Rep. Fabian

Re-elected Congressman Erbie A. Fabian (District 2) has vowed to address the water problem in east coast barangays by putting up more water systems.

After a consultation meeting yesterday with top officials of the Zamboanga City Water System, Fabian pledged to continue the two water systems he started in Vitali and Cabaluay which were implemented last year.

The officials present during the meeting were ZCWD General Manager Juanita Bucoy, Engr. Alejo Rojas Jr. and Director Edwin Makasiar.

by Dan Toribio Jr.

A contestant in a gay beauty pageant landed in the hospital after he was electrocuted during the occasion in Barangay Pasonanca last Tuesday night.

The pageant is one of the activities highlighting the fiesta celebration of Pasonanca on Sunday, June 3.

A police identified the victim as Oliver Elabasantos, single, of Tugbungan.

by Bhong Simbajon

Re-elected Mayor Celso Lobergat has thanked the Zamboangueños for the peaceful elections in the city last May 14.

Lobregat said the recently concluded elections reflected the responsiveness and maturity among the constituents and the various politicians who ran in the elections.

He said that the people of Zamboanga have shown to the entire country their decisiveness as to whom to trust to govern and become leaders of the city, “and this decision should be also respected by the losing candidates in the city.”

Two holduppers were shot and wounded by one of their two would-be victims in Barangay Little Baguio, Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay last Monday night.

A police report identified the suspects as Simal Hadjirul, 38, married, and his cousin Al-Al Hadjirul, 20, single, both residents of Barangay Naga, Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Al-Al and Simal were taken to the Polymedic Hospital in Malangas, Zamboanga Sibugay and were later transferred to Mendero Hospital in Pagadian City.

The police have filed a murder case against four men who killed a 34-year-old man in Curuan last May 20.

The police identified the suspects as Elizardo Endino, Eric Araneta, both members of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit, Ronel Perez and Arnold Rebollos, all residents of Curuan.

Police said a case of murder was forwarded to the City Prosecutor’s Office last May 28.

by Jemuel Mojica

Local health officials here have reported the slight increase in the number of registered cases of typhoid fever and dengue here in the city.

Majority of typhoid fever cases were registered in the Vitali district last month while dengue cases were reported in several barangays here in the city.

The nationalization of the Sinubong National High School will be one of the pending bills in the House of Representatives that District 1 Congresswoman-elect Beng Climaco intends to immediately pursue when she assumes office in July.

Climaco also will look into requests from the Department of Health (DOH) for the increased provision of medicines for the west coast and the improvement of the Labuan community Hospital and the need of the local Red Cross to enhance the blood bank operations.

Likewise, the first elected representative of District 1 will work closely with the national government agencies such as the Commission on Higher Education for the improvement of the educational system in her area.

Mayor Celso Lobregat Tuesday tasked the City Social Welfare and Development Office under Francisco Barredo to undertake measures to strengthen the preservation program of the chabacano dialect and to start it in the day care centers.

Mayor Albert T. Que won by landslide his reelection bid as mayor of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, during the May 14 the elections.

Under the banner of Lakas-CMD, Que who edged his closest rival by a margin of 8, 127 votes, led his party mates in a clean sweep of all local elective positions. Elected Vice Mayor is Leila M. Jumdail, while Dawsiya Jumdail Aksan, Edzfar Sali Ladjahali, Sofia Barlie Nuridjan, said Nahari Jumdail, Rufaida Akip Jindi, Boy-boy Espaldon Lim, Edwin Bakil Iddi and Nursida Gabil Guevarra were elected councilors.

City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat spearheaded a weeklong study tour for local farmers in different parts of Mindanao with the end in view of upgrading the participants’ knowledge and farming techniques.

Dubbed as “Agri Lakbay Aral”, the tour ran from May 20-26 and covered Cagayan de Oro City , Agusan del Norte, Butuan City , Davao del Norte, Davao City and Cotabato City.

The Palacat delegation consisted of 14 farm organization leaders headed by FARIC-4H (Farmers-Rural Improvement Club and Young Farmers) Federation president Santiago Alvarez and 7 City Agriculturist Office personnel.

by Allen Abastillas

Re-elected Mayor Hadjie Ahmad Nanoh of Pangutaran, Sulu together with Councilors Wilkingson A. Tan,  Harun T. Abdulmajid and Faizal Jainal took their oath before Regional Trial Court Branch 13 Judge Peter V. Eisma yesterday morning.

By MENARDO WENCESLAO

General Hermogenes Esperon, Armed Forces Chief of Staff, said nearly 10,000 soldiers and marines would continue to hunt for Abu Sayyaf militants. That, however, will not be their only role.  “We will be doing less combat operations,” Esperon said, “but we are not cutting back on the number of troops, because we need them for engineering, medical and humanitarian activities.”

By: Mike S. Apostol

A good friend of mine gave me a photocopy of an article written by an American journalist, Mr. Mark Bowden in The Atlantic Magazine, March 2007 issue. The article was about the kidnapping of tourists vacationing at the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan, two or three years back. As we read the story as viewed by Mark Bowden whom we believe had a first hand information about the whole unfortunate incident which took a year to be solved by our government, it is a story of intrigue, betrayal and modern intelligence operation using spycraft, homing device and satellite monitoring.

By: Bong Bue

What flowers do you always wear? Find the answer elsewhere in this corner.

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And speaking of flowers,  yesterday’s FTR talked about one way to bring back the flowers in La Bella. In an unsolicited suggestion, FTR said flowers can be brought back to Zamboanga by conducting a citywide contest if only to prove that it’s not
an impossible thing to do.

Now here’s  another suggestion: If the city cannot or hesitates to do it, then let the non-government organizations do it for
our sake. I know there are a lot of plant and flower lovers out there, and will be willing to work on it if only they are given the necessary support and encouragement.

by Dan Toribio Jr.

An 80-year-old woman vendor was killed while another was injured when a garbage truck with a defective engine bumped them in what appeared as a freak accident at the old waterfront market last Monday night.

PO1 Jayson Faustino identified the fatality as Ugsah Ambali, married, of Barangay Sinunuc. Injured was Salihon Ebbo of Upper Calarian. Both were vendors at the public market.

Faustino said a store owned by Alma Sahad was also damaged after the garbage truck crashed on it.