MANILA, Philippines — Police and military authorities should impose a ban on unauthorized guns in Cotabato City following the January 10 near fatal ambush on the city vice mayor, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao caretaker-Governor Mujiv Hataman has said.

Hataman said that his recommendation was deliberated in his meeting at the Army’s 6th Infantry Division headquarters in Maguindanao with Mindanao’s top police and military brasses recently. Initially, he said, the military and police officials “agreed” for the curbing of unlawful firearms through intensified checkpoint operations in this city.

The ARMM caretaker-governor premised his move on the January 10 ambush here that left Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema and one of the attackers named as Zermin Abdulla. (Ali Macabalang)

Nabbed

Immigration agents have arrested a Pakistani and an Australian who illegally entered the country via the southern backdoor. Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said yesterday the illegal aliens were arrested separately by his operatives at their residence in Zamboanga City before Christmas.

They are now detained at the Bicutan immigration jail in Taguig City pending deportation proceedings. The Pakistani was identified as Gul Hussain and the Australian is Steven Nicol Herbert.

David said he issued mission orders for the duo’s arrest after informants tipped the bureau about their presence in Zamboanga City. (Jun Ramirez)

Better Equipment

A group has called on the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Bureau of Fire Protection to secure better firefighting equipment for the safety of its firefighters.

Penpower for Democracy and Good Governance said that the BFP should look into the safety of its firefighters in procuring high-standard personnel protective and firefighting equipment.

Citing a fire drill in Taguig City last December 16, the group said that the fire hose used by Taguig City firefighters disconnected from its coupling attached to the responding WT-186 fire engine’s pump, thus hitting fire aide and fire truck pumper operator Agapito Cruz and a number of SLMCGC participants.

This prompted the drill-in-charge to cancel the activity. The group has urged DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo to look into the firefighting equipment of the BFP. (Czarina Nicole Ong)

Vigilance

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) asked yesterday certified public accountants to be more vigilant and careful in the preparation and signing of the financial statements of the their clients.

BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares issued the reminder as CPAs are now busy in the preparation of the financial records and balance sheets of businesses and professionals as the tax filing season started.

Individual and corporate taxpayers have until April 15 to file their 2011 income tax returns. The BIR is targeting to raise at least P1.006 billion this year which was more than one-half of the P1.8 billion national budget. (Jun Ramirez)

Labor Accord

The government is set to sign bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding with Saudi Arabia and Jordan that would resume deployment of household service workers with labor-importing countries.

Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani said that they expect government agencies and other countries to come up with resolutions allowing overseas Filipino workers to return abroad. The government is also expected to sign a new memorandum of understanding with Lebanon next month.

Some 50,000 undocumented maids in Lebanon have slipped into that country since 2007 when the Philippines banned the deployment of maids due to Israel-Lebanon conflict. (Leslie Ann Aquino)