4 arrested for indiscriminate firing

A Philippine Army soldier and a Las Piñas policeman, along with a P.A. retiree and a company driver, were arrested for indiscriminate firing during the New Year’s celebration.

Chief Supt. Tomas Apolinario, Southern Police District (SPD) Director, identified the arrested suspects as Cpl. Richard Jhon Quijano, assigned at the Light Reaction Co., Light Reaction Regiment, Special Operations Command of the Philippine Army; PO3 Alexander Roy Rafer, assigned at the Police Community Precinct 6; S/Sgt Jamael Mindlano, retired from the P.A. service, and Federico Alacala, 54, a company driver.

Apolinario said that the suspects will be facing charges of indiscriminate firing, alarm and scandal, illegal possession of firearms and ammunitions, physical injury, direct assault, and serious disobedience.

According to the SPD chief, Quijano and Mindlano were identified by their neighbor Jolly Moreno who was hit in the right mid-section by a ricocheting bullet from the guns of Quijano and Mindlano, who were welcoming the New Year.

Recovered from Quijano and Mindlano were two .45 caliber pistols, one 9 mm pistol , one .38 caliber revolver and assorted ammunition. Taken from Rafer was his service firearm, a .9mm pistol, and from Alcala was a .45 caliber pistol.

The SPD recorded the following firecracker injuries: 10 in Taguig City; 15 in Pasay City; 7 in Paranaque City and Las Pinas City, 5 in Muntinlupa City, and 3 in Makati City. (Jean Fernando)

Pasig fire kills asthmatic, destroys 15 houses

A 58-year old asthmatic lost his life when a stove in his apartment unit caught fire, destroying his house and 15 others along Katarungan St. in Barangay Caniogan, Pasig City, Sunday night.

The Bureau of Fire and Protection Pasig (BFP) identified the lone fatality as Elmer Lañora, 58.

Fire probers said neighbors smelled liquefied petroleum gas coming from Lañora's unit as they saw it in flames at about 10:55 p.m.

At 1:15 a.m., the fire alarm was raised to third alarm as the blaze intensified.

BFP declared fire out at 3 a.m.

Lañora was later found lifeless inside his unit.

The neighbors said Lañora was suffering from asthma.

A total of 15 houses were burned to the ground by the fire. Around 40 families were left homeless. (Jel Santos)

Two 10-year-old boys hit by stray bullets 

A 10-year-old boy was fighting for his life yesterday after he and his friend, also a minor, were hit by stray bullets in Caloocan City on New Year's Eve.

Joven Earl Gaces, 10, Grade 5 student, and his friend Princess Denise Cruza, 10, Grade 4 student, were watching fireworks in their community in Barangay 35, Maypajo, when they were hit by stray bullets.

The mothers of Joven and Princess said they were inside their houses when they saw their children collapse, with gunshot wounds, around 12:10 a.m.

Malou, mother of Joven, said a stray bullet landed on Joven's shoulder and exited on the left part of his stomach. He was brought to JRMMC where he was in critical condition. Princess, who suffered a gunshot wound in the stomach, is now in stable condition at the Tondo Medical Hospital. (Kate Louise Javier)

3 men dead in New Year fights

The celebration of New Year turned bloody Monday in Quezon City, with an attack by a group claiming the lives of two men in Payatas and a Samaritan losing his life in Novaliches.

Investigators of the Quezon City Police District identified the fatalities in the first fight as Sehabodin Lumna, 17, student, and Hasim Mohamad, 30, businessman, both from Barangay Payatas-A.

At around 3:30 a.m., victims Lumna and Mohamad were having a drinking spree with Umair Abdulwahid, 28, Salman Makatingki, 16, and some of their relatives along Camia Street near Lumna's house, in Barangay Payatas-A.

While commonly celebrating New Year's eve, another group of 15 still unidentified drunken men a few meters away approached Lumna's group.

According to some witnesses, a confrontation suddenly ensued between the two groups, with Lumna's group, disadvantaged, because some of their attackers were armed with bladed weapons.

When the brawl ended, the victims were rushed to East Avenue Medical Center. Abdulwahid and Makatingki were injured and are now recuperating.

Lumna and Mohamad, however, were declared dead on arrival after sustaining stab wounds on the body.

Meanwhile in Novaliches, an hour after the Payatas fight, Warden Bangit, 22, construction worker, from Barangay San Agustin, Novaliches, Quezon City, was gunned down when he tried to save his friend who was about to be shot by a man they previously had a fight with.

Prior to the incident, Bangit and witness Bert Genelza with some of their friends were having a drinking spree along Bagong Landas in Barangay San Agustin, Novaliches.

The victim and Genelza, then went to a nearby store to buy cigarettes where he saw 22-year old Mcdave Borac. A commotion suddenly erupted between them.

Minutes later, Bangit's group decided to leave. While walking, Borac, together with a certain "Otan," approached them from behind.

Borac pointed an improvised handgun to Genelza's back but Bangit managed to push the former. The suspect turned to Bangit and shot him instead on his upper left body, causing him to slump bloodied on the ground.

Borac and "Otan" immediately fled the scene bringing with them the weapon used.

Bangit was brought to Novaliches District Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. (Alexandria Dennise San Juan)