PANGASINAN VILLAGE COUNCILMAN SHOT DEAD

MAPANDAN, Pangasinan: Police are investigating three possible angles including politics that will lead to the arrest of the gunman who shot dead Barangay Torres councilman Ernesto Rodriguez on Tuesday night. Senior Insp. Bernard Antolin, chief of police, said Rodriguez was closing the gate of his residence at about 7:30 p.m. when an unidentified gunman alighted from a motorcycle and shot him several times. Rodriguez was declared dead on arrival at the Mapandan Community Hospital. He sustained six gunshot wounds in the body. His family told investigators that Rodriguez has no known enemy in their village but started receiving death threats after he announced his plans to run in the (village) elections in May this year. A witness told

that two days before Rodriguez was killed, two men wearing bonnets and riding a motorcycle without plate number was sighted along their village asking for the location of his house. Other witnesses said the men claimed to be collectors of a lending firm from Dagupan City. Meanwhile, Rodriguez’s relatives and friends, including Mayor Gerald Tambaoan, appealed to the police to help his family get justice for his death.

AMMONIA LEAK GRIPS OLONGAPO STUDENTS

OLONGAPO CITY: More than 50 students of the Olongapo City National High School (OCNHS) were taken to a hospital here Tuesday afternoon after inhaling ammonia that leaked from an ice plant at the back of the school. Six of the students, were still under observation at the emergency room of the James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital (JLGMH) while the rest have been sent to their homes after receiving medical treatment. The leaked chemical appeared to have come from a broken check valve of a refrigeration tube the plant uses in making ice. Some students also suffered minor injuries as they scampered from the area, according to rescuers that responded to the scene. JLGMH Hospital Administrator Jesse Jewel Manuel, said no less than 60 students were taken to the emergency room mostly complaining of difficulty of breathing and dizziness. Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino has ordered the cancellation of classes in the school on Wednesday as the plant was being inspected.

5 MORE NPA MILITIA SURRENDER IN CAGAYAN

GAMU, Isabela: Five more alleged members of the“Militia ng Bayan”under the New People’s Army (NPA) surrendered to the Army and police units in Alcala, Cagayan. Lt. Col. Camilo Saddam, of the 5th Infantry (Star) Division’s 17th Infantry Battalion (17IB) based in Rizal town of Cagayan, identified the surrenderers but withheld their names for security reasons. Saddam said they surrendered to the local police and the Army’s 17IB in Barangay Masin in Alacala on Monday who were accompanied by officials of Rizal town led by Mayor Joel Ruma. Brig. Gen. Perfecto Rimando Jr., 5ID commander, said the five militia members were among those identified in photos taken during their combat training in Zinundungan Valley of Masi, Rizal in 2014. Capt. Jefferson Somera, 5ID public information officer, said there are at least 22 NPA militia members who have already surrendered to the 17IB from Rizal town.“We will not release their names yet because of a recent experience in Quirino province where the name of one NPA rebel was released but was hunted down and killed by still unidentified perpetrators,”he said.