshal Col. Arturo Marcos declared a fire out at 11:35 a.m., after eight fire trucks from BFP and 32 others from volunteer fire brigades responded to the scene. No injuries or deaths were reported, but three people experienced dizziness and one had difficulty breathing because of the smoke.
‘ EX- NEGROS VICE MAYOR LIABLE FOR ABUSE OF AUTHORITY’
THE Office of the Ombudsman found former Vice Mayor Santiago Maravillas of Escalante City, Negros Occidental administratively liable for abuse of authority in connection with the termination of the services of two contractual employees when he was acting mayor. The Ombudsman found on investigation that Maravillas allegedly terminated the services of Florencio Lauron, then- heavy equipment operator and Francisca Pabuaya, administrative aide in 2016. “Respondent’s act of terminating the services of Lauron and Pabuaya without cause and without due process is a clear display of excessive use of authority,” the Ombudsman said in its consolidated decision.
6 EMPLOYEES IN CLARK AIRPORT LUGGAGE PILFERAGE SUSPENDED
THE Clark International Airport Corp. ( CIAC) on Thursday placed under preventive suspension six Miascor employees for alleged pilferage of the luggage of a passenger from Bulacan. CIAC withheld the names of the suspects pending the filing of administrative charges against them. Jovenil dela Cruz of Pandi, Bulacan whose experience was posted in Facebook and went viral recently prompted the CIAC authority to immediately conducted an investigation. Miascor is the ground handler under contract with airlines that service flights in Clark and handle the baggage/ luggages of CIAC passengers. Alexander Cauguiran, CIAC acting president and chief executive officer, said he will also recommend to Miascor the termination of the suspects if they are found guildty, adding that measures are being undertaken with the airlines and ground handlers to ensure that the incident does not happen again. Miascor compensated the passenger for the lost items in the luggage amounting to P84,000.
FATHER SHOT BY MEN LOOKING FOR HIS SONS
ZAMBOANGA CITY: A father was shot in the face by a group of men, one of them a policeman, after they failed to find the victim’s two sons with whom they had an altercation in Zamboanga City. One of the assailants also killed his companion after he accidentally shot him during the attack early on Thursday. Victim Bernard Ybanez was shot in the face by the men, accompanied by Police Officer 1 Alden Sahiron, who came looking for the Ybanez brothers who were not at their house at Unity Drive in Barangay Tetuan. The father only came out to see who were looking for his sons when he was attacked. Police said nine people were involved in the attack, but one of them escaped and is now being hunted by authorities. One of the suspects, Lindy Abduh, was fatally shot by one of his companions. Sahiron was disarmed and detained along with his companions, including his girlfriend. Neither the policeman nor any of his companions have given a statement about the violence.