Blast hurts drug suspect

TAGBILARAN CITY — A suspected drug pusher was injured when the grenade he used to fight back at the arresting policemen exploded inside his house in Lamdagan Street this city, a report at the Police Regional Office 7 (PRO 7) revealed. Paul Felbert Dagamac sustained wounds on his buttocks after he was hit by shrapnel as he tried to drive away the arresting policemen by brandishing a hand grenade. He was rushed to the hospital and was declared out of danger. Dagamac was the subject of a raid conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), whose elements were armed with a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court (RTC) Executive Judge Fernando Fuentes III. Dagamac was allegedly maintaining a drug den where sales of shabu are consummated. The seven-man CIDG team was accompanied by Cogon barangay councilors Jeremias Pabe and Philip Besas and chief tanod Generoso Diez. The raiders were able to corner Dagamac but the latter refused to yield without a fight. Two cops scuffled with Dagamac upon seeing him take out a live grenade but the suspect still managed to pull the pin. The policemen saw this in time and jumped out of harm’s way just as the grenade rolled out of Dagamac’s grip. When it exploded, only Dagamac was left inside his room. Insp. Joie Yape, who headed the raiding team, said Dagamac wanted to take along the lawmen with him, probably thinking they would all die. (Mars Mosqueda Jr.)

CEBU CITY — Investigators here suspect that the R500,000 robbery of a gasoline station on Escario St. here was an inside job. This suspicion gained credence after the probers found out that the four robbers allegedly knew where the station’s sales proceeds were located. Theft and Robbery Section investigator SPO2 Rolito Supatan said the culprits destroyed the door of the stockroom of the gasoline station using a crowbar and immediately proceeded to the box that contained the money, an indication that the robbers knew exactly where to find it. Workers of the station told police that they thought the two men on the other motorcycle were customers because they stopped in front the refueling booth. To their surprise, the two pulled out guns and announced a holdup. One of them poked a gun at the head of the cashier and took the R2,500 from the drawer. Two more men in another motorcycle arrived and they ordered the four workers to guide them to the stockroom where the box containing close to R500,000 in sales since Friday was kept. SPO2 Supatan said the culprits destroyed the door of the stockroom using a crowbar. After taking the money, they ordered the four male workers of the gas station to stay in the stockroom or they will be shot. The four then fled with the cash. (MWM)

TACLOBAN CITY (PNA) — The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) has warned people in six provinces of Region 8 to stop cutting the still productive coconut trees in their land. PCA regional director Edilberto Nierva issued this advice after the copra price in both local and international markets went up after the soy bean supply in the world market met a problem. He said that cutting the trunks of trees aged between 10 years and 50 years should be avoided. Farmers must try other methods to save the trees like applying fertilizers or cleaning the base of the trunks so they would bear more nuts. Nierva said this is needed so that farmers would enjoy the income from copra. Farmers can cut the coco trunks but they should get a permit from any of the PCA municipal development officers in the 140 local government units (LGUs) in Region 8, he said. He said pieces of coco lumber are hauled daily to the towns and cities as construction firms and housing companies need them.