2 get combat awards for death of
Abu Sayyaf leader
FIRST Lt. Almirante Mijares and S/Sgt. Raul Suacillo were
awarded the Distinguished Conduct Star for "conspicuous acts of courage and
gallantry" in leading the 8th
Special Forces Company in a firefight with the group of Abu Sayyaf leader Abu
Solaiman, who was killed in the encounter in Sulu two months ago.
Mijares and Suacillo were honored with the second highest
combat award in the 1st
Infantry Division’s own celebration of the Army’s 110th
foundation day in its headquarters in Zamboanga del Sur.
Solaiman, whose real name was Jainal Antel Sali, was the No.
2 man of the Abu Sayyaf who allegedly masterminded a number of high-profile
kidnapping and bombings. He had a $1 million bounty on his head. Two Abu Sayyaf
encampments and various enemy war materiel were captured after the encounter.
Military officials said Marine 1Lt Romulo Dimayuga, who led
his men in an encounter that killed Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani on
Sept. 1 in Patikul, Sulu, may be nominated for the Medal of Valor, the highest
military decoration which includes some perks.
Other awardees were Brig. Gen. Alfredo Cayton, 601st
Brigade commander, for the successful conduct of 31,801 combat operations which
led to 84 encounters and the neutralization of 998 suspects; 2Lt. Jover Tutanes
and Sgt. Alejandro Pascua, conferred the third highest combat medal, for scoring
feats against the communist New People’s Army in Aurora and Zambales,
respectively. -–Victor Reyes
Binay hits DOJ inaction on cases
vs Cha-cha proponents
MAKATI residents are questioning the continued inaction of
the Department of Justice on the falsification charges filed against officers of
the pro-Charter change groups in May and August 2006.
Among those charged were Raul Lambino and Efren de Luna of
Sigaw ng Bayan and Akbay Pinoy officers Carmencita Tabamo, Adelaida Lazaro and
three other unidentified persons.
Counsel for the residents Abigail Binay said the cases were
filed against Lambino and company for allegedly falsifying signatures on
pro-Charter change documents submitted to the Commission on Elections. She said
the cases were filed 10 months ago at the city prosecutor’s office but no action
has been taken. She said the complaints have been forwarded to the DOJ for
evaluation.
In contrast, Binay said the DOJ acted swiftly on the cases
involving party-list Representatives Satur Ocampo and Crispin Beltran. "The
failure of the DOJ to act on these cases reinforces the observation that when it
comes to critics of the Arroyo administration, the DOJ is quick to issue
resolutions, but takes its time when the cases involve allies of the
administration," she said.
Murder raps filed vs NPA man in
Bataan
POLICE have filed murder charges against Juanito Carabeo,
alias Toktok, an active New People’s Army member operating in Morong, Bataan for
the killing of rebel-returnee Felisa Timog Ocampo, 59, last March 2 in Morong.
Ocampo, a widow, was earlier reported by the militant group
Karapatan as a local coordinator of the party-list group Bayan Muna, but was
actually a former NPA member who had quit the group.
Ocampo was gunned down in her sister’s house. A key witness,
who is now under police protection, provided the basis for the filing of murder
charges against Carabeo before the Bataan provincial prosecutor’s office last
March 16.
Police said Ocampo may have angered her former NPA comrades
when she quit the group and joined the local militia actively engaged in
counter-insurgency operations. – Raymond Africa
DENR asks Las
Piñas residents not to drink groundwater
ENVIRONMENT Secretary Angelo Reyes yesterday said Las Piñas
residents "might as well give up their (water) pumps" if the feared
contamination of cancer-causing trichloroethylene (TCE) is confirmed.
Engineer Ranulfo Feliciano, president of the Philippine
Society of Sanitary Engineers, said it could take around 100 years to completely
decontaminate the aquifer if it is confirmed to be contaminated with TCE.
Reyes the other day urged Las Piñas residents to avoid
drinking groundwater after traces of TCE were found around the former plant of
Philips Electronic & Lighting Inc. in Pamplona.
Ely Anthony Ouano, director of the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau, said
TCE is widely used as industrial solvent to remove grease and oil in metal parts
and textile and as ingredient in adhesives, paint remover, typewriter correction
fluid, pepper sprays, pharmaceuticals and insecticides. – Reinir C. Padua
