News Roundup 26 December 2022
Dec 26, 2022 • 4 min Read
Six people killed, over 100K affected by Christmas rains, floods | PHILSTAR.COM – Authorities said six people died and 19 were missing as parts of the country experienced heavy rains and floods during the Christmas weekend. In a bulletin released Monday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said two individuals in Camarines Sur and four in Misamis Occidental were reported dead. Ten people in Bicol region, six in Eastern Visayas, and three in Northern Mindanao were missing. Three individuals were injured. The shear line—or the point where the cold and warm winds converge—will continue to bring rain showers to Visayas, Caraga, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Palawan that may trigger floods and landslides, state weather bureau PAGASA said. The rains and floods caused by the shear line have affected 23,762 families or 100,691 individuals. Around 9,216 households or 46,672 people have been staying in evacuation centers. The NDRRMC said the estimated damage to infrastructure has reached P5.28 million in Bicol region and Northern Mindanao. Forty-eight houses were also damaged in Mimaropa, Eastern Visayas, and Northern Mindanao. The cost of agricultural damage in Bicol region was pegged at P52.7 million. The agency said it has provided assistance worth P2.04 million to the affected residents, deployed search and rescue teams, and activated regional emergency operations centers.
ATM machine in Laguna supermarket robbed | PHILSTAR.COM – Four men broke into a commercial establishment in Sta. Rosa City in this province at dawn yesterday and took away an undetermined amount of cash from an ATM or automated teller machine. The robbery was discovered by Glenje Opeña, 51, store manager of the Puregold Commercial complex located in Barangay Balibago at around 7:30 a.m., according to Col. Randy Glenn Silvio, Laguna police director. Opeña told probers that she noticed that the Metrobank ATM was not in its original position. Probers said the robbers destroyed the machine with the use of a hard object and took the cash. The robbers escaped by creating a hole in the wall of the establishment, Silvio said. All security guards on duty have given their statements to the police. Silvio said one of the guards told probers that the alarm system of the establishment was defective. Initial reports estimated the amount of cash taken from the machine at P300,000. Investigation is ongoing.
BuCor to file raps vs Bantag over ‘illegal’ excavation inside Bilibid compound | INQUIRER.NET –Suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gerald Bantag faces a new charge related to an alleged illegal excavation at the New Bilibid Prison. BuCor officer-in-charge Gregorio Catapang on Monday said the findings of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed that the excavation in the country’s main penitentiary, near the director general’s quarters, is “illegal.” “So, given that meron nang findings, magfa-file po kami ng illegal excavation sa nakatira dito, kay Bantag,” Catapang told Teleradyo’s Kabayan. (Given the findings, we will file illegal excavation against the person living here, Bantag.) “Kokonsulta po namin sa DOJ (Department of Justice) kung anong kaso po ito, saan isasampa,” he added. (We will consult with the DOJ on what case we should lodge, and where to file it.) Catapang has previously uncovered an excavation in the Bilibid facility that spans over four acres. At its deepest point, the dig went down around 30 meters. Bantag asserted that he was planning to build the “deepest swimming pool in Metro Manila” as he and other BuCor personnel are scuba diving enthusiasts. Catapang said he would order personnel to cover the excavation area after the holiday break.
Delivery driver helping cops shot dead by fleeing suspects | INQUIRER.NET – A delivery driver who went out of his way to help police chase two armed men was killed when he was shot by the fleeing suspects. John Dale Salazar had offered his motorcycle to the pursuing officers, according to Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre, Quezon City Police District director. No other details were given about the victim. Torre said his men were manning a checkpoint as part of Oplan Sita around 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 22 in Barangay Bahay Toro, Project 8, when they flagged down a black sport utility vehicle. Two men, later identified as Richmond Dalisay and Gabriel Tamondong, got off the car and fled, prompting the police to give chase. Salazar, who happened to be nearby, offered his vehicle. As the police were getting on the motorcycle, the suspects fired at them and hit Salazar who was killed. The officers fired back, but the suspects managed to escape by forcibly taking another rider’s motorcycle. Using information from witnesses and footage taken by closed-circuit television cameras, police were able to identify the suspects and track their location. Dalisay, who was allegedly a hired killer, was found hiding at Sitio Ambuklao in Barangay Baesa on Dec. 24. A GMA TV report said that instead of surrendering, he fired at the police, who shot and killed him. Tamondong, on the other hand, was arrested after a brief chase in the same area. Police said they would conduct a ballistic examination to identify the owner of the firearm found on one of the suspects. An investigation is underway to determine what charges should be filed against Tamondong.
