. NEWS ROUNDUP .

Cuerpo still in Rodriguez town hall

TWO men who claimed they were instructed to cut the power lines of the Rodriguez town hall were caught by supporters of suspended Mayor Pedro Cuerpo Wednesday night.

Eduardo Tamone, reportedly of the engineering and maintenance office of San Mateo Rizal, and Efren Hendive said they were ordered by an unnamed person from the San Mateo town hall to do the job. Tamone said his wife called him up and told him to go to Rodriguez to meet some policemen who were to accompany him and Hendive in cutting the power lines.

Senior Supt. Ireneo Dordas, Rizal police chief, said they are now investigating the suspects. He said they found no police escorts with them.

Cuerpo meanwhile has not left the mayor's office since he came in last Monday. Acting mayor Jonas Cruz said the suspended mayor can stay as long as his supporters, who previously barricaded the town hall and asked for his reinstatement, do not cause trouble.

Cuerpo said he will stay in the municipal hall until Malacañang acts on his appeal for a review of his suspension. He said he and his supporters marched to the town hall when another suspension was issued against him. He has been serving a 60-day suspension since Feb. 13 for insisting on collecting garbage tipping fees from Metro Manila cities using his town's sanitary landfill.

Cuerpo said he will accept whatever Malacañang decides in his case. - Christian Oineza

Negros board members buy new SUVs

BACOLOD CITY - Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental who were given P1.5 million in discretionary funds for the needs of their districts opted to buy high-end vehicles for their own use, without a public bidding.

Provincial administrator Enrique Pinongan said nine of the province's 14 board members bought themselves six Ford Everests at P1.8 million each, two Ford Ranger Trekkers at P1.2 million each, and one Nissan Navara worth P1.15 million

Newly sworn-in governor Isidro Zayco, who replaced ailing governor Joseph Marañon who died last March 13 of a heart attack, said the board members were using seven-year-old vehicles and the new ones bought were within the price range allowed by the law: from P1.15 million to P1.2 million. He said bidding was done away with because the vehicles were bought from exclusive dealers.

Minus the cost of the vehicles, the board members would only have P300,000 to P400,000 left to spend on projects in their districts. But board member Nehemias de la Cruz said the money spent on the new vehicles was specifically allocated for them and not part of the Special Allocation Fund used to finance district projects.

Zayco himself and new vice governor Dino Yulo did not ask for a new vehicle while another board member bought a second-hand car.- Gilbert Bayoran

1 dead by hacking, 15 hurt in separate incidents

TEENAGER Jocel Estopa, 13, was killed and five of her neighbors were badly wounded when Diosdado Bitoon, 41, suspected to be mentally unstable, stabbed and hacked them with a machete and a five-inch bronze knife at dawn last Wednesday in Barangay Caputatan Norte, Medellin, Cebu.

Police said Bitoon attacked the victims without provocation, wounding Fernando Flores, 67; Fausto Tundag, 60; Elma Laping, 27; Elouna Jane Andrino, 14; and Marilyn Machete, 11. Authorities brought Bitoon to the Bogo City Hospital for psychiatric examination.

In Antipolo City, 10 persons also suffered injuries when the passenger jeepney they were on hit the back of a softdrink truck in Antipolo City early Thursday.

PO1 Jimmy San Antonio, case investigator, identified the victims who were brought to different hospitals as Crisanto Orambao, 43; Mary Orambao, 42; Rogelio Almoguera, 57; Roderick Almoguera, 18; Lourdes Morales, 28; Nanette Altanetos, Noe Non, Liezl Altarejos, Alturo Almoraje, and Dionisio Almoguera.

San Antonio said witnesses claimed the driver, Rafael Esperos, was drunk and chatting with his passengers when the accident occurred. Esperos denied this, saying the RC Cola truck he was following suddenly braked in front of his jeepney. - Raymond Africa and Christian Oineza

'Las Piñas 101' launched

LAS Piñas City Mayor Vergel Aguilar on Thursday officially launched Las Piñas 101 as the city celebrates its 101st anniversary and 11th year of cityhood.

Acclaimed as the "cleanest and greenest city" over recent years, the century-old town is commemorating its centenary with services having direct impact on poverty alleviation and the raising of living standards.

Highlights of the celebration are a job fair, citywide cleanup drive and tree planting, medical and dental services especially for women and children, and a cultural presentation.

Las Piñas 101 marks the course of action initiated by the city as a package of strengthened basic social services for its residents, with free and quality education and health services top as priority.

Aguilar said his administration will continue to provide free quality education from pre-school through college and a guaranteed P25,000 free medical and hospital care to Las Piñas residents. Set for opening this June is a three-storey, 25-classroom modern IT training institute for more than 2,500 scholars. The institute will offer free tuition for a one-year course on Web Development, Graphic Design and Animation, Networking Professional and Programming.

Infected mangoes seized at NAIA

AIRPORT quarantine officials impounded some 278 kilograms of mangoes brought in without import or health permit from Thailand because the fruits were found infested with the mango seed weevil (Stenochaetus mangiferie) upon inspection.

Luben Marasigan, plant quarantine official, said they were able to find eight seed weevils when the mangoes, worth some P5,000, were sliced open. The shipment was abandoned by its owner whose name "RR Garcia" was written on the fruit boxes.

The seized mangoes would be burned today at the government's incinerator in Nayong Pilipino as a precaution against infecting local mangoes, Marasigan said. - Jay Chua

Hillcrest Antipolo holds Recognition Day today