3 STUDENTS DIE IN MINDORO ACCIDENT
THREE students died after the motorcycle they were riding crashed into a 10-wheeler truck in the town of Bansud, Oriental Mindoro on Wednesday morning. Senior Supt. Christopher Birong, police provincial director, said students Mico Rivas, 17, was driving the motorcycle with two back riders – Niel Peradilla, 23, and Rommel Mansalapus, 18, coming from the town of Bongabon heading toward Bansud when he lost control while traveling along the national highway of Sitio Malamig, Barangay Salcedo and smashed the 10-wheeler truck. The three students died instantly.
ZAMBOANGA MAYOR’S HOUSE STRAFED
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Unidentified gunmen strafed the house of Mayor Flora Villarosa of Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte at dawn on Wednesday. Supt. Rogelio Alabata, regional police spokesman, said the attackers fled on a van and a motorcycle. It was unclear whether the strafing was carried out by communist rebels or other armed groups operating in the province. It was not known if Villarosa was in the house at the time of the attack but police said there was no report of casualties. New People’s Army rebels had attacked politicians whom they accused of colluding with security forces and other crimes against the communist group.
OLD LINGAYEN BRIDGE COLLAPSES; 4 HURT
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan: Four construction workers cutting the old bridge center steel truss were injured after the unused bridge in Barangay Baay here collapsed on Tuesday. Senior Supt. Ronald Lee, police provincial director, identified the injured as Vevencio Conise, 57; Kenneth Castro, 21; Llanillo, 38, all of Bugallon in Pangasinan and Bartolome Aqui, 48, of Mangaldan town who worked at Rani Construction and Supply. Police said the bridge collapsed when the small crane truck being used by the victims fell into the river with the workers. A new bridge is being constructed nearby to replace the old one.
BOMB THREAT DISRUPTS BACOLOD UNIVERSITY
BACOLOD CITY: The STI-West Negros University here reeled from a bomb threat on late Tuesday afternoon after a text message of a bomb inside the campus was received by the secretary of the school’s vice president Ryan Mark Molina. Senior Insp. Elmer Bonilla said evening classes were suspended and students evacuated while the bomb disposal team searched the area which yielded negative. Bomb specialist Denny Montoya of the city police’s Explosive Ordnance Division, said the incident at STI-WNU was the third they responded to since January. The first was at the Visayan Maritime Academy on January 30 and at the Trinity Christian School last week, Montoya said, adding that all turned out to be negative of bombs or explosives.
5,000 BULACAN STUDENTS GET SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS
ABOUT 5,000 college students from different universities and colleges in Bulacan received certificate and financial assistance under Bulacan’s scholarship program called “Tulong Pang-Edukasyon para sa Kabataang Bulakenyo!” during the annual Scholars General Assembly held at the Bulacan Capitol Gymnasium on Wednesday. Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado urged the scholars to pursue their dreams with faith and dedication and aim high to help build a bright future for the Filipino. He said the province is putting up with the challenges of the modern world and they will be needed as engines of growth to lead the province and the nation in propelling it to greater heights.
P39M FUND ASSISTANCE FOR ‘NINA’ VICTIMS RELEASED
LUCENA CITY, Quezon: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)Calabarzon office released an initial P39 million fund for the recovery and rehabilitation of the six towns in this province severely affected by Typhoon “Nina.” DSWD-Calabarzon Regional Director Leticia Diokno informed Gov. David Suarez the fund has already been downloaded based on the reports submitted by the mayors of the affected towns in the Bondoc Peninsula district who were recommended to the Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DRAMB).Diokno relayed this information in response to a meeting recently called by House Minority Floor Leader and Bondoc Peninsula Rep. Danilo Suarez and attended by mayors of the affected towns and various government agencies. The governor said the approved rehabilitation plan formulated for the implementation of Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) and Cash For Work (CFW) program for families with totally damaged houses is being coordinated with local social welfare offices.He ordered Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer (PSWDO) Sonia Leyson to follow the approved allocation based on number of beneficiaries for ESA and CFW: Buenavista, P352,800; Catanauan, P1,701.280; Mulanay, P4,743,200; San Narciso, P10,254,720; San Francisco, P11,124,960, and San Andres, P11,375,840.Based on the guidelines, the beneficiaries of ESA and CFW will be the same beneficiaries for the CFW for 10-day work which the local DSWD will monitor.