Warehouse porter facing raps
for abandoning slain taxi driver

A warehouse porter is now facing charges for allegedly abandoning taxi driver David Gallego Jr. who had been shot by a still unidentified person in Purok Sigay, Brgy. 2, Bacolod City Sunday, the police said yesterday.

Jose Ecraela, 43, could be charged for violation of Section 1 of Article 275 of the Revised Penal Code, or the abandonment of a person in danger, for failing to help Gallego who lay wounded near him, Police Station 2 commander, Senior Inspector Luisito Acebuche, said.

Section 1 of Article 275 provides that, “any one who shall fail to render assistance to any person whom he shall find in an uninhabited place wounded or in danger of dying, when he can render such assistance without detriment to himself, unless such omission shall constitute a more serious offense” could be imprisoned for one to six months.

Ecraela, however, said he did not touch Gallego although the driver was still moving, because he was afraid he would also be shot.

He claimed he did not see the gunman but Acebuche said, the wound on Gallego’s neck shows he had been shot at close range.

Ecraela said that he and his friend, Jaime Miguel, were preparing to sleep outside the Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company warehouse in Purok Sigay when Gallego was shot.

Ecraela, Miguel, and another man, tested negative for gun powder burns Monday, but Acebuche said two more men were scheduled to undergo similar tests yesterday to determine if they had fired a gun when Gallego was shot.

Acebuche had earlier said that an illegal drugs deal could have triggered the killing.*PP

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2 ‘snatchers’ collared

Two men were arrested for snatching a woman’s bag in front of a school, about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, at Rizal Street, Silay City, Negros Occidental, a press release from the Silay PNP station said.

Arrested were Elmar Gallego and Ronie Superficial, both 20, and residents of Antonio Luna interior, Brgy Mambulac and Loney Street respectively, in Silay.

The police under Supt. Roderick Augustus Alba said the suspects snatched the bag of a woman from Bacolod City and who requested not to be named, containing P17,000 in cash, jewelries worth  P4,000 and other personal belongings, the press release said.

Helping in the arrest were SP04 Leo Canag, SP03 Panagsagan and members of a volunteer anti-crime group. The suspects are now detained at the Silay PNP lock-up cell and will be criminally charged,  the press release added.*

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6 persons apprehended  
for cement pilferage: PNP

Six persons were arrested by policemen for allegedly pilfering bags of cement in Bacolod City yesterday, the police said.

Arman, 27, Randy, 19, and Alejandro Villanueva, Randy Concepcion, 30, Crisanto Mardok, 45, Nelson Natam, 46, were nabbed by Police Station 2 members PO2’s Richard Delasa and Ronelo Molato at 27th-Gatuslao streets, Bacolod, at about 10:45 a.m. yesterday, Delasa said.

Delasa said they were patrolling near the area when they saw the six helping each other transferring five bags of cement from a truck to another vehicle parked near it.

The suspects failed to show a delivery receipt for the items to the police and this prompted them to bring the six to the station for questioning, Delasa added.

It turned out later that the five bags of cement were extra packs from a batch of 400 bags from APO Cement, that the Villanuevas were selling to Mardok, Concepcion, and Natam for P105 each, Delasa said.

Alejandro, one of the truck drivers, claimed that an unidentified checker of M/V Daily Star, told him that there were five spare packs from their delivery, which he could sell after bringing the other 400 to MB United Enterprises.

Concepcion, Natam, and Mardok, said that their boss was the one who was paying for the cement.

The six admitted that they did the deal to earn extra money.

Police Station 2 commander, Senior Inspector Luisito Acebuche, said, qualified theft cases could be filed against the Villanuevas while the three other suspects could be charged for violation of the Anti-Fencing Law.*PP

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13 PMA graduates assigned
in 3rd Infantry Division: Fajardo

The 3rd Infantry Division got 13 of the 119 newly-commissioned Army second lieutenants belonging to the Philippine Military Academy Class 2008, military records show.

Brig. Gen. Gregorio Fajardo, assistant 3rd ID commanding general, yesterday said the 13 Army lieutenants will be assisgned to the different Army battalions in Negros, Panay, Cebu and Bohol.

The 3rd ID deployed two of its three Army infantry brigades in Negros, which has been identified as a priority area for clearing of rebels in the Western and Central Visayas regions.

Army chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano exhorted in a statement the 119 Army lieutenants who are members of the PMA “Baghawi” Class of 2008, to strive for excellence in all their undertakings.

Yano, who is the incoming Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, also reminded them to always adhere to the chain of command and to be true to their mandate.

"Always set the correct example and be a good role model,” he told the Army lieutenants at the send-off ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Monday.*GPB

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