The assistant business editor of a daily died when stabbed by one of the three holdupmen inside a passenger bus in Pasay City early yesterday morning.
The victim, Jose Luis Villanueva, assistant business editor of TODAY suffered a lone stab wound in the neck and died while undergoing treatment at the San Juan de Dios Hospital.
Immediate follow-up operations has resulted to the subsequent arrest of suspect Rommel Capones who was positively identified by witnesses through the police criminal profiles.
Capones was arrested in a basketball court in Barangay Sto. Niño, Pasay City. His two unidentified cohorts remained at large.
The incident happened at about 12:10 a.m. inside Laguna Star Bus along EDSA, Pasay City.
Witnesses said the suspects boarded at the corner of Evangelista St., in Makati corner EDSA. While the bus was approaching E. Rodriguez St. and EDSA Pasay City, Capones, who was seated beside the victim, grabbed the victim’s cellphone. (James I. Catapusan)
Actor injured in road mishap
Actor Victor Neri and three others were injured when the actor’s vehicle rammed into a Meralco post Thursday night.
Others who sustained minor bruises were identified as Janer Abenoja, Joseph Gallego and Janice Lam. They were rushed to the nearby Medical City for treatment.
Report reaching the Eastern Police District, traffic division and based on the report conducted by SPO2 Josue Mera, traffic investigator, the incident occured at 9:20 p.m. along Meralco Avenue corner Julia Vargas.
The victims were on board a Mitsubishi red Lancer TKW 485 driven by Neri. While cruising the northbound (flyover), Neri allegedly tried to avoid a stone along the road and lose control, thus hitting the Meralco post. (Madelynne Dominguez)
Nebulizers for barangays
CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur—Mayor Allen G. Singson has approved the request of the Sangguniang Panglungsod to provide all the barangays here with nebulizers.
Singson’s action came after neophyte City Councilor Oseas Diasen has sponsored a resolution asking for nebulizers for each of the 42 Candon City barangays. It was the first approved ordinance by Diasen.
“This is to alleviate the suffering and give a sigh of relief to patients,” Leoncio “Jun” Balbin, city information officer, quoted Diasen as saying.
Diasen, a doctor by profession, said that the nebulizer would help patients, especially children, who are suffering from respiratory ailments.
Like his father, Rep. Eric D. Singson (2nd District), Mayor Singson has also given top priority to health programs in a bid to make his community disease-free. (Mar T. Supnad)
MRT phase 2 construction
The Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC) has been urged to continue the construction of phase 2 of Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 because “it is part and parcel of the original plan.”
This was disclosed yesterday by Paul Daza, spokesperson of the MRTC, saying that the “continuation is to the government’s advantage as it will be completed two years from now if we will be the ones to construct it.”
Earlier, the Investment Coordination Committee-National Economic and Development Authority (ICC-NEDA) gave the MRT III Phase 2 a “national priority” and would be treated as a solicited bid.
After the failure of Fil-Estate company to finish phase 2 of MRT 3 along EDSA, the government would open for public bidding the construction of the unfinished 5.12-kilometer stretch that would form a train loop around Metro Manila.
Under Republic Act 6957 or the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law, it is provided that the project classified under “national priority” status would be treated as a solicited bid.
NEDA’s conferment of national priority status on the proposed completion of LRT-MRT 3 loop makes a priority undertaking of the Department of Transportation and Communications and a part of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s 10-point agenda.
NEDA Assistant Director-General Rolando Tungpalan said that under the solicited mode, any interested party, including the Fil-Estate-run MRTC could bid for the project.
BOT proposals under solicited mode are those that originate from the implementing agency, which, in this case, the DOTC. (L.B. Valencia-PNA)
