Mayor Celso Lobregat welcomes newly-installed NBI Regional Director Atty. Manuel Almendanes (right to left), Asst. Director Atty. Oscar Embido and Executive Officer Vicente Essex Minguez, who paid him a courtesy visit in City Hall Thursday afternoon. — Sheila Covarrubias

One of the key witnesses in the August 5, 2010 bombing at the Zamboanga City International Airport has executed an affidavit saying he had no knowledge about the incident but was allegedly promised and initially paid by a top political figure of Sulu a large sum of money in exchange for admitting and signing an instant and prepared confession which implicated former congressman Munir Arbison of Sulu as one of the alleged three masterminds along with four other accomplices.

Former Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) head Jesus Dureza vehemently denied that he made arrangements for the main suspect of the Maguindanao massacre to be put under custody of then-President Gloria Arroyo.

Mayor Celso Lobregat extends his sincere and warm greetings to the Muslim community in Zamboanga and other parts of the world in celebration of Hariraya Puasa or Eid ul Fitr which marks the culmination of the Holy month of Ramadan today, September 10.

Sulu District 2 Congresswoman Lady Ann Sahidulla yesterday appealed to authorities to dig deeper into the August 5 bombing at the Zamboanga City airport to unmask the real culprit or the mastermind and clear the innocent ones who are unnecessarily linked to the case.

The military and the police in the region will conduct joint operations and implement security measures for the celebration of Hariraya Puasa today and Fiesta Pilar on October 12, 2010.

Liga ng mga Barangay president Councilor Abdurahman Nuño has urged the City Police Office to adopt security measures outside the different mosques here especially today as thousands of Islamic faithful will be going to the mosque for their prayer in celebration of Hariraya Edil Fitri.

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested five alleged notorious drug pushers during a buy-bust operation at Barangay Marketsite, Isabela City the other day.

Preparations are now underway for the observance of Tourism Week from September 20-27, a weeklong promotion to raise awareness on the potentials of Zamboanga as a tourist hub.

District I Representative Beng Climaco has expressed support to the call for the abolition of the cabotage law to help lower the shipping cost of goods—one issue that has affected development.

Three persons were injured after the motorcycle they were riding fell into a deep ravine in Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur, last Monday night.

Senator Pia Cayetano on Wednesday assured the country’s six million senior citizens that all benefits due them under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 (ESCA) are intact amid reports that their supposed “VAT exemption” for electricity and water consumption will be “taken back” by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) through a new revenue regulation it issued on Monday.

Canned sardine firms in this city that have upgraded their production to conform to international food safety and quality standards are looking to enter new markets in Russia and other European countries.

Employees of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) were urged Thursday to support ongoing ‘house efforts’ being undertaken to reform and eradicate graft and corruption in the agency.

Over a decade had elapsed from the time the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government agreed to negotiate for peace. That initiative was initiated and pushed by Libyan strongman Moamar Khadaffy, an influential figure in the Organization of Islamic Nations.