Zamboanga City and Zamboanga Peninsula

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has designated the commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division as chief of the military Western Mindanao Command.

WestMinCom’s headquarters is in Calarian, Zamboanga City.

Copies of the designation of Major Gen. Roy Galido, member of the Class 1990 of the Philippine Military Academy, circulated in the media community in Cotabato City on Friday afternoon. -- The STAR/John Unson

Government security forces seized an estimated P4.2-million worth of smuggled cigarettes in two separate operations Saturday in Zamboanga del Sur and Basilan, according to officials.

The bulk of the apprehension was conducted by the personnel of the Coastguard Station of Basilan when it intercepted a motorized outrigger loaded with an estimated P3.2-million worth of smuggled cigarettes in the waters near Hadji Muhtamad town.

The PCG Southwestern District reported the Basilan coastguard personnel were on patrol to ensure the safety of fishermen and seafarers cruising the waters near Basilan due to rough seas spawned by tropical storm Karding when they spotted the motorized outrigger about 3:30p.m while passing area. -- The STAR/ Roel Pareño

The Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) gives sendoff honor to the remaining marine troops in Zamboanga City Friday, completing the pullout of the marine forces in Sulu province after six years of battling the terror Abu Sayyaf group and leaving peace and stability.

The remaining forces of the 4th Marine Brigade and Marine Battalion Landing Team 8 (MBLT), composed of officers, enlisted personnel and its elite team of Marine Force Recon, were transported via the navy’s Tarlac-Class Landing Dock 602 BRP Davao del Sur following a military sendoff rite tendered by the NFWM at the Philippine Port Authority (PPA) pier here.

Rear Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr., NFWM commander, says the redeployment of the marines to northern Luzon is part of the requirement of national security for territorial and internal defense operations.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A police official says they have seized P1.1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes two men were to deliver to a buyer in Labangan town in Zamboanga del Sur Thursday.

Agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-9 also arrested Adsar Modapil Buhari, 29, while unloading from a vehicle 34 boxes of Indonesian-made San Marino cigarettes in Purok Gutob in Barangay Old Labangan in Labangan town.

Lt. Col. Cyrus Belarmino of CIDG-9 says the operation that resulted in the prompt interception of the smuggled cigarettes was premised on tips by vigilant residents of Labangan municipality. — The STAR/John Unson

Local team Zamboanga Valientes will face off with basketball vlog sensation Mav's Phenomenal in Zamboanga City on Tuesday night as part of the "Dayo" out-of-town basketball series.

The team has accepted the challenge of the Zamboanga Valientes, the city-based league team that won in a recent 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Sports benefactor and owner Rolando Navarro Jr. said they will deploy local talents like Jonathan Parreño, Das Esa, Jeff Bernardo, Gino Jumawas who have played in professional leagues as well as from the local league to play against the popular Mav's team.

The game will be at the the 12,000-seat Summit Center in Barangay Tetuan about 8 p.m on Tuesday, September 20. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A priest in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay was hit in the head on Sunday by a parishioner whom he did not allow to give the homily during Mass.

The Zamboanga Sibugay Police Provincial Office said they have taken custody of a 40-year-old jobless resident of Barangay Nazareth for hitting Fr. Leo Salomes, the parish priest of San Isidro Labrador.

Police Col. Albert Larubis, provincial police chief, said the suspect had demanded that the priest allow him to address parishioners during the homily.

"But the victim refused and told the suspect he cannot be given time to preach because he is not a priest," a police report on the incident read.

The suspect hit Salomes after the Mass, prompting parishioners to call barangay watchmen for assistance.

The suspect was later turned over to the police. — from a report by The STAR/Roel Pareño 

An Australian sailor was rescued by the Philippine Navy on Monday night drifting aboard his distressed yacht in the waters of Zamboanga and Basilan channel after sailing for a month from Australia.

Tired, hungry and haggard, Malcom McIntyre, an Australian national was recovered by navy personnel aboard his yacht marked “Spirit Argao” near the vicinity of Sta. Cruz Island off this city, said Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) commander Rear Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr.

Adaci said the navy personnel on board its Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPAC) BA487 responded to a distress call from the yacht that was drifting towards the vicinity of Basilan.

"The lone passenger was identified as Malcolm McIntyre, an Australian national, who complained of tiredness and hunger after spending hours at sea attempting to fix the deranged engine of his yacht," Adaci said in a statement. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A man who was testifying in a frustrated murder case in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay was shot dead as he was heading home from a court hearing on Tuesday morning.

The Ipil Municipal Police Station identified the victim as Jainuddin Baladji Alsre, who died on the spot from two bullet wounds in the head.

Local police have confirmed that Alsre and his son are witnesses in a frustrated murder case at the Regional Trial Court Branch 36. — The STAR/John Unson

More than P7.1-million worth of smuggled cigarettes were seized while 13 persons apprehended in a series of operations Monday and during the weekend in and around Zamboanga City.

Police Station 6 personnel intercepted a Hyundai van loaded with 50 master cases of assorted smuggled cigarette brands worth Php1,750,000 pesos and arrested its driver Monday morning in a checkpoint set in Barangay Kasanyangan this city, said Police Col. Alexander Lorenzo, action director of Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO).

Lorenzo said the bulk of the apprehension was Sunday afternoon when 142 master cases of smuggled cigarettes loaded in a “Jungkong” watercraft were seized by the personnel of the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Company ‘Seaborne’ (2ZCMFC).

The 2nd ZCMFC, the only seaborne unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Mobile Force Company (MFC) in the entire country, were on coastal patrol when they intercepted the Malaysian-style watercraft with about 5:30p.m Sunday near the vicinity of Manalipa Island, east off this city. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A security official says a seaborne police unit intercepted a "jungkong" watercraft loaded with 30 master cases of smuggled cigarettes and detected a large sachet of shabu Saturday in the waters east off Zamboanga City. The team also arrested five crew members of the jungkong.

The personnel of the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company Seaborne (2ZCMFC) were conducting coastal security when they spotted the jungkong, a Malaysian-fashioned motorized pumpboat, suspiciously cruising near Manalipa Island.

Lt. Col. Reynald Ariño, 2ZCMFC commander, says his operating unit aboard its assault speedboat intercepted the jungkong with five crew members about 6:30 a.m. The boat and the contraband reportedly came from Jolo, Sulu. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police seized an estimated P4.1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in two separate anti-smuggling operations in this city and in an adjacent town in Zamboanga Sibugay province this week.

The latest apprehension came when police on patrol stopped to help a mini van in Barangay Sinunuc that had a flat tire. 

"However, as the driver opened the van the police operatives were surprised to fin that it was loaded with 32 master cases of suspected smuggled cigarettes,” Police Col. Richard Verceles, operations chief of Area Police Command-Western Mindanao, said.

On Tuesday, police, acting on tips from the Bureau of Customs, flagged down a truck loaded with 85 master cases of smuggled cigarettes worth P3 million in Barangay Baluran in Tungawan town, Zamboanga Sibugay. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño

A municipal councilor and three others survived and  were unscathed while another was wounded when gunmen strafed them with automatic gunfire Sunday night in a village of Bayog town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) reports disclosed Councilor Julito Endoy, 43, and four of his companions were having dinner at his house in Purok 2, Barangay Balukbahan about 9:25p.m when they were blitzed with a burst of gunfire.

Police investigation showed the suspects, who were positioned across the road, fired at the group of Endoy through the kitchen window, sending the victims to scamper for safety and verified their attackers outside.

However, one of Endoy’s companions, identified as Rebie Entag Sumasao, 37, a construction worker, was hit on his right arm during the assault.

—  The STAR/Roel Pareño

 The Department of Education IX (DepEd) will be implementing its learning recovery plan as in-person or face-to-face class resume on August 22 to address the “learning loss” sustained by many students during the pandemic.

The DepEd IX met last week in a regional executive committee meeting and discussed what were the least learned skills of the students both from the elements and secondary that have to be addressed, Dahlia Paragas, DepEd regional information officer, said here Saturday.

The education official said the executive committee also identified why the learning skills of the students had dropped. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The police confiscated P439,167 worth of smuggled cigarettes from three storeowners who fell in separate entrapment operations in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay Saturday.

Police Lt. Col. Cyrus Belarmino of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-9 said Sunday that the suspects were arrested one after another in stings in three different barangays in Ipil, capital town of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Belarmino, who is overseeing the Regional Special Operations Team of CIDG-9, said the three were arrested after selling Indonesian brand cigarettes to buyers who helped entrap them. ?— The STAR/John Unson

The Police Regional Office-9 says the authorities seized P393,160 worth of smuggled cigarettes in separate operations in the Zamboanga peninsula early this week,

Combined policemen and personnel of the Army’s 42nd Infantry Battalion together foiled an attempt by two men to deliver eight boxes of cigarettes from Indonesia to a buyer somewhere in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte.

The contraband, worth P143,160, was immediately seized from the duo, the siblings Arnold and Ruben Billones, and turned over to the Bureau of Customs. — AFP

Authorities say that two members of the New People’s Army, who have been wounded in the encounter, surrendered Friday to the government security forces in Dumingag town, Zamboanga del Sur.

The two wounded insurgents, who were said to be a couple, were identified as Jebbie Labito alias "Yuri" and his wife Nelyn Ayas alias "Clara", says Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, commanding officer of the 53rd Infantry Battalion.

Herrera says the wounded couple surrendered to the joint troops of the 53rd and 44th Infantry Battalions, and police 1st Mobile Force Company in Barangay Saad. — The STAR/Roel Pareño 

Some P400,000 worth of shabu concealed in a toy package was intercepted Tuesday afternoon at the cargo bay of a commercial airline in Zamboanga International Airport, authorities said.

Jury Rocamoro, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Zamboanga office chief, said the illegal drugs were detected by a Philippine Coast Guard sniffer dog, which prompted the PDEA to inspect the package. They found 15 large sachets of shabu hidden in a plastic toy truck. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The police seized early Sunday P3.8 million worth of cigarettes smugglers were to deliver to a buyer somewhere in Zamboanga del Sur.

The contraband was intercepted before dawn Sunday by a police team at a checkpoint along a highway in Barangay Camanga in Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur.

In a statement Monday, the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office said personnel of the Dumalinao Municipal Police Station also impounded the green Mazda light truck carrying the imported cigarettes. -- The STAR/John Unson

Police say a village chief was gunned down by unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle on Thursday noon along the highway in Siocon town, Zamboanga del Norte. .

The fatality was identified as Berting Asiddin Inding, 54, chairperson of Barangay Balagonan, Siocon, says Maj. Shellamie Chang, Police Regional Office 9 information chief.

Chang says Inding was driving his motorcycle with his wife as back-rider when he was shot about 11:58 a.m. Thursday along the national road in Barangay Tibangao. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The military relied back on the old ways of reaching out and convincing the rebels to surrender, dropping hundreds of copies of leaflets early this week in parts of Zamboanga peninsula province despite the digital communication advancement, security official said.

The troops from the 44th Infantry Battalion aboard the Philippine Air Force (PAF) S-70i Black Hawk swooped on the target barangays in Dumingag town, Zamboanga del Sur, and Sergio Osmeña town, Zamboanga del Norte and 300 leaflets for the remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) last Saturday.

The troops under the 44th and 53rd Infantry Battalions jointly launched the efforts to address the communist insurgent through information campaigns to the residents in the communist insurgent affected areas, said Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commander of 102nd Brigade.

Nicolas said the ground forces resorted to leaflet dropping campaigns to convince the NPA remnants to lay down their arms and voluntarily surrender to the folds of the law. —  The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police serving a warrant for illegal possession of firearms found that a suspect they arrested Saturday in Zamboanga City was among the primary Abu Sayyaf suspects in the ambush and killing of a police provincial director 13 years ago in Sulu.

The suspect identified as Ban Sali Ubbie alias Ban Mannah, 47, a native of Maimbung town, Sulu, was arrested during a raid Saturday in the coastal village of Arena Blanco east of this city, said Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director.

Joint police and intelligence units served the warrant against Ubbie for illegal possession of firearms and led the recovery of at least 4 handguns, including three .45 caliber pistols and a .38 caliber revolver, and several rounds of ammunition. 

"The subject was later verified to have standing warrant of arrest for murder and two counts of frustrated murder issued by the presiding judge of Branch 4 of Parang, Sulu in 2009," Lorenzo said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local council of Zamboanga City is urging president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reverse the executive order that transferred the regional center of the Zamboanga Peninsula to Pagadian City in Zamboaga del Sur, a decision that has added to government expenses and to the displacement of families of regional government employees.

The call was contained in a resolution authored by Councilor Rogelio Valesco that was unanimously approved Tuesday during the city council’s regular session here.

The transfer of the regional center through Executive Order No. 429 in 1986, has already run the course of 36 years without full implementation due to the difficulties, costs and implementation of the reorganizational effort, said Valesco. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Zamboanga City government has turned over P127.2 million in vehicles to its 98 barangays for quicker response during emergencies.

The Isuzu utility vans are equipped with lights, sirens and public address system and can be used for emergencies at the barangay level.

The city government also turned over one pick-up truck each to the Zamboanga City Police Office, the Joint Task Force Zamboanga and the Philippine Coast Guard's Zamboanga Station.  ?— The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local fire bureau official says a big fire totally razed a one-story building in the public market of Ipil town, Zamboanga Sibugay late Friday night.

Fire Insp. Percical Alar, acting Municipal Fire Marshal of Ipil, says a fire hit the market building in Don Andres about 9:53 p.m. and quickly spread and razed all the open stalls for dried fish, vegetables and dry goods.

Alar says three Bauer fire trucks responded to battle the inferno from raging for two hours before it was totally contained by the firefighters. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Bureau of Animal Industry declares Zamboanga City under red zone category or an outbreak zone after several areas in at least five barangays were affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF).

The BAI issued the declaration earlier this week citing the Department of Agriculture administrative circular No. 12 series of 2019 creating the national zoning and movement for the protection and control of ASF.

The declaration was also issued after the confirmatory test of the blood samples of the infected pigs turned positive of the ASF, a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic pigs. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police and marines intercepted a truck and seized some P5.7-million worth of smuggled tobacco products in Zamboanga City on Sunday

Police Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) acting director, said two persons who were involved in the illegal shipment were also apprehended during the checkpoint operations along the highway in Barangay Calarian Sunday afternoon.

Lorenzo said the joint personnel from Police Station 8 and Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 (MBLT) intercepted in the checkpoint a Mitsubishi Canter truck loaded with 164 master cases of smuggled cigarettes concealed in boxes.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police say unidentified gunmen barged into a meeting of a town councilor and his supporters and fired indiscriminately before divesting the local leader of his cash Friday in Tabina town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Brig. Gen. Franco Simborio, Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), says Councilor Alex Aldie Jumalon Amores, of team Dayondon-Poloyapoy, and his supporters were having meeting in their house about 10:20 a.m. in Purok Arbor, Barangay Malim when seven armed men aboard two pick-up trucks arrived and barged into the house.

Simborio says the gunmen fired their guns in the air and ordered all supporters to drop before divested Amores at gunpoint of his money amounting to P20,000, bank book and other personal belongings. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police report that an employee of the Pagadian City government landed in jail for carrying a pistol without exemption from the ban being imposed this election period by the national poll body.

The 35-year-old Arsenio Silao Raterta was intercepted by combined Army and police personnel at a checkpoint along a highway in Barangay Campo Islam in Labangan town in Zamboanga del Sur at past noontime Friday, April 29.

Raterta is an employee of the Pagadian City government, according to the Labangan Municipal Police Station. — The STAR/John Unson

Police say a barangay councilor was gunned down inside the barangay hall by two unidentified assailants Thursday shortly before noon in Diplahan town, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Col. Albert Larubis, Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Police Office (ZSBPPO) director, identifies the victim as Cristuto Halop, councilor of Barangay Guinoman, and a resident of the said village.

Larubis says police investigation disclosed the two gunmen aboard a motorcycle wearing red raincoats arrived in the barangay hall, barged inside and pretended as visitors and shot the victims several times about 11:45 a.m. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The military declares Wednesda it has successfully dismantled all the guerilla fronts of the New People’s Army in Zamboanga del Norte province.

Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commander of the 102nd Brigade, announced its successful dismantling of the rebel fronts in a quarterly security meeting held in the Cultural and Sports Complex in Estaka, Dipolog City.

Nicolas said the NPA guerilla front was officially declared dismantled following assessment last April 4 by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

"Based on the strength there is an insignificant number both in men and the firearms and there is no more ideological and political activities for the past months," Nicolas said.

"In short, they are on survival," Nicolas said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A health official says the local government declared a dengue outbreak in Zamboanga City as cases have already reached close to 900 with 11 mortalities.

The outbreak declaration was approved Friday in an emergency meeting by the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council chaired by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar.

City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite says the city exceeded the dengue epidemic threshold for four consecutive weeks with 893 cases since January to April 2 this year and 11 deaths. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Zamboanga del Norte provincial police is mourning the demise of a policewoman from its ranks in a tragic highway mishap Thursday that left four companions dead.

The fatality, Patrolwoman Florilyn Balansag died on the spot when the patrol vehicle carrying her and four companions went wayward and hit a tree along a highway in Barangay Santo Niño in Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte.

The four who were badly hurt in the accident, Staff Sgt. Eric Panangitan, Patrolwomen Princess Ann Adaza and Cherrie Ann Armuganda and Patrolman Ray Franciso, are now confined in a hospital. — The STAR/John Unson

Two were killed while two others, one of them a child, were hurt in two gun attacks in Zamboanga Sibugay Saturday, amid the election-related ban on carrying of firearms outside houses.

The first of the two fatalities, Elmer Bravo, Sr., 32, perished in an ambush past 5:00 p.m. Saturday in Barangay Aurora in Talusan, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Bravo, who died on the spot, and his wife, Jenilyn, 25, and their 12-year-old son, Elmer, Jr., were together on a motorcycle on their way home from somewhere when they were attacked by two men armed with pistols positioned along the road.

Jenilyn and Elmer, Jr., both wounded, are now confined in a hospital. — The STAR/John Unson

Two were killed while two others, one of them a child, were hurt in two gun attacks in Zamboanga Sibugay Saturday, amid the election-related ban on carrying of firearms outside houses.

The first of the two fatalities, Elmer Bravo, Sr., 32, perished in an ambush past 5:00 p.m. Saturday in Barangay Aurora in Talusan, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Bravo, who died on the spot, and his wife, Jenilyn, 25, and their 12-year-old son, Elmer, Jr., were together on a motorcycle on their way home from somewhere when they were attacked by two men armed with pistols positioned along the road.

Jenilyn and Elmer, Jr., both wounded, are now confined in a hospital. — The STAR/John Unson

More than 7,000 teachers serving as electoral board members (EBMs) are undergoing certification programs in Zamboanga peninsula region or they cannot serve the forthcoming May 2022 automated presidential elections.

The 20-day training and certification program is being conducted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in at least four venues in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga City.

Martin Wee, DOST regional director says at least 14 DOST certifiers were deployed to train for three weeks at least 7,662 teachers coming from the Department of Education who were chosen by the Commission on Elections.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional office in Zamboanga destroyed a total of P34 million worth of illegal drugs, including shabu and marijuana, an official says.

Emerson Margate, PDEA-9 director, says the illegal drugs that were destroyed consisted of 5.01 kilos of shabu worth P31 million, and 16 kilos of marijuana with market value of P3 million.

Margate says the illegal substances were part of the different courts' evidence that were ordered to be destroyed through incineration. — Roel Pareño

Security officials say three New People’s Army fighters surrendered voluntarily to the military Friday in a town of Zamboanga del Norte and pledged its allegiance to the government.

The rebels were identified as Lareno Enland Fernan alias "Vandam"; Tiban Subano alias "Jurrie" and Danilo Tiban Subano, alias "Remark", all residents of Dumingag town, Zamboanga del Sur, says Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, commanding officer of 53rd Infantry Battalion.

He says the three rebels, who were members of the Guerilla Front BBC of the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC), were presented to him at his headquarters in Camp Sabido in Guipos town Friday morning. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police authorities say that they have seized an estimated P1,687,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes loaded in a service mini-van during a checkpoint operation late Friday afternoon in a village in Zamboanga City.

Col. Alexander Lorenzo, acting director of Zamboanga City Police Office, says the personnel of the City Investigated and Detection Management Unit (CIDMU) and Police Station 7 conducted the checkpoint to intercept the van based on a tip of a civilian informant about the shipment of the contraband in Barangay San Roque.

“While approaching the checkpoint, the grey colored Suzuki mini-van pulled over and the driver quickly escaped and abandoned the vehicle,” Lorenzo says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local government is seeking the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) explanation for turning down it recommendation to lower its quarantine alert status to level 2 despite the steady decline of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) active cases in this city.

The NIATF on Monday announced almost all six regions and almost all cities in Mindanao to be under alert level 2 except for Zamboanga City which remained under level 3 starting Wednesday until the end of February.

The areas under alert level 2 are: Region 9, the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay, and the city of Isabela in Basilan; Region X – Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental; Region XI – Davao City, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and Davao Oriental. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Five hitchhikers reportedly perished in a vehicular accident in Baliguian town in Zamboanga del Sur province on Wednesday morning. 

The victims were together in a light truck loaded with copra that plunged into a deep side of a highway in Barangay Decolom in Baliguian when its brake malfunctioned.

The truck was en route to Labason town in the same province to deliver its cargo when its driver lost control of the wheel. — The STAR/John Unson

A military official says the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) will deploy its soldiers in Zamboanga Sibugay province to ensure security of the people during the election period.

Lt. Gen.  Alfredo Rosario, Westmincom commander, assures to beef up the security during his visit and courtesy call to Zamboanga Sibugay province Gov. Wilter Palma at the provincial capitol in Ipil town.

“Our soldiers will be deployed to ensure the safety of the people, especially during the election period,” Rosario says during his meeting with Palma. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) will deploy its soldiers in Zamboanga Sibugay province to ensure security of the people during the election period, military official said.

Lt. Gen.  Alfredo Rosario, Westmincom commander, assured to beef up the security during his visit and courtesy call Thursday to Zamboanga Sibugay province Governor Wilter Palma at the provincial capitol in Ipil town.

“Our soldiers will be deployed to ensure the safety of the people, especially during the election period,” Rosario said during his meeting with Palma.

It will be recalled that the vice mayor of Mabuhay town, Zamboanga Sibugay was gunned down in February last year by members of the criminal syndicated group. Vice Mayor Restituto Calonge and the town’s engineer Edgar Pampanga were killed while two other companions were wounded by gunmen identified with the Anwar Ansang criminal syndicate.

Calonge was said to be planning to run for mayor of the town. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
 

An official says joint police operatives and the Bureau of Customs seized P36.7 million worth of smuggled cigarettes from a warehouse in a village in Zamboanga City. 

Col. Alexander Lorenzo, newly installed Zamboanga City Police Office director, says his personnel were conducting a follow-up investigation on a shooting incident that transpired Monday night when they noticed an unattended warehouse containing several master cases of cigarettes.

Lorenzo says they immediately coordinated with the BOC and conducted the inspection that led to the discovery of 1,038 master cases of assorted brands of smuggled cigarettes worth P36.3 million. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

At least four persons, including two minors, were wounded by stray bullets from a gun duel between two unidentified people on Monday night in a village near the Zamboanga City proper.

Police Maj. Salvador Galvez, Police Station 6 commander, said the gun duel occurred about 8:30p.m in Phase 3, Barangay Kasanyangan.

He said the two unidentified shooters arrived in the area and were seen confronting each other before trading gunshots.

Galvez said niether of the shooters were hit in the firefight.

"The victims were just buying street foods on corner when they were hit from the cross fire," Galvez said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local government of Zamboanga City conducts a drive-through inoculation to ramp-up the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus disease as cases continued to increase.

The City Health Office initiates the drive-through vaccination at the Integrated Bus Terminal to all motorists, including those driving motorcycles.

Sheila Covarrubias, City Hall Information chief, says at least 400 doses for booster shots were made available for the initial campaign. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say the Department of Health 9 has suspended the use of state-run hospitals as vaccination centers following the surge of COVID-19 infections.

The DOH-9 also placed the Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center under the health category level 4 with the increasing utilization rate of beds as a result of the increasing COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH-9 regional director, says the suspension in the utilization of the hospital as vaccination sites was due to the number of medical care workers getting reinfected by the virus. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The 1st Infantry Tabak Division camp in Labangan town, Zamboanga del  has been placed on lockdown after 188 of its officers and personnel were tested positive from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), officials said Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Generoso Ponio, commander of 1st ID based in Camp Maj. Cesar Sang-An, ordered the lockdown Monday after the number of those who contracted the virus were increasing since Sunday.

Capt. Mary Jepte Mañebog, 1st ID spokesperson said as of Tuesday night they have already logged at least 188 cases inside the camp from 119 cases last Sunday.

“The cases started when those who returned from their holiday breaks were tested positive of COVID,” Mañebog said. — The STAR/ Roel Pareño

Police seized P1 million worth of smuggled cigarettes on board a truck intercepted on Tuesday night in Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur.

The confiscated 30 boxes of Gudang Baru cigarettes from Indonesia are now in the custody of the Kumalarang Municipal Police Station. 

Policemen at a roadside checkpoint in Barangay Boyugan West in Kumalarang immediately impounded the truck carrying the contraband when its driver, Albert Bulalon, and helper, Anthony Suson, failed to present documents for the cargo they were to deliver somewhere in the municipality. — The STAR/John Unson

Zamboanga City is ramping up vaccination activities, opening 19 vaccination centers to achieve herd immunity and those taking their booster shots.

City Health Officer Dulce Amor Mivarite said the city has already reached 71% of its target of 694,696 people. The target represents just 70% of the total city’s population.

The health official said they have already administered 1,074, 407 doses of various vaccines as of December 27.

The authorities say no firecracker-related injury was reported as local residents welcomed 2022 peacefully in Zamboanga City and Zamboanga del Sur province.

The police say no cases of illegal discharge of firearms were monitored during the revelry where security forces were placed on alert.

The local City Health Office says that while the local government strictly implemented the total firecracker and pyrotechnic ban, it was observed that firecrackers and pyrotechnics in clusters of hamlets lit up the skies. — The STAR/Roel Pareño 

Authorities say they continue to recover more vintage bombs in a house construction site after eight more heavily corroded cannon rounds were discovered by workers Thursday afternoon in a village said to be part of the encampment of World War II forces Zamboanga City.

The discovery has already brought to 30 rounds of 75mm HE (high explosive), used for cannons of light tanks, in the construction site where the house will sit in Barangay Upper Cabatangan, says Lt. Mary Agnes Miro, a spokesperson of Zamboanga City Police Office.

Miro says workers also discovered 22 rounds of the same unexploded ordnance in the same site. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say that joint security forces foiled a bombing plot of the Abu Sayyaf group (ASG) after it seized a deadly improvised explosive device (IED) and arrested the alleged “keeper” during a raid Wednesday night in a village in Zamboanga City. 

The security forces, however, failed to capture the two suspected Abu Sayyaf members who reportedly transported the IED from Basilan, the security official adds.

Brig. Franco Simborio, Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) director, says joint police and military security forces, with search warrant, conducted the raid about 7:20 p.m. in the house owned by a Tony Burah Asmun alias "Itum", 57, along Hanapi Drive, Barangay Kasanyangan. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Department of Health of the Zamboanga region will postpone a planned second round of mass vaccinations in light of the threat posed by a storm forecast to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Tuesday night.

The DOH-9 regional office issued the alert in response to advise from the central office 

However, the DOH-9 advised the local government units (LGUs) in Zamboanga peninsula may continue the regular vaccination activity if weather conditions in their locality would allow but should take the utmost consideration of the safety of the health workers and the vaccinees. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A couple perished in a fire that razed their house in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur before dawn Sunday.

The couple, both 28 years old, were both charred beyond recognition, according to municipal authorities.

Arson probers from the Labangan municipal office of the Bureau of Fire Protection told reporters Monday the couple were asleep and failed to get out of their room while the fire ravaged their house, which was made of concrete and wood. — The STAR/John Unson

Authorities say police forces and customs intelligence personnel intercepted a watercraft and seized Thursday night some P7.5 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in the west coast off Zamboanga City. 

Col. Rexmel Reyes, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, says joint personnel of the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company and the Bureau of Customs intelligence and enforcement team were on seaborne patrol when they intercepted a Jungkong watercraft about 10 p.m. in the coastal water of Barangay Sinunuc.

Reyes says the Jungkong watercraft with markings “MJ/DS Cruiser” with two crew members was loaded with 214 master cases and 20 reams of smuggled cigarette brands with an estimated market value of P7,504,000.00. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Brand hesitancy and a lack of manpower contributed to the Department of Health vaccinating fewer than the target number in Zamboanga Peninsula, the agency said.

The DOH regional office reported that 418,491 people had been vaccinated during the three-day national vaccination program in Zamboanga Peninsula as of Thursday morning. The total number represents only 91.6% of the target 691,014 individuals.

Health authorities observed that some of the eligible beneficiaries opted not to take the jabs due to brand preference, especially in areas where doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines had run out.
 
"Some were getting choosy already and missed their chance to have their inoculation," a health official said.

DOH-9 said the extension of the NVD until Friday would help them reaching the regional target. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Unvaccinated individuals packed hundreds of inoculation sites in the Zamboanga Peninsula as the 3-day National Vaccination Day (NVD) program started Monday.

The Department of Health -9 (DOH) regional office based on their field monitoring the centers were swarmed as early as dawn by eligible residents around the region to receive the vaccines.

Dr. Augusto Manolo Alpichi, DOH-9 assistant director, said they anticipated to achieve their inoculation target with the unexpected overwhelming participation of the unvaccinated individuals.

Alpichi said in the region the DOH-9 aimed to inoculate 691,014 individuals based on the available doses of vaccines provided by the national office for the 3 days NVD program. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The military’s Western Mindanao Command mobilizes the air asset and transports thousands of doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Sulu in preparation for the three-day nationwide National Vaccination Day program that will start on Monday.

The vaccines are transported from Manila to Zamboanga City via a commercial flight earlier and are picked by the personnel from the Ministry of Health of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and troops from Joint Task Force Zamboanga.

Maj. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr., commander of Westmincom, says they immediately facilitated the transport of the vaccine to Jolo via the Philippine Air Force’s C-295 light transport plane. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Department of Health-9 (DOH) regional office confirmed on Wednesday that the Zamboanga Peninsula is experiencing a shortage of syringes intended for the use of Pfizer vaccine.

The shortage is affecting the ongoing vaccination rollout.

In a briefing, Dr. Mary Germilyn Punzalan, DOH-9 COVID-19 medical coordinator, said they have already advised the local government units (LGUs) in the region since a month ago to procure its own tuberculin syringes with Gauge 23 needles following the world shortage of micro syringes particularly for the Pfizer vaccine.

The shortage has affected mostly the vaccination for the rest of the pediatric population (ROPP) due to the increasing acceptance of vaccinees in the different vaccination sites and those who will be having their second doses. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police Gen. Leonardo Carlos installed Tuesday afternoon his former deputy of operations as the new regional director in Zamboanga peninsula.

Carlos, through his representative Deputy Chief for Administration Lt. Gen. Joselito Vera Cruz placed Brig. Gen. Franco Simborio in a turn over rites at Camp Col. Romeo Abendan, the Police Regional Office 9 headquarters in Barangay Mercedes.

Simborio replaced Brig. Gen. Florencio Ortillo, who only served for more than a month, the shortest stint among the directors that have served PRO-9. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The police foiled Friday an attempt to transport to Zamboanga City from North Cotabato P890,000 worth of imported cigarettes, the second bust in just six days.

Police Brig. Gen. Alexander Tagum, director of the Police Regional Office-12, said Monday, the truck carrying the smuggled cigarettes was intercepted in Aleosan, North Cotabato by personnel of the municipal police.

The Tradition brand cigarettes were neatly packed in Styrofoam boxes to conceal the illegal shipment, to be delivered somewhere in Pagadian City. — The STAR/John Unson

A security official says that the fire which hit a warehouse accidentally led authorities to discover and seize P12.4 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in a village east of Zamboanga City.

The Bureau of Fire and Protection and the personnel of Police Station 5 initially discovered parts of the smuggled cigarettes while responding Thursday to a fire incident inside a warehouse in Barangay Divisoria that totally burnt a truck and partially damaged three other trucks, says Zamboanga City Police Office director Col. Rexmel Reyes.

He says fire probers and police investigating the cause of the fire noticed some of the master cases of cigarettes which were destroyed along with the truck. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

 The US military has donated more than P6.9 million in hospital supplies since October in support of pandemic response in areas of the southern Philippines, the US Embassy said.

The donations of intensive care unit (ICU) beds and COVID-19 cold storage units done from October to November to hospitals in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, Cotabato City, Iligan City, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The donations consisted of 13 cold storage units and 50 ICU beds.

The most recent turnover of donations was at the Zamboanga del Sur Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in Pagadian City, where respresentatives of USAID's "ReachHealth" project delivered six vaccine cold storage units capable of storing more than 120,000 vaccine doses.

"This equipment represents the United States’ continued support to the Philippines in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in geographically remote and isolated areas where it is difficult to procure and deliver supplies," the US Embassy said in a release.
 
The US Embassy said that, to date, the US government has provided more than P1.9 billion to support the Philippines' COVID-19 response. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local Inter-Agency Task Force in Zamboanga City will remove the stiff restrictions in its borders after it lifted the swab test negative result requirement for all inbound travelers who are fully vaccinated starting Tuesday.

The local IATF says, in the absence of the RT-PCR, the inbound travelers shall present only their vaccination cards and S-Pass permits upon entry in any and all borders of the city.

The task force specified that for fully vaccinated travelers, the reckoning date as fully vaccinated shall be 14 days after having the second dose for the 2-dose vaccines and single dose vaccine such as Janssen vaccine. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police agents seized assorted firearms, including an M60 machinegun, from three alleged gunrunners, among them an Army corporal, entrapped in Zamboanga City before dawn Sunday.

In a statement, the regional office of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-9 said Corporal Alkhaizer Samson Balboa and his two accomplices, Rodolfo Concepcion Ilenado, Jr. and Remar Taburada Hadjiri, are now detained.

The CIDG-9 said they are to be prosecuted for violation of Republic Act 10591, also known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. 

— The STAR/John Unson

A big fire believed to have been caused by a candle that had been left unattended razed more than 200 houses and flattened a sub-village Wednesday dawn in a west coast barangay in Zamboanga City, authorities said.

The fire that occurred at Purok 3B, Barangay Recodo early Wednesday morning left one injured and displaced more than 400 families, said City Fire Marshal Chief Insp. Jacqueline Ortega. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A police official says some P4.8 million worth of smuggled cigarettes bound to be shipped to Cotabato City was intercepted Friday on board two “Jungkong” motorized pumpboat with eight crews near an island village east of Zamboanga City. 

Col. Rexmel Reyes, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, says the police team from the 2nd Mobile Company with the customs intelligence service were conducting seaborne patrol when they spotted the two suspicious watercraft in the vicinity of Manalipa island about 1 p.m.

The police and customs operatives immediately maneuvered and intercepted the two Jungkong (Malaysian-fashioned watercraft) marked Az-Zhahir and MF/V Mernalyn-2 loaded with 137 master cases of assorted smuggled cigarette brands. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

After getting a major facelift, a revitalized and upgraded Zamboanga International Airport will soon expand its flight routes to and from Southeast Asian destinations, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade says.

Tugade approved the flight expansion on the occasion of the inauguration Tuesday of the P74.6-million terminal upgrade, which could now accommodate 500 to 800 departing passengers.

"The expansion of flight is to give depth and meaning of this airport development," Tugade told media.

Tugade approved the flight expansion on the spot after a meeting among Philippine Airlines executives, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of Tourism and the local governments to finalize the mechanics for the route operation. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Gunmen ambushed and killed a town councilor midday Monday while he was driving his car in Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte, police said.

The fatality was identified as Ernesto Manait Bihag Jr., 46, municipal councilor of Liloy town, said Police Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO) director.

Bihag was driving his Toyota Fortuner to the municipal hall when the gunmen aboard a maroon Innova overtook and strafed his vehicle, police said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A local health authority reports that a total of 299,051 residents here have been inoculated in Zamboanga City since the vaccination program started in March against the deadly coronavirus disease.

The City Health Office (CHO) says the total number of those who received COVID-19 vaccines remained way below 50% of the eligible target population of 700,000 to achieve the herd immunity.

The CHO reports that of the total vaccinated people in Zamboanga City, at least 121,103 individuals have completed the jabs while 177,948 got their first dose. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

The City Health Office of Zamboanga City on Sunday reports a record high of 177 new COVID-19 cases with only 93 new recoveries.

The spike comes amidst the detection of additional 12 new Delta variant cases, mostly from community transmission without travel history, bringing the total to 19 as of Saturday.

The new batch of Delta cases were part of the 21 samples sent by the CHO for genome sequencing through the Department of Health Regional Office-9 to the Philippine Genome Center last August 24. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A senior military commander succumbed to COVID-19 Monday after battling with the virus for three days in a provincial hospital in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.

Brig. General Bagnus Gaerlan, 55, assistant commander of the 1st Infantry Division and of Joint Task Force ZamPeLan based in Camp Sang-An, Labangan town, passed away while confined at Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center, said Capt. Mary Jephte Mañebog, 1st Infantry Division spokesperson.

"It is with heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of Brig. Gen. Bagnus Gaerlan, the assistant division commander of 1st Infantry Tabak Division,” Mañebog said. 

Military records showed that Gaerlan was so far the most senior military commander in Mindanao and the entire country that succumbed to the deadly virus.
— The STAR/Roel Pareño

A second case of the highly-infectious COVID-19 Delta variant has been logged in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur, the provincial health authority confirmed Wednesday.

The second Delta variant case was recorded amid a spike in active cases in Zamboanga del Sur, with the number of patients being hospitalized threatening the to overwhelm the province's health system.
 
The second Delta variant was detected in a 23-year-old male seafarer, according to a swab sample received Monday from the Philippine Genome Center in Manila.

Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Victor Yu made the announcement based on reports from the Integrated Provincial Health Office.

The provincial health office disclosed that the second index case, who is a resident of Dumagoc, Pagadian City, arrived in the city on August 16 from Navotas, Metro Manila and underwent the RT-PCR swab test upon arrival. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Gen. Jose Faustino, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief, presided over the retirement and change of command ceremony of the military's Western Mindanao Command on Tuesday.

Faustino has tested positive for COVID-19 and attended the ceremony remotely from his isolation room in the AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The AFP chief installed Maj. Gen. Generoso Ponio, commander of the 1st Infantry Division and Joint Task Force ZamPeLan, as acting commander of Westmincom.

Ponio replaces Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., who will retire from the service Wednesday at 56, the mandatory retirement age for the military.

Vinluan and Ponio are classmates of Faustino in Philippine Military Academy Class of 1988. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A conflagration of still undermined origin displaced Wednesday afternoon more than 100 families of informal settlers dwelling inside a public cemetery in Zamboanga City.

Fire Chief Insp. Jacqueline Ortega, city fire marshal, said the fire started from one house at around 4:40 p.m. and rapidly spread and razed more than 40 houses made of light materials built inside the cemetery and among the tombs.

The fire reached Alert Level 3, with firefighters having difficulty getting to the fire because of lack of road access. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Three Malaysian military personnel, who are members of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) that is observing the peace accord implementation, have been placed in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.

A Filipino counterpart has also tested positive and is in isolation.

The City Health Office (CHO) said the foreign observers were separately placed in two local-government run isolation facilities in this city following their detection late last week.

Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, CHO chief, said contact tracing of those persons where the 3 foreign peace observers have been in contact with have already been done and were also placed under observation.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the Zamboanga Peninsula region have been going down because of tight border control, regional authorities said.

Dr. Jemuel Cristobal, Department of Health-9 regional epidemiology surveillance unit, reported that the cases in Zamboanga Peninsula have decreased to 1,473 active cases as of August 7.

Cristobal said the DOH-9 highlighted the numbers if Zamboanga City in the downtrend of the cases in citing the tight measures such as the “no RT-PCR negative result, no entry” implemented in keeping the region from the surge of cases.

The local COVID-19 tracker records of the city as of August 10 showed it has 114 active case, down from a high of 2,500 cases last May  —The STAR/Roel Pareño

The health authorities confirm Friday that the first case of Delta variant in Zamboanga peninsula was detected in this city.

The City Health Office (CHO) says the detection was based on the samples sent by the Department of Health-9 last July at the University of the Philippines Philippine Genome Center.

Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, CHO chief, says the index case was along with the 14 other crew members of an inter-island vessel which arrived in this city last July 2. They immediately underwent a swab test after they exhibited signs and symptoms of COVID-19. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local Inter Agency Task Force on COVID-19 in Zamboanga and city health authorities join calls to recall an order that allows minors to go out in public, citing their vulnerability to the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.

Elmeir Apolinario, chief implementer of the local IATF in the city, says the health sector recommended the recall of the city's Executive Order No. 667 which allows minors to go out in certain open spaces with the supervision of adults.

"The health sector shares the apprehension that children ages 5 to 11 are really vulnerable. We share the same concerns with the health office," Apolinario says.

He says the concerns will be presented in their meeting Thursday with the local IATF headed by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, who issued the order last July 12.

The EO was based on a resolution by the national IATF. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Authorities and police personnel are tracking down the whereabouts of three passengers who boarded a fish carrier and believed to have been exposed to a seafarer positive for COVID-19 who boarded the same vehicle from Cagayan de Oro City, according to the local Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) of Zamboanga City said Tuesday.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, the IATF local chair, said the three Zamboanga City residents boarded the fish carrier with plate number KAJ 8073 in Barangay Vitali near the boundary with Zamboanga Sibugay and alighted along Corcuera Street near the public market last Friday.

Salazar said the passengers are believed to have been exposed to COVID-19, as the seafarer who boarded the same fish carrier in Cagayan de Oro City was later found to be positive and currently undergoing isolation.

The IATF and health authorities here have advised the 3 passengers to immediately turn themselves in for necessary quarantine procedures to avoid endangering public health. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Department of Health has included the Zamboanga Peninsula in the rollout of vaccine for A4 (frontline workers) in areas classified as high risk and to help slow down the transmission of COVID-19 in the region.

This, as the DOH-9 received its 17th batch of vaccines from the central office Monday. This is seen to speed up the immunization campaign as more people have shown trust in vaccines, says Dr. Maru Germin Punzalan, national immunization coordinator of DOH-9.

Punzalan says they received Monday an additional seven boxes containing 10,000 doses of Sinovac that landed at Zamboanga International Airport on a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila.

The additional doses are intended for the second dose for the remaining A1 (medical frontliners), A2 (senior citizens), and A3 (persons with comorbidities) category of the provinces, particularly in Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, which experienced a recent surge of cases. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Customs (BoC) seized some P2.1-million worth of smuggled cigarettes aboard a motorized banca in the coast west of this city.

The operatives onboard BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) were conducting maritime patrol when they intercepted the motorbanca marked “DYNASTY” with 4 civilian crews and loaded with 70 master cases of smuggled cigarette brand about 3:21 a.m Thursday in the waters off Layag-layag sandbar, Barangay Talon-Talon.

The watercraft with its cargoes were towed to the Zamboanga port where the inventory and investigation of the smuggled cigarettes was conducted, according to the PCG South-Western District. -- The STAR/ Roel Pareño

Police arrested another member of a criminal syndicate involved in the 2015 ambush-slay of the mayor of Tungawan in Zamboanga Sibugay province during a raid Thursday night.

The suspect, identified as Bakrin Ijirrain Sakinal, was arrested in a manhunt operation on his hideout in Barangay Pangian, Sibuco town, Zamboanga del Norte.

Col. Albert Larubis, Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Police Office director, said joint elements of the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company, backed by the local police of Tungawan and Zamboanga Police Station 10 with the intelligence unit carried out the operation against Sakinal.

“Sakinal, listed as top 3 most wanted person in Tungawan town, is a member of Almain Labain gun-for-hire group operating in the province of Tungawan and was involved in the killing of Tungawan town Mayor Randy Adlawun Climaco in October 12, 2015,” Larubis said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Security officials say military troops have seized at least 42 homemade firearms from various personalities tagged as linked with the communist insurgent in Maitum town in Zamboanga City.

Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of Western Mindanao Command, says the troops of the 38th Infantry Battalion confiscated firearms in the villages of Batian and Zion during the conduct of focused military operations.

“The firearms, which are homemade shotguns, were seized by the ground troops to the various personalities,” Vinluan says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local Inter Agency Task Force of Zamboanga City reports that cases have significantly dropped following the terrifying surge that reached more than 2,000 last May.

Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, City Health Office chief, says that as of June 28, the city's active cases had been drastically reduced to 566 from a high of more than 2,400 in late May.

The CHO official says while there were 27 new cases logged in, it has also recorded 58 new recoveries or a total of 10,517 recovered cases out of the 11,550 total confirmed cases since last year.

At least 10 additional deaths were also reported, bringing the total number to 508 mortalities in this city. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Authorities say the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Customs seized P5.6 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in two separate seaborne operations Monday dawn in the coast of Zamboanga City.

The joint elements of the PNP 2nd City Mobile Force Company and the intelligence service of the BOC conducted the seaborne patrol spotted initially about 2 a.m. on a motorized watercraft known as "Jungkong" marked F/B Iveen Krisnah-2 off the shore of Baliwasan Seaside.

The security team intercepted the suspicious watercraft, manned by four crew members and loaded with 90 master cases of smuggled cigarettes with an estimated value of P3,150,000. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Zamboanga City government says it will gradually lift the Sunday lockdown here as it intensifies the vaccination rollout against COVID-19.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, chair of the local Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Disease, says the lifting of the Sunday lockdown will allow the resumption of religious activities but with only 30% capacity while quarantine passes will not be required for the worshippers.

Supermarkets and groceries will be opened to serve the frontliners while restaurants and food servers will be allowed to operate only for food deliveries and take-out. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Pfizer vaccines may not be available in many places in Western Mindanao areas due to the special handling requirements for them, the Department of Health-9 (DOH) said in Zamboanga City.

This, as the first batch of 5,850 vials or a total of 35,100 doses Pfizer vaccines from the national allocation arrived in the city. Another 28,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine also arrived, the 13th batch of the Chinese vaccines to reach Zamboanga City. 

Dr. Augusto Manolo Alpichi, assistant regional director of DOH-9, said unlike the other vaccines that will be kept at the DOH-9 storage, the Pfizer vaccines will be transferred and stored at the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC), which has the ultra-low chain freezer needed.

"The storage requirements of Pfizer vaccines is quite meticulous as it needs an ultra-low chain freezer," according to Alpichi, citing the type of storage that is currently available only in this city. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga City urges the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking to investigate the mass departure last week of Badjao to Manila suspecting possible syndicate group behind the exodus amidst the strict requirements of health protocols due to the pandemic.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has written to Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, in-charge of the IACAT to intervene and investigate the mass departure of Badjaos to Manila.

“It is highly unusual for a very large group of Badjaos to be suddenly in an exodus from Zamboanga to Manila,” Salazar says in her letter addressed to Usec. Villar. —  Roel Pareño

Officials say the local Inter Agency Task Force placed several barangays in Zamboanga City that top the number of COVID-19 cases under granular lock down following the approval from the regional IATF.

The RIATF imposed under granular lack down at least five barangays while Zamboanga City has been observing the modified enhanced community quarantine along with the three provinces of Zamboanga Del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay due to the increasing COVID-19 cases since the past weeks.

“The city of Zamboanga requested the granular lock down of identified barangays with top cases so that we will be able to contain the spread of COVID-19,” says Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, the local IATF chair. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say 12 communist insurgents voluntarily surrendered to the police forces Thursday in Molave town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, director of Police Regional Office-9, says the 12 New People’s Army members yielded to the joint police intelligence and its combat units under the Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office and Municipal Task Force-end Local communist Armed Conflict in Barangay Bag-ong Gutlang.

The insurgents subsequently took their allegiance before the presence of Molave Mayor Cyrel Reao Glepa to support the government's peace and development programs. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police and military personnel arrested an Abu Sayyaf member wanted for kidnapping in a raid Monday in a coastal village in the eastern part of Zamboanga City.

The suspect was identified as Abdulhakim Nasalon, according Police Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office-9 director. 

Ylagan said Nasalon, 45, a resident of Sitio Niyog-niyog in Barangay Muti and listed as the most wanted person in the city, is an Abu Sayyaf member under the Ajujil Group, a kidnap-for-ransom group (KFRG).

He said units of the Zamboanga City Police Office and Regional Intelligence personnel, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and troops from the 74th Infantry Battallion arrested the suspect in Barangay Curuan on Monday morning.

He said the arrest was carried out on the strength of a warrant for kidnapping and serious illegal detention with ransom issued by Judge Ivy Damayo-Elva of Regional Trial Court Branch 16 in December 2020. 

of Branch 16, Regional Trial Court (RTC) of 9th Judicial Region based in this city last December 10, 2020. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Joint police and customs intelligence unit intercepted a motor boat and seized hundreds of master cases of smuggled cigarettes worth P9.1 million Sunday off the coast of Zamboanga City, according to authorities here.

The combined elements of the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company (ZCMFC) with personnel of the Bureau of Customs’ (BoC) Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS, and Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) conducted seaborne patrol at the coast off Barangay Recodo following tips about the smuggling of cigarettes.

Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genero Ylagan, director of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), said the security forces spotted and intercepted motor boat marked M/V Airborne Nurfalin, a Malaysian-styled ‘Jungkong’ wooden-hulled watercraft with six crew members and that was steaming towards nearby Barangay Maasin. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Authorities say hundreds of residents fled to higher grounds as flash flood inundated several villages past midnight Wednesday in Zamboanga City due to torrential rains.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office reports that at least 10 barangays were badly hit by the flash flood mostly in the east coast of Zamboanga City.

The disaster office initially listed at least 1,830 houses that were affected from the flood following the incessant rains spawned by the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Naval operatives escort two motorboats loaded with 502 master cases of assorted brands of smuggled cigarettes worth P17.5 million that the navy intercepted past midnight Monday in the west coast of Zamboanga City.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency also searched for illegal drugs that may have been concealed within the master cases of seized smuggled cigarettes during the conduct of inventory at the Naval Station Romulo Espaldon in Barangay Calarian. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Naval Task Force-61 intercepted two motorboats, locally known as ‘Jungkung’, shortly after midnight Monday off the west coast off Zamboanga City and seized hundreds of master cases of smuggled cigarettes worth P17.5 million, official said.

Rear Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr., commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), said the navy team launched the operation in coordination with the Bureau of Customs (BoC) district following intelligence reports of the cigarette smuggling.

Adaci said the first motorboat with markings of MB Nurshida and manned by 7 crew was spotted near the shore of Barangay Ayala while the other watercraft, marked with MB Dream Boy, was spotted in the shorelines of Barangay Sinunuc, all in the west coast of this city. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local Inter Agency Task Force of Zamboanga City has placed the entire city under the stricter Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine as COVID-19 cases continue to swell and threaten to overwhelm Zamboanga's health system.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, local IATF chief, says the decision to place the city under MECQ was approved by the national IATF on Wednesday after the city asked for a stricter quarantine classification.

Prior to the imposition of a stricter lockdown, Zamboanga City had been under the loose Modified General Community Quarantine since August 16, 2020.

Salazar says MECQ will be in place from May 8, Saturday, and will be in place "until such time the menace subsides." — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local Inter-Agency Task Force of Zamboanga City has limited banking at least seven commercial bank branches starting Monday after some personnel tested positive for COVID-19.

The infection, mostly among tellers, has prompted banks to limit banking hours to from 9a.m. to 1 p.m., according to Inocente Locson, manager of Security Bank, who is the current president of the Zamboanga City Bankers and Financiers Association (ZCBFA).

Locson said that banks affected by the lockdown were: RCBC main branch and RCBC Veterans Avenue; PNB Main and PNB San Jose branch; MayBank in Veterans Avenue; China Bank branch in San Jose Gusu; and UCPB along Corcuera Street. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga City has shut down all beaches, inland water resorts and establishments in the city in an effort to contain the rapid increase of COVID-19.

The order was contained in an Executive Order no. 654-2021 issued by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar Friday night which mandated the temporary closure of all beaches, beach resorts, inland water resorts, establishments with pools from May 1 to 15, 2021.

The closure order affects 13 registered resorts and their 200 workers, according to City Tourism Officer Sarita Hernandez-Sebastian. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Zamboanga City government shuts down anew all beaches, inland water resorts and establishments with pools starting Saturday, in an effort to contain the rapid increase of the coronavirus disease.

The order was included under Executive Order no. 654-2021 issued by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar Friday night, which mandated the temporary closure of all beaches, beach resorts, inland water resorts, establishments with pools and establishments from May 1 to 15, 2021.

Salazar said the measure aims to prevent the unnecessary congregation of people amid the alarming increase of COVID-19 cases in the city, citing most of the cases are emerging from the communities. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A ranking communist rebel and his follower were killed while another leader was captured in an encounter with government forces Thursday dawn in Tigbao town, Zamboanga del Sur, military officials said.

Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commander of 102nd Infantry Brigade, said the combined troops and police were conducting law enforcement operation and was serving the warrant of arrest when they were fired upon by the remnants of the defunct Main Regional Guerilla Unit (MRGU) of the Western Mindanao Regional Party committee (WMRPC) in Barangay Guinlin about 5 a.m.

Nicolas said the troops from the 53rd Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera and intelligence unit retaliated triggering the firefight.

"A firefight ensued that resulted in the death of two communist rebels and the capture of another," Herrera said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

At least five local government department offices in Zamboanga City are on lockdown after some of employees tested positive for COVID-19.

This, as the city government considers reverting the city's status to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) from Modified GCQ as cases spiked over the weekend.

On lockdown are the City Engineering Office (CEO), City Human Resource (CHR), City Planning Office, Division of City Museum, and City Tourism Office. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police and military personnal were in a firefight with members of a criminal gang Wednesday morning in Malangas town, Zamboanga Sibugay, a police official says.

Police say a civilian was wounded after she was hit by a stray bullet during the brief encounter.
 
Police Brig. Gen. Ronald Genaro Ylagan, director of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), says a composite team of the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) and 44th Infantry Battalion were conducting a law enforcement operation when they encountered 10 armed followers of the Boy Negro Criminal Gang in Barangay Mulom around 6 a.m.

Ylagan says the firefight ensued for 10 minutes before the criminal gang members retreated, which triggered a pursuit operation.

"There was no immediate reports of casualty from the criminal gang but a blocking operation was established to prevent the group from escaping," Ylagan says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga City is cutting short the summer escapades of its residents as it ordered the closure of beaches and inland resorts and seeks to revert to General Community Quarantine as COVID-19 cases in the city rise.

The COVID-19 tracker indicated as of April 9 that active cases leaped to 321 with 38 new cases.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, in Executive Order no. 647-2021, closed all beaches, inland resorts and similar establishments from April 1 up to April 30.

The local IATF also sought the national IATF’s approval for the city to revert to GCQ as part of the city's swift action to stop the rapid rise of the cases. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The San Ramon Penal Farm (SRPF)based in this city was placed under 1 month lockdown after 35 personnel and convicts were tested positive of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, head of the local IATF, said the Bureau of Correction (Bucor)-run penitentiary based in Barangay Talisayan, 26 kilometers west coast of this city, will be strictly monitored to prevent the spread of the virus.

“I have talked with the warden to ensure that they will follow the astringent measure to prevent people from coming in and out,” Salazar said, citing that there are residents residing inside the compound of San Ramon Penal Farm.

The colony was initially placed in lockdown last Maundy Thursday after 22 people inside the penal farm were infected with Covid-19.

Salazar said the SRPF will create their own lockdown bubble where the CDRRMO, city health office and the city government will help them since there are also residents staying inside the compound. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Local health authorities reported a new spike of COVID-19 cases, bringing 182 persons in this city despite strict restrictions on entry into the city and on movement within.

The City Health Office (CHO) said at least 47 new active cases were recorded with one death as of April 5.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has ordered the 700-bed isolation facilities to be readied immediately following the stark increase of cases after dropping to less than 50 last month. 

The local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) reported that the sudden increase of cases was brought about by the cases brought by authorized persons outside of residence (APORs). — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao extended relief assistance to 400 families displaced by a big fire last week in a coastal Muslim community in Zamboanga City.

The BARMM relief mission was provided by Project TABANG (Tulong Alay sa Bangsamorong Nangangailangan) and the region’s Ministry of Health last Monday to the affected residents of Seaside in Barangay Baliwasan.

The relief distribution was facilitated by the ‘SALIG’ (Services and Action with Love and Integrity from Government), a program of BARMM Executive Secretary Abdulraof Macacua, who is also a member of the Bangsamoro parliament.

The relief distribution was also facilitated by Zamboanga City's Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), Barangay Baliwasan officials, and volunteers from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s organic members in the city. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Naval forces intercepted two motorboats and seized smuggled cigarettes worth P3.8-million Friday dawn in the waters of an island off Zamboanga City.

Rear Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr., commander of Naval Force Western Mindanao (NFWM), said his operating units with coordination of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) district office were conducting maritime interdiction operations and spotted the two motor boats suspiciously steaming near Sta. Cruz Island off this city early dawn Friday.

"Our operating units intercepted the motor boats loaded with smuggled cigarettes about 3 a.m. while moving towards the coastal village of Zamboanga City," Adaci said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Photo: Naval Forces Western Mindanao

Authorities says a big fire struck a coastal village in Zamboanga Saturday dawn, razing more 400 houses and leaving 200 families homeless. 

The conflagration which occurred about 4:15 a.m. at Sitio Seaside, Barangay Baliwasan, west of Zamboanga City left Wahid Antam, 45, dead due to cardiac arrest after seeing the big fire engulfing almost the whole community, the local disaster office says.

City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Jacqueline Ortega says the fire reached the third alarm level before it was placed under control after almost three hours of firefighting. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police are looking at politics as the motive for killing of the vice mayor of Mabuhay town, Zamboanga Sibugay province more than two weeks ago, a senior police official said Wednesday.

This, as raps of double murder, frustrated murder and attempted murder have been filed against the suspects in the fatal shooting of Vice Mayor Restituto Colonge last February 26, said Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO).

Cologne and municipal engineer Edgar Pampanga died on the spot while former councilor Gregorio Cenas and Hadji Gapor Abduhari were wounded in the attack.

Ylagan said Cologne had holding office in an open area in front of the town hall due to the pandemic.

"We are looking (on the murder of Cologne) was politically motivated because next election he will again run for mayor," Ylagan said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga City police have arrested three suspected "drug personalities" and seized some P2 million worth of shabu in separate operations, officials say Monday.

Police Col. Rexmel Reyes, City Police Office director, identified the arrested suspects as: Almutah Angkaya Maharan, 39, unemployed; BenSaidul Muksan, 25; and Kenneth Fernandez Lacastesantos, 24, all residents of this city.

Reyes says police operatives of Station 11 led by Police Maj. Chester Natividad hatched the entrapment operation on Sunday afternoon in the Barangay Tumaga that led to the arrest of Maharan.

Police seized five large heat-sealed plastic sachets of shabu weighing 250 grams and estimated to be worth P1.7 million. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A police official says an unidentified assailant shot dead Friday afternoon in front of the municipal hall the vice mayor of a town in Olutanga Island in Zamboanga Sibugay.

Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9, identified the victim as Restituto Calonge, vice mayor of Mabuhay town, Oluntanga Island.

Duco says sketchy police reports disclosed that Calonge was shot about 3:05 p.m. in front of the municipal hall of his town. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police arrested a Belgian national and seized from him a handgun and sachets of shabu during an entrapment operation in Labason town, Zamboanga del Norte on Wednesday.

Police Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, director of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), identified the suspect as Randall Jean Gilbert Louwye, 52, and a Belgian national who is temporarily residing at Purok 5, Barangay Gil Sanchez in Labason.

Ylagan says police personnel of Labason and elements of the 901st Maneuver Company arrested Louwye in a buy-bust operation about 5:30p.m on Wednesday.

The police operatives recovered five sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated value of P5,440 pesos, a Smith & Wesson caliber .38 revolver with four bullets, wallet and sling bag, and three pieces of P500 bills used as marked money in the entrapment operation. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage led to the arrest of a retired police officer who shot and killed on the eve of Valentine's Day a man who eloped with his daughter in Zamboanga City.

The killing happened on the eve of Valentine's Day.

The victim was identified as Radzkamar Muharram Hakim, of legal age and a native of Maluso town, Basilan, says Police Maj. Chester Natividad, chief of Police Station 11.

Police arrested 65-year-old Abdulmiri Asa Jamili, a widower and a retired policeman, in a follow-up operation. Hakim eloped with Jamili's daughter in 2019. — from a report by The STAR/Roel Pareño

Authorities say the operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, including the police and intelligence unit dismantled a drug den and arrested suspects during an entrapment operation in Ipil town, Zamboanga Sibugay on Friday.

Emerson Margate, PDEA regional director, says the joint operatives also seized some P136,000 worth of shabu when they raided the drug den at Purok Sampaguita, Barangay Tenant about 4 p.m.

Margate identified the arrested suspects as Bensar Ahiya Bual, Kemhar Asarain Ascalon, Geodion Achame Saregue and Jessielyn Sibud Saregue, all tagged as drug den maintainer, Guillir Sibud Saregue, an employee and Raymondo Maloloy-on Vallez alias "MG Dodo", a client. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Authorities say a former regional director of a state-run insurance agency died after she was hit by a speeding truck Friday along the highway of Barangay Culianan in Zamboanga City. 

The victim was identified as Naomi Ibara Diaz, 67, married, a retired regional director of Government Service Insurance System and resident of Zone 1, Barangay Culianan, says Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9.

Duco says the investigation disclosed that the victim was crossing the MCLL highway when she was accidentally hit by the speeding Mitsubishi Canter truck with plate no. KAH-6997 about 7:30 a.m. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A leader and 22 members of the communist movement voluntarily surrendered and sworn allegiance to the government last Wednesday in Lapuyan town, Zamboanga del Sur, security official said.

Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), said the surrender was made through a joint conference of the Municipal Task Force End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) led by Lapuyan mayor Joel Sulong and joint police forces and intelligence unit of the region at the barangay hall in Purok 1, Barangay Tiguha.

Ylagan said the 23 communist members were composed of one chairman, 11 members of the Kababayen-an (Women’s group) and 11 members of Mag-uuma (farmers).

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say the city government of Zamboanga heightened its alert confirming the plot of the Islamic-State-linked terror group to conduct bombing as a retaliatory and diversionary tactic.

Mayor Maria Isabelle-Climaco Salazar issues an urgent warning of a terror plot following the neutralization of two Islamic State-link Abu Sayyaf henchmen and sub-leader during police operations early this week in this city.

Salazar says the arrest was a clear indication of the rampant terror threat as a result of the continued operations against the terror group in Sulu, Basilan and Lanao del Sur. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police say at least four children were charred to death in a fire that razed their house Thursday night in Mahayag town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9, says the tragic incident occurred about 10:05 p.m. when fire hit the house owned by Gil Albatera Colanggo at Purok 1, Bayanihan, Barangay Lower Salug Daku.

Duco says police investigation disclosed the Colanggo’s children were past asleep when the fire occurred and quickly engulfed the entire house. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

More than P2 million worth of rice and properties went up in smoke when a big fire gutted a warehouse in Zamboanga City Monday dawn.

Chief Insp. Jacqueline Ortega, city fire district chief, says the fire broke out past 3 a.m. in the warehouse owned by lawyer Jose Tan inside a storage compound area located along Veterans Avenue.

Ortega says the fire reached the second alarm level and destroyed the structure made of semi-concrete materials and a big volume of rice stocks.

The fire official says no one was reported hurt from the fire which reportedly started in an adjacent quarter beside the warehouse. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Anti-drug police units seized more than P7 million worth of shabu and arrested 11 personalities in separate entrapment operations Saturday in Zamboanga Sibugay and in Zamboanga City.

Joint elements of the Special Operation Unit 9 and police personnel of Imelda town in Zamboanga Sibugay conducted the entrapment operation at Purok Santan, Barangay Lumbog and arrested three suspected drug traders on Saturday.

Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) director, identified the three arrested suspects as: Crimalde Irali Tarawi, 53, businessman, of Simunul, Tawi-Tawi;  Albasir Nuridjam Masihul, 26, of Mabuhay, Zamboanga Sibugay; and Basir Baladji Alano, 48, businessman, of Barangay Tulay, Jolo town, Sulu.

Police operatives also arrested eight drug personalities in a series of entrapment operations on the same day in Zamboanga City and seized P290,000 worth of shabu. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

A doctor narrowly cheated death after an improvised bulletproof vest stopped bullets during a gun attack Thursday night in a village east of Zamboanga City.

Police Station 5 identified the victim as Dr. Chao-Tiao New Yumol, 37, a resident of Purok 1 in Barangay Lunzuran.

Police Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9, says Yumol was driving his Toyota Fortuner with three companions when he was attacked in drive-by shooting by two unidentified assailants aboard a motorcycle about 11:45 p.m. in front of a subdivision along Lunzuran Road.

Duco says bullets pierced the driver's side door but Yumol was saved by an improvised vest hanging there. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Anti-drug police seized P1.3 million worth of shabu in a buy-bust operation in Zamboanga City on Tuesday but the two alleged dealers managed to escape with the cash used for the deal.

Drug enforcement operatives of Police Station 4 led by Maj. Chested Natividad backed by the police mobile force and military troops conducted entrapment against suspect identified as Lungga Laksian, a native of Basilan, and an unidentified companion in the wharf of Barangay Taluksangay about 1 p.m.

Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9, said an undercover police officer was able to consummate the deal and had in his possession the 200 grams of shabu in exchange for P700,000.

However, the suspects, who sensed that they were dealing with the police operatives, scurried away and escaped aboard their motorized banca. They took the bait money consisting of P51,000 and "boodle" (fake)  money. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say the police anti-drug operatives seized P2.8 million worth of shabu and arrested two high value targets, including a member of the New People’s Army, in separate entrapment operations Thursday in Zamboanga peninsula.

The operatives of the Regional Drug Enforcement Unit–9, led by Capt. Jake Capitly, arrested Marlon Barol Narciso alias "Ka Arman", 33, who is tagged under the drug watchlist as a high value target and identified as an active member of the NPA under commander Kalaw in Tigbao town, Zamboanga del Sur.

The police operatives recovered from Narciso two sachets of shabu, an improvised revolver and assorted rounds of ammunition during the drug buy bust operation about 1:10 p.m. Thursday at Purok Magsaysay, Barangay Bigong, Tigbao town. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Two separate earthquake occurrences, one measured to be moderate strong, jolted areas in Zamboanga del Sur Thursday night and Friday morning, according to a Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) field officer.

The magnitude 4.3 earthquake shook Midsalip town Thursday night about 8:14 p.m and was felt in areas of the Zamboanga Peninsula, says engineer Rommel Allan Labayog, Phivolvcs regional field officer.

A magnitude 2.3 quake was also monitored about 7:07 a.m at a depth of 40 kilometers and 7km northwest of Pagadian City.

The two seismic activities occurred all in Zamboanga del Sur. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño

Authorities say the second ranked leader of the New People’s Army in Zamboanga was killed in a clash last Friday against the joint military and police forces in Tampilisan town, Zamboanga del Norte.

The troops also recovered at least six assaults rifles during the encounter about 6:15 p.m. at Barangay Zamboanga del Norte Agricultural College, says Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commanding officer of 102nd Army Brigade based in Ipil town, Zamboanga Sibugay.

The slain rebel was identified as Leonido Nabong alias "Coco" or "Baste", First Deputy Secretary of Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee and member of the Komisyon Mindanao, according to Nicolas. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A farmer was killed while four of his companions were seriously injured Monday afternoon in a remote farming village about 80 kilometers from the center of Zamboanga City.

Police identified the fatality as Rodericko Guzman Dela Cruz, 25, while those injured were: Kimar Aidarud Dela Cruz, 26; Ronnel Cuartocruz Delos Reyes, 29; Jessico Atilano Dela Merced, 47, all residents of Lower Tigbao, Barangay Licomo; and Leo Digario Diaz Jalap, 38, of sitio Sinoropan, Barangay Vitali.

Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), said police investigation disclosed the victims were threshing the rice stalks in the farming village of Lower Tigbao, Barangay Licomo when they were struck by lightning about 1p.m Monday. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A farmer was killed while four of his companions were seriously injured Monday afternoon in a remote farming village about 80 kilometers from the center of Zamboanga City.

Police identified the fatality as Rodericko Guzman Dela Cruz, 25, while those injured were: Kimar Aidarud Dela Cruz, 26; Ronnel Cuartocruz Delos Reyes, 29; Jessico Atilano Dela Merced, 47, all residents of Lower Tigbao, Barangay Licomo; and Leo Digario Diaz Jalap, 38, of sitio Sinoropan, Barangay Vitali.

Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), said police investigation disclosed the victims were threshing the rice stalks in the farming village of Lower Tigbao, Barangay Licomo when they were struck by lightning about 1p.m Monday. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police killed in shootout an Abu Sayyaf member, tagged in the kidnapping of six Indonesian fishermen more than four years ago, in a law enforcement operation over the weekend in a town of Zamboanga Sibugay.

The slain suspect was identified as Salip Adzhar Alijam, known by the aliases Aya and Alip Adjal Hamsa Grandad, says Brig. Gen. Jesus Cambaya Jr., director of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO).

Joint operatives of Regional Intelligence Unit-9 — backed by the 5th Special Action Battalion of the Special Action Force, the Anti-Kidnapping Group, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group — and local police attempted to serve a search warrant against Alijam about 5:45a.m at Barangay Masao, Tungawan town for violation of illegal possession of explosives.

"However, the suspect fired at the operating troops that triggered the shootout resulting in his death," Cambay says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A military official says fighting erupted when government troops encountered a group of New People’s Army rebels which left undetermined insurgent casualties Sunday in tri-boundary mountains of Tukuran and Labangan towns in Zamboanga del Sur.

The encounter occurred as the troops from the 53rd Infantry Battalion conducted combat operations based on a tip of former rebels about the locations of the NPA members, says Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commander of 102nd Brigade.

The troops clashed against 15 NPA rebels under the Main Regional Guerilla Unit of the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee. — AFP

Security officials say military troops have foiled a deadly bombing attempt of Abu Sayyaf suicide bomber mastermind Mundi Sawadjaan after a powerful improvised explosive device was safely defused and retrieved late Friday afternoon in along the road in Indanan town, Sulu.

The military say the bomb was discovered by the civilian community in Barangay Timbangan and quickly alerted the military forces on the presence of the IED.

Col. Antonio Bautista, commander of the 1101st Infantry Brigade, who personally went to the area with the commander of the 110th Infantry Battalion, says the IED concealed with the coconut leaves was composed of a mortar cartridge, 90RR (recoilless rocket) projectile heat, 5 liters of ammonium nitrate fuel-oil (ANFO), battery and improvised blasting cap. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Department of Agriculture-9 regional office says the Bureau of Animal Industry Veterinary Quarantine Services (BAI –VQS) intercepted and seized 10,000 kilos of chicken meat and by-products in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte.

Dr. Marie France Jalao, DA9 regulatory chief, confirms that the chicken meat by-products arrived in Dipolog City last Tuesday Oct. 27, 2020 from Cebu City.

Jalao says they received a report from our BAI-VQS officer Dr. Darwin Abadilla about the illegal cargo contained in several styrofoam ice chests which were attempted to be unloaded at the Galas Feeder Port of Dipolog. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Military officials say the government troops recovered the arms cache of the New People's Army, consisting of assault rifles and ammunition after former ranking rebels revealed its location in Gutalac town, Zamboanga del Norte.

The troops from the 44th Infantry Battalion were immediately mobilized for the retrieval operations which led the recovery of six high-powered assault rifles, including five M16 and one M1 .30 Carbine rifle in Sitio Palos, Barangay Santo Niño.

The troops also recovered one long magazine with 26 live ammunitions of caliber 30 carbine, a cellular phone, two bandoliers, an NPA flag, medical and dental equipment, assorted medicines, among others. — The STAR/Roel Pareño 

An arson investigator lost his house in a fire late Monday afternoon in a village in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.

Police Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), said the conflagration occurred about 5:45 p.m in the house of Fire Insp. Glen Macarat of the Bureau of Fire Protection.

Duco said the fire in Block 2, Alta Tiera, Barangay Napolan engulfed Macarat's house and quickly spread to the adjacent house of Rolando Polimar before responding firefighters managed to contain the conflagration more than an hour later. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

No Christmas parties. This, as the Zamboanga City government tightens restrictions on movement, cancelling all national and local celebrations, parties, anniversaries, festivities and even parties until December 31 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The additional stringent measures of tightening movements and banning social activities are in force from Monday, October 26, and is contained in the 27-page Executive Order 607-2020 signed by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar. 

Salazar cites the rapid rise of COVID cases and related deaths in this city as proof that tighter measures are needed. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga City will impose next week a moratorium on the entry of locally stranded individuals for lack of space in quarantine facilities due to the spike of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) here.

This, as the total COVID-19 cases in the Zamboanga Peninsule nears the 3,000 mark.

The suspension of entry is contained in an executive order issued by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar based on the resolution approved by the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

An official says the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency regional office in Zamboanga City destroyed through incineration P19,947,373.30 million worth of illegal drugs, mostly shabu Thursday afternoon.

Emerson Margate, PDEA-9 regional director, says the illegal drugs were disposed through thermal destruction, utilizing the burner of boiler facility of the Permex Producer and Exporter Corporation located in Barangay Ayala, west coast of this city. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Philippine Navy has intercepted a fishing boat attempting to slip in more than 300 master cases of smuggled cigarettes into the Zamboanga Peninsula.

A master case contains 50 cartons of cigarettes. A carton contains 10 packs of 20 cigarettes each.

Rear Adm. Erick Kagaoan, commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao, says Naval Intelligence Security Group aboard the BRP Jose Loor Sr. launched the operation and intercepted FB Normay, an outrigger, Friday last week.

The Navy intercepted the boat, which came from Kalingalang town, Sulu and was enroute Pagadian City, off the coast of Tabina town, Zamboanga del Sur.

The intercepted fishing boat along with its seven crewmen were escorted to Pagadian City Pier, where the smuggled cigarettes were unloaded and were turned over to the Bureau of Customs for disposition. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A security official says a squad leader of the New People’s Army surrendered to the military forces in a village of Tukuran town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commander of 102nd Infantry Brigade, says Marino Daano Anlas alias "Victor" and "IP Man", 29, a native of Sergio Osmeña town, voluntarily yielded to the troops and intelligence unit of Joint Task Force ZamPeLan.

“He was the squad leader of the 1st squad of the communist terrorist group operating in Zamboanga Peninsula area,” Nicolas says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A senior provincial administrator assistant was killed by an unidentified assassin Wednesday afternoon in Isabela City, Basilan, police say Thursday.

The fatality was identified as Musamman Amigos Hasadin, 40, a provincial administrator senior aide of Basilan, and resident of Sumisip town in Basilan, says Police Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO).

Police found that the victim was driving his motorcycle when a lone gunman shot Hasadin twice about 4:10p.m on Wednesday along Rizal Avenue in Barangay Doña Ramona.

Responding police found two empty shells believed to be fired from a caliber .45 pistol and the body of Hasadin beside his motorcycle. 

Although Basilan is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Isabela City is administratively part of Region 9, which covers the Zamboanga Peninsula

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

The dead toll to COVID-19 in the Zamboanga Pensinula has reached 100 with most of the mortalities recorded Zamboanga City, a Department of Health regional official says Wednesday.

Dr. Josh Brillantes, DOH-9 assistant director, says the latest death was reported Sunday.

Brillantes says Zamboanga City accounts for 93 deaths, followed by Isabela City in Basilan with four, and three in Zamboanga del Norte. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say the body of the Indonesian captive recovered in the jungle of Sulu by the military troops bore no sign of any single bullet wound based on the medical findings.

This was contrary to reports by military officials earlier that Indonesian La Baa, 32, was believed to have been fired by his Abu Sayyaf captors while trying to escape in the middle of encounter between the government troops and the terror group in the hinterland of Barangay Maligay, Patikul town Tuesday morning.

The remains, which was brought in Zamboanga City on Wednesday, was confirmed by the Indonesian police, army attache and family Thursday to be that of La Baa, according to the statement issued by the Joint Task Force Sulu. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Security forces have scrambled and put up tight checkpoints all over Zamboanga City after Marines recovered Saturday two rounds of rifle grenades that were abandoned near a former oil depot site in this city,

The responding team of Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 (MBLT) discovered the two unexploded rounds of 40mm rifle grenades among the pile of garbage along the roadside of Baliwasan Grande in Barangay Baliwasan, said Col. Antonio John Divinagracia, commander of Joint Task Force Zamboanga (JTFZ).

The police and military have doubled their checkpoints around the city following the discovery even as the city remains under threat from terror attacks by the Islamic State-inspired Abu Sayyaf group under Mundi Sawadjaan in Sulu. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Five persons died in a road accident involving two large trucks and a motorcycle in Ramon Magsasay town in Zamboanga dek Sur on Saturday.

In a statement Sunday, the Zamboanga del Sur provincial police said a wayward van first hit a motorcycle, killing motorist Renny Nacis on the spot.

The ill-fated van, subsequently, rammed from behind another truck, killing its driver’s helper, Dennis Bentosa.

The collision also resulted in the death of van driver Reynaldo Hijara and his companions, Kenny Ferolin and Danilo Tangub, Jr. — The STAR/John Unson

Incessant rainfall since Sunday have damaged more than a hundred hectares of rice fields and seaweed farms in Zamboanga City

City agriculturist Carmensita Sanchez says 117.6 hectares of rice fields with an estimated value of P4.46 milliom and 0.2 hectares of seaweed farms were damaged.  

Sanchez expects damages to increase as rains continue to batter areas in this southern port city due to the low pressure area (LPA) affecting Western Mindanao. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say incessant rainfall since Sunday damaged more than a hundred hectares of rice fields and seaweed farms with an estimated value of P4.46 million in different agricultural districts in Zamboanga City.

City agriculturist Carmensita Sanchez says they expect the increase of damages as incessant rains continue to batter areas in this southern port city due to the low pressure area affecting Western Mindanao areas. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A health official says an 82-year-old man from the retirement center was the latest among the fatalities brought by the coronavirus disease while 27 other senior citizens remained in isolation in Zamboanga City.

Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, City Health Officer, says the octogenarian man was among the three brought from the Home of the Elderly run by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. They were confined to Zamboanga City Medical Center COVID center last week after they tested positive for the virus and showed symptoms. 

The health official says the 25 other elderlies, who were asymptomatic, remained on isolation in the Home for Elderly. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Security and civilian officials say at least five members of the Abu Sayyaf group died and two soldiers were injured in an encounter in the coastal village of R.T Lim town, Zamboanga Sibugay.

The ground attack was succeeded by airstrike conducted by two military MG520 attack helicopters which prompted the Abu Sayyaf members to escape and hide in the mangrove area. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

An official says at least two Abu Sayyaf members were killed in an encounter in the jungle of Patikul town, Sulu as government forces launched search and destroy operation against the group behind the deadly twin suicide bombing attacks in Jolo.

Brig. Gen. William Gonzales, commander of Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS) and 11th Division, says the encounter sparked when elements of the 3rd and 5th Scout Ranger Battalions encountered the fleeing Abu Sayyaf group about 9:45 a.m. in the mountain of Patikul.

The army rangers also recovered two assault rifles and the remains of the two slain terrorists. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

 At least seven drug personalities, including a male public school teacher, were arrested in separate entrapment operations Saturday in Zamboanga peninsula areas, according to authorities.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 9 (PDEA) director Emerson Margate identified the arrested suspect as Henry Dominic Calimot Paglinawan, 36, an elementary teacher of Dumalinao town, Zamboanga del Sur

Margate said his personnel and members of the Zamboanga del Sur police drug enforcement unit caught Paglinawan during an entrapment operation at Purok Liberty, Barangay Gatas, Pagadian City. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A local health official says the fatalities due to the deadly coronavirus disease in Zamboanga City rose to 40 as confirmed cases reached 952.

City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite says the city also registered additional 55 cases for the last three days since Tuesday, bringing the tally of active cases to 388 active cases, with 524 recoveries. — The STAR/Roel 

Four inmates bolted from a police detention cell in Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte by cutting the bars with a guitar string. 

The fugitives were identified as: Welly Celino Catoy, 23; Robert Quinicar Quinto, 46, both facing charges of Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act; Wilfredo Antiquino Espelita, 19, charge for illegal drugs; and Roger Barillo Feras, accused for attempted homicide, said Brig. Gen. Jesus Cambay Jr., director of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO).

Police investigation disclosed the escapees cut the steel bars with a guitar string and escaped during heavy rainfall. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A military official says at least five field combatants of the New People’s Army voluntarily surrendered early this week to different army battalions operating in Zamboanga peninsula.

The rebels, identified only through their aliases for security reasons, were: Pawpaw of the Guerilla Front Feliciano; Arkins, Regional Urban Committee; Eric of the Yunit Militia; and Jaymon and Jongjong under the Main Regional Guerilla Unit, all belonged with the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee, according to Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, commander of 102rd Brigade.

The rebels surrendered separately to the 97th, 44th, 42nd, and 53rd Infantry Battalions, all under the 102nd Army Brigade Tuesday and yielded two AK47 assault rifles, eight magazines and 245 ammunitions. — The STAR/Roel Pareño 

Zamboanga City now has 897 cases after additional 38 new cases were logged in the past two days and the city health office says caseload may breach the thousand mark.

Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, city health officer, says the number of fatalities has reached 36 with two new deaths recorded. The city has 360 active cases.

Miravite says however that there has also been improvement in the case, with 47 recoveries in the past two days. This brings the number of recoverise to 501 or a 56-percent recovery rate. — The STAR/RP

Police say that the authorities seized several boxes of smuggled cigarettes worth more than half million in Zamboanga City..

Brig. Gen. Jesus Cambay Jr., Police Regional Office 9 director, says operatives of the Police Station 6 seized a total 34 master cases of smuggled cigarettes during the separate operation carried in the coastal barangays of Mampang and Arena Blanco Friday.

Cambay says the police forces launched the operation following tips from civilians that smugglers were unloading the contraband in the mangrove area of Barangay Mampang. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño  

Officials say all movements and office works inside the Naval Force Western Mindanao headquarters have been restricted and temporarily stopped as lockdown continues following the surge of COVID-19 infections in the naval base to 31.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed the 1,000-mark in Zamboanga peninsula region, with most cases logged in Zamboanga City, according to health official. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Health authorities and the local Inter Agency Task Force say that the number of COVID-19 infections in Zamboanga peninsula region is nearing a thousand. 

Based on the data provided by the Department of Health 9 and City Health Office, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region has already reached 953 as of Tuesday.

The City Health Office reported at least 57 new cases in a span of three days since August 9 to 11. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The vice mayor of Gutalac, Zamboanga del Norte survived a gun attack on Saturday night and was unscathed after unidentified gunmen strafed his house while he was on self-quarantine, police say.

The victim was identified as Joel Reluya Tendero, 56, Police Capt. Edwin Duco, public information officer of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), says.

He says police found Tendero was resting inside his farm house at Pula Ulo in Barangay San Roque gunmen shot at his house from a distance.

The vice mayor will continue his quarantine until Monday, Duco also says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say they are alarmed with the rise of COVID-19 cases to 689 in Zamboanga as they appeal to their constituents to participate in order to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.  

Additional 14 cases were recorded since Thursday night and another died, bringing the total number of deaths to 23.

A local health official says almost half of the total number of COVID-19 infections in Zamboanga are active cases. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police say a barangay chairman was arrested for illegal possession of firearms and explosive during a search operation in Payao town, Zamboanga Sibugay. 

The arresting operatives also recovered from the suspect, Saran Ayunan Abdurahman, 45, barangay chairman of Kulasian, at least 20 sachets of shabu worth P68,000. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga City has put up more checkpoints and border control points to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The checkpoints will conduct quarantine and biosecurity checks to guard against possible contamination as well as against pests and contaminants that may be in food and other supplies brought into the city.

Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar says all transportation coming into the city are subject to safety checks. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
 

A person was killed and two of his companions were seriously injured when someone lobbed a grenade at their hut in a remote village in Zamboanga City before dawn on Thursday.

The fatality was identified as Radzkil Tutoh Assari, while those injured were Mohammad Jainal Asid Ammad and Ersad Asari. The casualties are from Sulu but live in Barangay Bunguiao where they work as property caretakers, says Police Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO).

Barangay chairperson Leo Resurreccion, who heard the explosion about 2:30a.m, immediately alerted the Police Station 3 that responded in the area, which is some 35 kilometers away from the city proper. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police anti-drug units arrested at least eight drug personalities, including a government militiaman, and seized P840,000 worth of shabu in drug sting operations in Zamboanga City and in Isabela City in Basilan on Saturday, a police official says.

Police Brig. Gen. Jesus Cambay Jr., director of Police Regional Office 9, says two drug personalities tagged as high-value targets were among those arrested and them as Sharler Umbong Sauragal, 32, and Elina Hadjiruddin Asibun, 34, both residents of Barangay Mampang this city.

Drug Enforcement Unit of Zamboanga City Police Station 6 led by Police Maj. Mark Anthony Karanain seized from the suspects one pack and six sachets of shabu weighing 78 grams with and estimated market value of P800,000 during the entrapment operation. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The city government of Zamboanga is already requiring locally stranded individuals to secure real time-polymerase chain reaction test result as part of its COVID-19 preventive measures.

The local government imposed the measure as the local Inter-Agency Task Force said that the influx of LSIs caused the sudden spike of community transmissions.

The city government also adopted the measure since quarantine facilities have already reach its full capacity. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Eight members of a family in Zamboanga City have tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks after a healthcare frontliner relative also tested positive.

The 34-year-old physical therapist working at the state-run Zamboanga City Medical Center had developed symptoms and was able to go home in Barangay Sta. Maria before he got sick, according to village chairman Los Eli Angeles.

"As a frontliner he was aware of what he has got to do and he underwent swabbing before realizing he got in close contact with some of his siblings and young nephews and nieces," Angeles says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The leadership of the military's Zamboanga City-headquartered Western Mindanao Command says it is satisfied with the result of the National Bureau of Investigation's probe into a shooting in June that left four soldiers dead.

The NBI has endorsed the filing of murder and planting of evidence charges against nine police officers involved in the shooting in Jolo, Sulu.
 
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Westmincom chief and joint task forces commander, says they will closely monitor the case until final judgment is rendered.

 "The Western Mindanao Command is pleased with the upshot of the impartial investigation conducted by the NBI on the shooting incident involving the military and the police which transpired on June 29, 2020," Sobejana says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease has rejected Zamboanga City's request for a moratorium on letting the locally-stranded individuals heading to Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi pass through the city.

"The answers were straight and direct, LGUs are requested to accept LSIs and [Returning Overseas Filipinos] upon the instruction of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The requests for moratorium will be granted should situation require it upon their evaluation," Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar says.

The city government had decided to halt the entry of the LSIs into the city to keep them from being stranded in Zamboanga in view of quarantine facilities in their home provinces being at full capacity.

The city's quarantine facilities are also being used by residents who have returned from other areas in the Philippines or from abroad. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Local officials say they have requested a moratorium on the repatriation of locally stranded individuals who are residents of the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi but are travelling or have remained stranded in Zamboanga City as their provincial government have refused them to return to their hometown.

“We are asking the NIATF (National Inter-Agency Task Force) to suspend the sending of the LSIs because our quarantine and isolation facilities are already on full capacity,” says Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The regional health department says relaxed quarantine protocols triggered the surge of coronavirus disease cases in Zamboanga peninsula with 254 active cases as of July 17.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, assistant regional director of Department of Health 9, says they are also looking closely on the spike of community-based cases in Zamboanga peninsula.

According to Brillantes, the region has listed a total of 468 confirmed cases with 199 recoveries and 10 mortalities, which are all in Zamboanga City. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The seat of the Zambaonga City government has been placed on lockdown after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. 

The local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), chaired by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, says city hall was closed Wednesday for disinfection.

Salazar says a skeletal work force will be maintained in a local government-run convention center to ensure unhampered LGU operations. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

At least two regional and a city government offices in Zamboanga City have temporarily closed down over possible exposure to suspected COVID-19 cases

This as the COVID-19 cases in this city continue to soar with another 18 newly confirmed cases being reported Monday night, bringing the active cases to 138.

The regional offices which were forced to close were the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Philippine Information Agency (PIA,  which occupy a private building along Veteran Avenue, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regional headquarters in Barangay Calarian. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police intercepted and seized a motorized pump boat attempting to transport hundreds of reams of smuggled cigarettes Sunday in the river estuary of Ipil town, Zamboanga Sibugay province.

The police team backed by the police provincial intelligence launched the operation following an intelligence report about the smuggling activity at Sanito River in Purok Saturn, Barangay Bangkerohan.

Brig. Gen. Jesus Cambay Jr., Police Regional Office 9 director, says no one was arrested as the boat operator and the transporter quickly abandoned the contraband and the boat upon learning of the presence of the operatives. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Two alleged communist rebels were killed and a caliber .50 sniper rifle was among the high-powered firearms recovered in two separate encounters with the government troops in Zamboanga del Norte, a security official says.

The latest firefight erupted when troops of the 53rd Infantry battalion under Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera clashed an undetermined number of New People’s Army rebels Saturday in Siayan town.

Combined troops from the 44th and 97th Infantry Battalions also encountered and killed two NPA rebels in Purok 5, Barangay Batayan, Kalawit town also in Zamboanga del Norte the day before. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local Inter-Agency Task Force in Zamboanga City says there are 12 new recoveries from COVID-19, reducing its current number of active cases to 70. 

However, COVID-19 infections in the city continue to increase, with 33 additional cases reported as of Saturday morning. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local Inter-Agency Task Force says a 13-year-old boy succumbed to the coronavirus disease while four others tested positive for the deadly virus in Zamboanga.

The boy was the ninth COVID-19 mortality in Zamboanga. The four new cases include two frontliners and two locally stranded individuals.

The total number of active cases in Zamboanga climbs to 82 with 172 recoveries, the IATF reports. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) mortalities in Zamboanga City has increased to six after one of three new cases succumbed to the virus.

This, as the list of active cases soared to 39, with 172 recoveries out of 217 listed since March. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A kidnap gang member, whose group linked with the Abu Sayyaf, was captured in a police operation Sunday in the coastal village of Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay, official said.

The arrested suspect was identified as Akmad Manguda Pagalala, 44, a fisherman and member of the Kiang Balimbingan Group, whose band is linked with the Abu Sayyaf and tagged to be involved in the abduction of Chinese businessman and local wealthy personalities in Zamboanga Sibugay area, said Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) director Brig. Gen. Jesus Cambay Jr. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

Officials say the national government has ensured to hasten the process and health protocols for the 5,300 Filipinos that will be deported by the Malaysian government in the southern part of the Philippines.

The deportees detained in Sabah will be sent by batches—400 each—starting this week.

National Task Force on COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., flew to Zamboanga City Thursday, along with National Defense Undersecretary Cesar B. Yano, who is leading the Task Group on the Management of Returning Overseas Filipinos, to fine-tune the process for the arrival of the deportees from Sabah later this month. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

An archdiocesan priest was pinned to death after the pickup truck he was driving collided with a 10-wheeler truck and crashed along the roadside shortly before midnight on Wednesday along the Maria Clara Lorenzo Lobregat Highway in an east coast village of Zamboanga City, police say.

The fatality was identified as Fr. Alfredo Alavado, 55, parish priest of Our Lady of Fatima in Barangay Manicahan east of this city, says Maj. Chester Natividad, chief of Police Station 4 in Barangay Culianan. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The list of coronavirus disease cases in the Zamboanga Peninsula soars to 220 after 12 confirmed cases were confirmed as of Tuesday in the region, the Department of Health in the region says.

The new cases were registered in Zamboanga del Sur with 10 confirmed cases, including nine locally stranded individuals mostly coming from Cebu and two from Quezon City.

Another one case is a returning Overseas Filipino Worker. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The police anti-drug unit arrested five suspected drug dealers and seized P224,000 worth of shabu in separate entrapment operations over the weekend in Zamboanga City, a security official says.

The police says three of the arrested suspects were under the regional watch list of notorious drug dealers while the other three suspects were newly identified dealers. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño

A military official says at least three Abu Sayyaf members and a medic surrendered to the military troops with two high-powered firearms in Patikul town, Sulu.

Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., 11th Division and Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS), says one of the three Abu Sayyaf members who surrendered to the 45th Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Ruben Guinolbay Wednesday at Barangay Tugas was not just an ordinary member as he served the group'ss medical doctor.

Vinluan has requested to keep the identities of the three surrenderees, citing security reasons and ongoing follow-up operations by the troops. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

There are only 35 active confirmed COVID-19 cases in Zamboanga City, way lower than what the total number of cases suggests, according to the local task force on the coronavirus disease.

The task force here came out with the active figure after many professionals and businessmen said local authorities are allegedly using the total figure to scare the people.

The task force said that, based on the report of the City Health Office, the active cases are among the 190 total cases since March. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

After losing a around P3 billion due to the coronavirus lockdown, the business community in Zamboanga City is appealing to the national Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease to relax the classification of the southern port city to modified general community quarantine.

The IATF-EID listed Zamboanga City as among the areas in Mindanao, including Davao City, to continue under the GCQ until June 30.

Pedro Rufo Soliven, president of the Zamboanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc. (ZCCIFI), appeals also the local government and its IATF to have empathy for people who have suffered as a result of the more than three months of lockdown. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology 9 (BJMP) has declared the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center (CRC) as free from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after 14 of its personnel and 62 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) infected with the virus have all recovered.

“This is to inform the public that as of this date (June 13), Zamboanga City Jail male and female dormitories are now COVID-free,” BJMP 9 Community Relation chief Jail Sr. Insp. Roneil Inot said in a statement.

Inot said all of the 14 personnel who were confirmed positive with COVID-19 and the 62 PDLs and placed in isolation quarter for quarantine inside the CRC have already all recovered as there tested negative from COVID-19 virus.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Military officials say the three Filipinos, who drifted last week in the border of Sabah and intercepted by Sabah authorities on suspicion of being members of Abu Sayyaf group, were turned over to the Philippine military in Turtle Island. 

The apprehended personalities were turned over by Eastern Sabah Security Command chief Maj. Gen. Datu’ Hazani Bin Ghazali at the maritime boundary of the Philippines and Malaysia, near Great Bakungan Island last Sunday to Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana.

Sobejana says the turnover was timely while he was visiting the far flung towns in the border of the Philippines to strengthen relationship with the local government units and stakeholders in Taganak Island. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga City health authorities say 24 more former persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) released through court orders have contracted COVID-19.

The new cases bring the number of cases in the city to 183 and in Zamboanga Peninsula to 189, according to the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) COVID-19.

The City Health Office of Zamboanga City says the 24 are among the 216 PDLs in a third batch of PDLs on a 14-day quarantine before being allowed to go home. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A leader of a kidnap-for-ransom group linked to the Abu Sayyaf and wanted by Sabah security forces was killed Monday in police operation in Titay town, Zamboanga Sibugay.

The slain suspect was identified as Mamay Aburi, sub-leader of a KFRG that is linked with the Abu Sayyaf group, according to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 9.

The combined units of the CIDG and police intelligence units in the region, backed by the military troops from the 44th and 42nd infantry battalions launched the law enforcement operation to capture the suspect based on a warrant of arrest issued by a local court for violation of firearms and explosives.

Aburi was also wanted for robbery. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Zamboanga City council strongly supports the use of bicycles as a ‘new normal’ mode of transportation and is asking the local government to put up support infrastructure for the safety of the bikers.

Councilor Rogelio Valesco says he has filed a resolution calling for the city planning and the city engineer’s office to realize the establishment of bike lanes in the streets of this city, home to almost a million people.

Valesco says, while there might be features for the bike lanes in the mater development plans (MDP) for the city, these have not yet been put up. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Philippine National Police has designated a veteran of intelligence operations as the new regional police commander of Zamboanga Peninsula late this week following the reshuffle of senior police officers.

Police Brig. Gen. Jesus Cambay Jr. assumed Thursday as director of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) in the place of Police Brig. Gen. Froilan Quidilla, who retires on July 3.

Cambay, a native of Lagawe, Ifugao and member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Makatao” Class of 1989, will lead the 8,000-strong regional police office. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

 A woman, whose 18-year-old son tested positive for COVID-19 and has passed on, has been confirmed to have contracted the virus as well, bringing the number of cases in Zamboanga City to 155 as of Wednesday, according to authorities.

The local Inter-Agency Task Force COVID-19 says the latest case, tagged as ZC155, is a 43-year old woman and mother of ZC145. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The leadership of the military Western Mindanao Command welcome 25 incoming Philippine Military Academy cadets from nearby provinces who will be on a seven-day quarantine before heading to Baguio City.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of Westmincom, led the reception of the arrival of the incoming cadets.

The incoming cadets, 23 men and two women, took a rapid COVID-19 test during their courtesy call on Sobejana.

"I hope that by 2024 all of you who are gathered here today will successfully graduate from the academy and form part of the AFP,” Sobejana says during his brief talk with the cadets. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A military official says at least 94 Tausug families who have been displaced for three years from the terror attacks of the Abu Sayyaf group managed to return home

The military say the 94 families were among the almost 200 families who were preemptively evacuated in 2017 in some barangays in Patikul due to the series of atrocities launched by the terror group. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) supports the call of the Bangsamoro region for a thorough and impartial investigation into mortar shelling that killed two children and injured a number of others Sunday in a village in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.

This, as the military says an ISIS-inspired terror group may be responsible for the mortar explosion in Barangay Kitango.

Maj. Arvin John Encinas, spokesman of Westmincom, says there were no troops from the 6th Infantry Division in the area when the incident happened.

"We have no operating troops in the area when the incident happened as we respect the Holy Ramadan," Encinas says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Bureau of Customs district office in Zamboanga City and local law enforcement destroy Tuesday approximately 5,000 smuggled cigarette master cases which were seized in this city, official said.

Lawyer Sigmundfreud Barte, customs district collector, says the seizure of the master cases of smuggled cigarettes estimated to be worth P210 million was a result of of operations done with the Coast Guard, Army, Navy, police and the National Bureau of Investigation since June of last year.

A master case has 50 cartons of 10 packs each.

The destruction of the contraband was conducted in a warehouse of a private shipping line. The cigarettes were drenched with water from a firetruck before being destroyed by a payloader and forklift. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

An official says a total of 3,170 persons were arrested for violating the protocols during the two-month implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in Zamboanga peninsula.

The peninsula, which was placed under ECQ from March 17 to May 15, is now transitioning to general community quarantine. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A regional health official says residents have to maintain vigilance against the possibility of coronavirus disease contamination when majority of the areas in the country will transition from enhanced community quarantine to general community quarantine.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, Department of Health 9 assistant director, says it will be a challenging period for health workers as they face several tasks during GCQ on how to guide the community.

“The people have mixed feelings about being happy and apprehensive when we scale down from enhanced to general community quarantine, but this is worth to say that we have to stay vigilant when we will go on general quarantine,” Brillantes says in virtual presser in Zamboanga. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Thirteen of the 60 former persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) released in Zamboanga City this week and placed under quarantine have tested positive for COVID-19.

The results were based on the rapid testing through the Genexpert tests in the laboratory of Zamboanga City Medical Center, Dr. Dulve Amor Miravite of the City Health Office says.
 
The 13 newly-confirmed cases were among 60 released from the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center on court orders. They have been brought to an isolation center in the Cabatangan Complex.

They had previously tested negative for COVID-19.

The 13 newly confirmed cases were immediately separated from the 47 former PDLs and brought to the isolation center in the Cabatangan Complex.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The construction of a "world class" treatment facility at the Camp Navarro General Hospital in Zamboanga City will boost the morale of frontline troops, the Western Mindanao Command says.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana says the adjusted tactical operation and force protection for soldiers will be complemented with the ongoing construction of a high-tech treatment facility at the command's headquarters.

He says the establishment of the new treatment facility is a Department of Defense project being implemented under the Department of Public Works and Highways' ‘Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad’ (TIKAS), which started last May 7. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 9 is has distributed the Social Amelioration Program to 80% of beneficiary families affected by the community quarantine to curb the spread of COVID-19.

This as the remaining barangays in the Zamboanga Peninsula and Isabela City which have not completed the distribution and payment of SAP grants have until Saturday to do so.

Ivan Erick Salvador, DSWD-9 spokesman, says the agency has already sent the forms and cash grants to 1,845 out of 1,904 barangays in the region. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH-9 assistant regional director, says COVID-19 isolation centers are needed as three laboratories that were visited by Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr., also presidential peace adviser, will be operational by next week.

Brillantes says the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) TB laboratory that was converted to molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) lab is already operational while the two others that are to run next week are those of the Department of Agriculture (DA) lab and the Philippines Red Cross. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga del Norte on Monday records its first COVID-19 case, the Department of Health says.

The patient is a foreign national who visited Dipolog City and was hospitalized due to a heart condition in one of the hospitals in the city.

The patient, whose nationality was not made available, was airlifted to Manila and was later tested Monday to be positive from the virus, said the DOH in its advisory here.

The case emerged days after Zamboanga del Norte was put under General Community Quarantine  after recording no single case from March up to April 30.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A former town councilor and his wife were killed in an ambush Wednesday in the hinterland of Sirawai town, Zamboanga del Norte.

The fatalities were identified as Hadji Lagumbay Galo, 51, a former councilor of Sirawai, and his wife Marida Abdullah-Galo, 51, a businesswoman, both residents of Barangay Balonkan, according to Maj. Helen Galvez, spokesperson of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO).

Galvez says the victims were on board their tricycle when they were ambushed on Wednesday morning by unidentified suspects along the road of Barangay Piacan while they were on their way to their coconut kiln dryer near their residence. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Delayed test results have made it difficult for the Zamboanga City government to determine actual COVID-19 numbers, prompting it to extend the enhanced community quarantine in the city until May 15.

The Sangguniang Panglunsod approved a resolution for the extension of the ECQ presented by the local Inter-Agency Task Force COVID (IATF) and City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, says Dr. Elmeir Apolinario, CDRRMO chief.

However, the city council resolution will still seek the concurrence of the national IATF-COVID on the extension ECQ extension which will run until May 15.

Health authorities say they are waiting for pending test results in the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) to help determine the extent of the COVID-19 infection in this city. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The military says troops have recoevered an arms cache of the New People’s Army in Godod town, Zamboanga del Norte.

The weapons were reportedly found based on a tip from a former rebel.

Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, commander of the 44th Infantry Battalion, sent soldiers to look for the arms cache hidden in the vicinity of Barangay Bunawan. They found two AK47 assault rifles and a caliber .45 pistol of the defunct Guerilla Front 13 under Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee, the military also said.

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

An Army officer who was discharged after he recovered from COVID-19 tested positive in a third swab test, according to the Department of Health regional office in Zamboanga City.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH-9 assistant regional director, says the 52-year-old senior officer had been in medical isolation at Camp Sang-an in Labangan town for the extended quarantine while waiting for his test results.

The military official was one of three patients discharged early this month in Zamboanga del Sur.

Brillantes says the officer was discharged last April 7 from the COVID referral hospital in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur and will be brought back there.

"Based on the result of the swab, it is correct he was again positive of SARS Cov2. This is possible to happen, because this virus corona, a new strain which scientists are still studying the character," Brillantes says. 

He says this re-emerging case is the third in Mindanao with two other patients in Davao City also testing positive days after their discharge from confinement. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police Regional Office 9 has collected and contributed more than P7.8 million from its personnel in the Zamboanga Peninsula region to help indigent Filipino families, according to official.

The collection was in line with the “PNP Bayanihan Fund Challenge” known as “SAP” (Sariling Alay ng Pulis Para Sa Mahirap Project), a response of the PNP leadership to President Rodrigo Duterte's call for the entire Filipino nation to raise funds to support the campaign of the government and help those who are greatly affected by the COVID-19 crisis especially those belonging to the poorest of the poor families. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police Regional Office 9 has collected and contributed more than P7.8 million from its personnel in the Zamboanga Peninsula region to help indigent Filipino families, according to official.

The collection was in line with the “PNP Bayanihan Fund Challenge” known as “SAP” (Sariling Alay ng Pulis Para Sa Mahirap Project), a response of the PNP leadership to President Rodrigo Duterte's call for the entire Filipino nation to raise funds to support the campaign of the government and help those who are greatly affected by the COVID-19 crisis especially those belonging to the poorest of the poor families. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Regional police in the Zamboanga Peninsula can deploy an additional 4,000 police personnel to assist local government units in the implementation of quarantine measures.

Col. John Guyguyon, deputy for administration of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), says augmentation forces are being readied following the requests received by the police command from the various local government and barangays.

Guyguyon says "it has been observed that local government and many barangays have been requesting additional security forces to help them enforce the strict implementation of ECQ."

Initially, PRO-9 deployed 200 personnel from the Regional Training Center.

However, they will be pulled out on next week and will go on quarantine. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
 

A 94-year-old woman who had tested positive from the coronavirus disease died in Zamboanga City on Tuesday.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, assistant regional director of Department of Health 9 (DOH), says the patient is the first among confirmed cases in the Zamboanga Peninsula to succumb to COVID-19.

Brillantes says the woman, who was initially confined in a private hospital, was connected to a mechanical ventilator when she was transferred to the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) COVID-19 facility.

Brillantes says the patient is one of the 12 positive or confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region with four  listed in Zamboanga del Sur (three recovered and discharged), six in Zamboanga City (three recovered and discharged) with two other residents who are confined in Manila. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
 

The provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur has restricted the entry of vehicles into the province as a precaution against the novel coronavirus.

The strict restriction and suspension order is contained in an Executive Order No. 2020-11 issued by Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Victor Yu to prevent the spread of the disease as the province remains under the state of calamity and continues to impose an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Restrictions will not apply to those exempted under the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease and those with the proper coordination with the province's COVID-19 task force.

Zamboanga del Sur connects Zamboanga Peninsula and the Lanao provinces.

The Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Health Office has eported at least four confirmed COVID-19 cases already, where three patients have recovered. The province also has 33 suspected cases and 744 possible cases. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group apprehends Thursday three people for violating the Price Act Law and seizes 464 liters of unbranded isopropyl alcohol in a sting operation in Zamboanga City.

The CIDG-9 field unit personnel launched an entrapment operation at noon along Alejo Alvarez Street, just beside the Camp Batalla along R.T Lim Boulevard, which led the apprehended of a certain Arnold Sotto, 40, and two accomplices.

The operatives seized from the possession from the suspects 464 one-liter plastic bottles of 70-percent solution isopropyl alcohol.

The CIDG said each bottle of alcohol was allegedly being sold for P350 pesos.

Sotto, however, denied ownership of the seized product, citing he was just requested to pick up the boxes of alcohol. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Naval forces intercepted a watercraft loaded with 200 cases of smuggled cigarettes on Tuesday while near the waters off Zamboanga City.

Rear Admiral Erick Kagaoan, commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), says Naval Special Operations Unit 9 and the Naval Intelligence Security Group spotted the “jungkong” watercraft with its five crew members sailing towards the coast of Barangay Campu Islam.

Kagaoan says naval forces immediately conducted an interception operation and seized the jungkong watercraft that was discovered to be loaded with 200 master cases of smuggled cigarettes with brands marked “Bravo” and “Fort”.

"Our troops sustain the conduct of maritime interdictions to curb illegal activities such as smuggling in the southern frontiers," Kagaoan says.

Initial investigation showed the jungkong reportedly came from Sulu. The naval authorities were also tracking down the owner as one person has claimed ownership of the contraband. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A soldier who may have contracted COVID-19 through local transmission is the eighth confirmed patient in Zamboanga City.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, chair of the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) COVID-19, says the patient is a 41-year old soldier who tested positive Monday night according to results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Manila.

Salazar says the patient is presently confined at the COVID center in Zamboanga City Medical Center.

The Zamboanga City government started burying the remains of COVID-19 fatalities without burial rites last week.
 
The local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) COVID-19, chaired by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, confirmed some of the remains of those who died from the deadly virus have been buried in sites earlier identified.

The task force said only the remains of those whose families have no means to bury their dead patient and those who have died of COVID-19 are buried there.

A marker with the names of those who were buried was also placed for identification, the IATF says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Security forces arrested an Abu Sayyaf member Saturday during a raid in a remote coastal village east of Zambanga City.

The captured suspect was identified as Barri Happil, 40, a resident of sitio Palo-palo, Barangay Muti, some 58 kilometers away from the city proper, says Brig. Gen. Froilan Quidilla, director of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO).

Quidilla says teams of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Field unit 9, Marines and police operatives tracked down the suspect who has standing warrant for illegal possession of explosive. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The number of patients confirmed with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in this city hit seven on Thursday, with the latest case being a 94-year old woman.

The local IATF chaired by Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, reports that the latest patient has no travel history outside the city.

The elderly patient is currently confined in a private hospital and medical authorities are investigating how the victim contracted with the virus. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A male physician listed as a person under investigation died Monday night while confined in one of the hospitals in Zamboanga City for symptoms of coronavirus disease, according to the regional Department of Health official.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH assistant regional director, confirmed the death of the patient, a 38-year-old physician. He says a swab sample will be sent to a testing lab in Davao City.

"Again, we are saddened to note and to inform you that we had again one fallen doctor who is labelled as PUI," Brillantes says in a streamed press briefing.

Brillantes said while the 38-year-old doctor was not assigned as a medical frontliner, he is the first doctor in the city believed to have died of COVID-19.

According to Brillantes, the victim, who was a pediatrician in a state-run hospital had traveled to Manila and returned to Zamboanga City on March 11 and went on self-quarantine upon arrival. The doctor fell sick on March 26 and was admitted to a hospital on April 3. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Military engineers have worked overtime to complete and bring to full operations a facility for COVID-19 patients in Zamboanga City, where three cases have already been confirmed.

Personnel of the Army's 54th Engineer Brigade along with other stakeholders had been working since last week to put up the facility.

Maj. Arvin John Encinas, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), says the 54th EBde of the Philippine Army (PA) renovated the out-patient department of the Zamboanga City Medical Center as the city's quarantine and isolation center

"To fast track the renovation of the four-storey building, the 54EBDE deployed all its available skilled personnel including three enlisted women," says Brig. Gen. Anthony Cacayuran, commander of the 54th EBde.

The military's Western Mindanao Command has placed ten soldiers on its the list of persons under investigation (PUIs) after showing symptoms of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Maj. Arvin John Encinas, spokesman of Westmincom, says they have also listed at least 359 soldiers as persons under monitoring (PUMs) and have placed them under mandatory quarantine.

He says the PUIs and PUMs are from units in Central and Western Mindanao.

Encinas says two of the ten PUIs have been confined in the hospital for isolation but were all described to be in stable condition. Swab samples have been taken for testing at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Manila. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Three new cases of coronavirus disease were confirmed in Zamboanga peninsula areas on Monday, according to the Department of Health (DOH) and the local Inter-Agency Task Force COVID-19.

The new three confirmed results brings the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the region to four,  with the first case reported in Zamboanga City last week.

Test results from the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine in Manila showed two persons under investigation (PUIs) in Zamboanga del Sur have tested positive, Gov, Victor Yu and the members of the Zamboanga del Sur Task Force COVID announce.

The two positive results were among the 7 PUIs’ specimen samples sent to the RITM in Manila, Yu says.

Health officials say the two positive cases include a 52-yea-old male from Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur who had travel history in Taguig and who traveled home via Zamboanga City last March 14.

The other patient is a 62-year-old female who had traveled to Manila last March 5 and went back in Pagadian City on March 7, where she manifested symptoms six days later.

According to health officials of Zamboanga del Sur Task Force COVID, the two patients were described to be physically and clinically stable.

Zamboanga City has registered its second confirmed case also on Monday, a 48-year old woman who also had travel history in Manila, Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The local inter-agency task force announces Tuesday night the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Zamboanga City

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, chair of the local task force, says in an emergency press briefing that the first confirmed case is a 29-year-old man.

"With sadness we have already a first confirmed case as of 8 p.m. tonight," Salazar says.

Dr. Emila Monicimpo, of the regional Department of Health office, says the patient had traveled to Manila and returned to the city on the first commercial flight on March 13.

Monicimpo says the patient sought consultation on March 15 at a private hospital and was found to have symptoms of COVID-19.

She says that, based on the triaging and protocol, a swab sample was immediately taken from the patient and sent to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa on March 17 along with the 14 other samples.

City Health Officer Dulce Amor Miravite says the patient is included in the 31 persons under investigation (PUIs) in the city.

The COVID-19 case is an outpatient and has been under home quarantine and under tight surveillance by health personnel.

"His condition is improving and his family members who were considered as persons under monitoring and are not showing symptoms," Miravite says

“Just tonight we received the results and the 14 case turned negative but the 15th case is positive who is a 29-year old male patient,” Monicimpo said. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Zamboanga City government is still waiting for results of a confirmatory test on a potential COVID-19 case who has since died after being in the hospital for symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease.  

The patient, a 57-year old female, had history of travel, which made her a patient under investigation, says Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite of the city health office.

"The case patient died Saturday. She had co-morbidity because she was known to be a diabetic patient. But we have got specimen sample and had sent it to RITM in Manila and we are awaiting for the confirmation result," Miravite says in a video teleconference for media.

She says those who had contact with the patient are already under quarantine. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Security personnel led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group have arrested two online sellers who jacked up the price of rubbing alcohol in an entrapment operation in Zamboanga City

The CIDG-9 field unit and special operations group backed by forces from Air Command Group 9 and Regional Mobile Force Battalion and with personnel from the Department of Trade and Industry launched the entrapment operation Tuesday afternoon and arrested three people in Barangay San Roque.

Police Col. Tom Tuzon, CIDG-9 director, says authorities arrested the following suspects:

• Arnel Salih Santos, 33, of Barangay San Roque
• Arman Graciano Plateros, 32, of Barangay Vitali
• Maria Azha Solis Arroyo, of Zone 3, Barangay Guisao

Tuzon says the suspects were arrested for selling overpriced alcohol and sanitizer, which violated Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act as amended by RA 10623. The law is meant to ensure the availability of basic necessities and prime commodities at reasonable prices at all times.

The suspects were allegedly selling the alcohol at triple the price per bottle. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

All residents of Zamboanga City have been directed to stay under and expanded and enhanced community quarantine that starts on Friday.

"All the doctors and medical experts said the only manner to restrict this disease if all will stay at home and quarantine ourselves with our families and in the city follow this decision," Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said.

Salazar says strict home quarantine shall be observed in all households while movement shall be limited to access to basic necessities for a month.

"What is quarantine? At this point we assumed everyone is positive. Sweden advises healthy individuals even those with symptoms of COVID to stay at home and recover. Data says you will recover. Why burden the health system further COVID or not? Because at this point the number of cases don’t matter, the number of critical cases matter so stay at home and we quarantine together," Salazar says.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The military in the southern Philippines is shifting its focus to supporting the Department of Health in curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.

However, Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), says there is no suspension of operations against terror groups.

"We shifted our focus towards in helping address pandemic of COVID-19. Dito tayo naka-focus ngayon, supporting the DOH being the lead agency," Sobejana says.

Sobejana says Westmincom has been closely coordinating with the regional and local governments.

The command has also made available its assets, including airplanes and ships, for logistical support.

That includes transporting specimens taken from persons under investigation to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine in Manila.

The DOH regional office has listed 39 PUI cases and 1,893 persons under monitoring.

In Zamboanga City, there are at least 12 PUI cases and 119 PUMs. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño 

Fifty armed gunmen suspected of being members of the New People's Army torched heavy equipment in Tambulig town, Zamboanga del Sur on Monday, police say.

Col. Rhoede Espero, Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office director, says the gunmen swooped down on the construction barracks at Barangay Lower Liason.

Workers at the barracks were already resting when the gunmen arrived and torched a small backhoe, a water tanker owned by Tambulig Mayor Charlotte Dumanjug Panal, a larger backhoe and a payloader owned by a Bebot Buenafe of Mahayag town. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A junior police officer from Quezon City was killed after a fish carrier truck skid on side and pinned him to death Monday after along the highway in R.T Lim town, Zamboanga Sibugay, according to police.

The victim was identified as Police Lt. Chester Malangan Banghulot, 44, a resident of Quezon City and assigned to the Zamboanga City Police Station 11 as part of his Field Training Program (FTP), according to R.T Lim Police Station chief Capt. Carlito Requilme.

The driver of the ill-fated fish carrier truck with plate number MAK 1347 was identified as Muktar Hamia Maulana, 51, a resident of Barangay Recodo in Zamboanga City. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Department of Science and Technology's regional office in the Zamboanga Peninsula has provided more than P3 million in grants to six conflict-vulnerable communities along the coast of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Martin Wee, DOST regional director, says the grants were used for the establishment of solar-driven seaweed nursery farms and floating dryer facilities under the DOST's Grants-In-Aid (GIA) program.

Local government units in Alicia, Payao, Mabuhay, Talusan, and Olutanga each received P501,990 while the Katipunan Vegetable and Agar-Agar Grower's Association in Ipil received a grant of P493,500. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Zamboanga City authorities have placed 10 Korean fishermen under mandatory quarantine and has ordered their boats to stay anchored off the coast of the city.

Local quarantine and health officials declined to provide details on the fishing boats and their crews, saying only that they have travel history in a country with confirmed novel coronavirus cases.

The government has imposed a travel ban on arrivals from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and on arrivals with a 14-day travel history in those places. The Bureau of Immigration has expanded the travel ban to include Taiwan.

According to security sources, the two boats arrived near Barangay Recodo on Sunday and were immediately inspected. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Provincial and local police chiefs have been directed to stamp out corruption and illegal gambling in their areas of operation in the Zamboanga Peninsula or lose their posts.

Police Brig. Gen. Froilan Quidilla, director of Police Regional Office 9, said the order was contained in a special directive issued by Police Gen. Archie Gamboa, Philippine National Police chief, to crack down on illegal gambling and illegal drugs while also working on the campaign on ending local communist armed conflict.

"Following the Special Directive of the chief PNP to crackdown illegal gambling in the country, I ordered a 'No Take' and 'One Strike Policy'," Quidilla says after meeting with the the police provincial directors, city and municipal police commanders of Zamboanga Peninsula at Camp Romeo Abendan in this city.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Human rights group Karapatan condemns the arrest of engineer Jennefer Aguhob, a member of its national council, in Western Mindanao on Wednesday.

She was reportedly arrested on murder charges based on a warrant issued by a Dipolog City court in July 2019. 

Karapatan says her arrest "based on charges she wasn't aware of, based on incidents that she had no knowledge of, and based on an alleged crime that she had no participation in, depicts the kind of judicial harassment faced by human rights defenders and critics of this administration." 

Under normal procedures, those accused of a crime are given a chance to answer a criminal complaint against them before the matter is brought to a court.

A platoon of New People's Army rebels surrendered to the military troops Thursday in Ipil town, Zamboanga Sibugay province, the military says.

Col. Leonel Nicolas, 102nd Infantry Brigade commander, says the 28 NPA rebels also yielded seven firearms as well as explosives as they surrendered at the brigade headquarters on Friday morning.
 
He says the rebels from the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee that operates in Zamboanga peninsula and Misamis Occidental, were presented to the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) represented by Interior and Local Government director Mario Baterna, and 1st Division chief Brig. Gen. Generoso Poño.

Nicolas says the rebels were recruited into the NPA with promises of financial support for their families. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
 

Commanders and chiefs of police in Western Mindanao will be relieved of their posts if they fail to prevent the indiscriminate firing of guns during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the regional police office says.

Police Brig. Gen. Froilan Quidilla, Police Regional Office 9 director, makes the stern warning as police are getting ready for more patrols during the holiday season.

"The 'One Strike Policy' will apply to police officers and commanders and chiefs of police for failure to resolve within 24 hours any indiscriminate firing incident that will result in death or injury," Quidilla says.

Although illegal, some Filipinos celebrate the holidays by firing their guns in the air, which risks people getting hit by stray bullets. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and police personnel seized some P3.7-million worth of shabu and arrested three suspected drug personalities in separate entrapment operations since Sunday night.

The fresh arrest was made near the port area Monday morning as the suspected illegal drug courier sold the shabu to a police operative in disguise.

The arrested suspect was identified as Rudy Gamboa Frias, 33, a resident of Barangay Asturias, Jolo, Sulu, said Police Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of Zamboanga City Police Office.

Frias, a vulcanizer, claimed he was just tasked by a certain Mhudz based in Jolo to deliver items in exchange for payment of P1,000 per delivery.

The operatives recovered from Frias at least 10 plastic sachets of shabu with an estimated market value of P300,000 and the marked money used in the buy-bust operation. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

The 1st Infantry Division has activated its 11th Division Sniper Company for deployment against terrorist and insurgent groups.

Brig. Gen. Bagnus Gaerlan, acting commanding officer of the 1st Infantry Division led the activation of the 11th DSC in simple rites at the training center in Camp Sang-An in Labangan town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Gaerlan says the 11th DSC is a highly specialized force multiplier that will provide sniping capability and conduct reconnaissance and surveillance operations to the division's units operating in the Western Mindanao and Lanao areas.

He says the 11th DSC is composed of five officers and 63 enlisted personnel. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Zamboanga City-headquartered Western Mindanao Command and a fishing industry association are working together to provide relief packs to benefit 3,000 families affected by the series of earthquakes in North Cotabato earlier this month.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Western Mindanao Command chief, says his area command, in partnership with the Southern Philippine (SoPhil) Deep Sea Fishing Association Inc., has collected a large volume of relief goods in response to a call for assistance for the quake victims.

Sobejana says relief goods that were donated have been repacked since Saturday and will be forwarded immediately to the Eastern Mindanao Command who would conduct the distribution for the affected families in North Cotabato. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Two Abu Sayyaf members, who evaded military operations in Sulu and went into hiding for three years, surrendered Thursday to the troops in Imelda, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, commanding officer of the 44th Infantry Battalion, says the two former Abu Sayyaf members also surrendered two Garand rifles when they turned themselves in.

The two surrenderees were only identified as Jolo Usman and a certain alias Jul, both from Sulu and followers of notorious Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Sibih Pisih.

"The two were Sulu-based but escaped from the area and lay low in Zamboanga Sibugay area since 2016," Templonuevo says, citing initial results of their tactical debriefing on the two Abu Sayyaf members. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Hundreds of naval reservists are in Zamboanga City for an exercise to prepare them for national emergencies and disaster response operations in the southern Philippines.

Naval Forces Western Mindanao formally kicked off Monday its five-day "Exercise Pagsasama 2019" at Naval Station Romulo Espaldon.

Rear Adm. Erick Kagaoan, NFWM commander, said Exercise Pagsasama 2019 is a Philippine Navy exercise to enhance its regular and reserve forces' capability in conducting naval operations.

Kagaoan said the training will enhance the readiness and interoperability between the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Navy Reserve Force, which includes Marine reservists, in case of national emergency situations and disasters.

The exercise will train sailors and Marines in humanitarian missions, community relations and maritime operations.— The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Zamboanga City police anti-drug unit arrested a young drug dealer and seized some P1.3-million worth of shabu in an entrapment operation over the weekend, a security official says.

The recovery of a large volume of illegal drugs comes as police and agents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have been pursuing high-value targets behind the continued distribution of illegal drugs in this city.

The suspect was identified as Ameer Hajail Pula, 23, a resident of Barangay Recodo, says Police Col. Joseph Thomas Martir, director of Zamboanga City Police Office.

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

City police intelligence unit and anti-narcotics personnel seized a kilo of cocaine worth P5.3-million and arrested a suspect in an entrapment operation Thursday afternoon in a food chain in this city.

The police elements from the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) intelligence division under Police Col. Edilberto Alvarez and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) regional office led by agent Jury Rocamora launched the buy-bust following the information and tip about the illegal trade of cocaine.

Police Capt. Edwin Duco, ZCPO spokesman, says the entrapment operation resulted the arrest of Timhar Jumala Alih, 45, of sitio Pitogo, Barangay Sinunuc east of this city. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police personnel conducting zoning operations in villages in Zamboanga City caused panic among residents because of reports that the members of the Moro National Liberation Front  members were gathering in the city.

The tension increased as residents Army and police personnel going to the barangays of Rio Hondo and Sta. Catalina on Tuesday night to verify the presence of the MNLF members.

Rio Hondo and Sta. Catalina were two of the most devastated villages following the 2013 siege in this city by an MNLF faction led by founding chairman Nur Misuari.

"These were just rumors spread by irresponsible netizens. There is no such thing," says Maj. Arvin John Encinas, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command.

-- The STAR/Roel Pareño

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 9 and police arrested five suspects and seized two kilos of shabu worth P13.6 million on Sunday in a buy-bust operation in a village in Zamboanga City

The handover of the illegal drugs was to be done aboard a rented public utility jeepney commissioned by the suspects when they were arrested while traversing in front a fast food chain along San Jose Gusu shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday

The suspects agreed to settle with their kilos of shabu with the payment of P3.2 million which turned out to be boodle money in 32 bundles with each topped with a genuine P1000-peso bill.

The PDEA and police team recovered from the suspects two large transparent zip-lock plastic bags containing 1 kilogram each of shabu concealed in black plastic wrapped with packaging tape and the paper bag. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño

Forty-two former rebels of the New People’s Army have received their National Certificate (NC2) skilled workers after graduating from Technical Education and Skills  Development Authority courses in Dao, Pagadian City.

Capt. Clint Antipala, public affairs chief of the 1st Infantry Division, says the former rebels and their dependents in their blue togas walked to accept their respective certificates during the graduation rites.

Antipala adds the capability enhancement for the rebel returnees is part of the government’s program under its Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) in helping the former rebels earn a living. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño

An improvised explosive device exploded in front of the Zamboanga City house of a Sulu town mayor on Thursday morning, although police say nobody was hurt in the blast.

The explosion happened outside the the house of Pangutaran Mayor Ashri Taib on Bienvenido Drive in Barangay Canelar Moret, Police Capt. Edwin Duco, spokesman of the Zamboanga City Police Office, says. The explosion was around six meters away from Taib's house.

Col. Antonio John Divinagracia, commander of Joint Task Force Zamboanga, says the IED is likely not part of a terrorist plot.

"The IED attack appeared to be directed to specific target and not terror-related," Divinagracia says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Two suspected members of an Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group, believed to be on a kidnapping mission, were captured in a raid Wednesday by police elements in a village in Zamboanga City, a security official says.

The arrested suspects were identified as Mergan Esteban Cabil, 24, and Basher Tilani Tuwa, 34. — The STAR/Roel Pareño 

Maj. Arvin John Encinas, spokesman of Western Mindanao Command, says all available naval and air assets have been utilized by Task Force Hyrons to look for the couple who were abducted from their resort in Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur on October 4.

Encinas says ground troops have expanded search and rescue operations across the Zamboanga peninsula. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño

Personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and police dismantled a drug den and arrested five suspects—including its operator, who is tagged as a high-value target—Thursday night in Ipil town, Zamboanga Sibugay, official say..

Jacquelyn de Guzman, lawyer and PDEA 9 regional director, says her personnel, backed by the police regional drug enforcement unit and local police, raided the drug den at Purok Malipayon, Barangay Buluan about 11 p.m.

They recovered nine heat-sealed transparent plastic containing shabu weighing 20 grams with a street value of P136,000. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Anti-drug police seized around P500,000 worth of shabu and arrested two local businessmen in a buy-bust operation Monday in Zamboanga City, police say Tuesday.

Police Maj. Helen Galvez, spokesperson of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), says police arrested Domen Yu of Barangay Tetuan and Norman Cabili Selisana of Simunul town, Tawi-Tawi.

The city police's Station 6 launched the buy-bust operation after surveillance on suspects on Monday evening. A tip had prompted the surveillance operation that led to the buy-bust.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The city prosecutor has dismissed a libel complaint filed by Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar against former Rep. Celso Lobregat (Zamboanga City) sparked by allegations of using government resources during elections in May.

Lobregat distributed copies of the decision in a conference held at his residence along Nuñez Street on Sunday.

Dipolog City Prosecutor Herminia Enero, assigned as acting city prosecutor for Zamboanga City, dismissed the complaint for insufficiency of evidence.

The complaint stemmed from video footage that Lobregat showed a press conference on May 8 alleging 400 sacks of rice were withdrawn from the City Social Welfare Office and transported to Salazar's residential compound on May 7.

This was a few days before the midterm polls.

Salazar, in her complaint, accused Lobregat of showing the video and accusing her of using government’s resources for her campaign.

In showing the video footage, Lobregat was quoted as saying: “you decide for yourself, you can see for yourself, these are government resources that are being delivered to the house of the mayor. Xxx you are not supposed to use government resources to your advantage.” — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Marines captured a follower of a notorious Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf leader during a tracking operation in a village east of Zamboanga City, the military says.

Col. Antonio John Divinagracia, commander of Joint Task Force Zamboanga, says Abu Sayyaf member Amran Dala was captured in Barangay Mercedes on Monday by personnel of Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 and of Police Station 4.

Divinagracia says Dala, who has a standing warrant of arrest for murder, is a follower of Abu Sayyaf leader Furuji Indama, one of the remaining henchmen and successors of slain Islamic State for Iraq and Syria Southeast Asia emir Isnilon Hapilon.

Hapilon was killed during the Marawi siege in 2017.

Dala is being subjected to a tactical debriefing to find out whether there are any terror plots against the city. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police say a fire officer was killed while six of his passengers were injured when the pick-up truck they were on board collided with a passenger bus on Friday along the highway in Liloy town, Zamboanga del Norte.

Police Major Helen Galvez, spokesperson of Police Regional Police Office 9, identifies the lone fatality as Fire Officer 1 Clayton Dela Cruz Sabanal, 33, assigned at Salug Fire Station and a resident of Poblacion East Salug, Zamboanga del Norte.

Galvez says the six injured victims were Josephose Macatual Alisna, 30; Richard Ligarte Cabardo; Jayson Acla, 18; Alfahad Mohammad Muksan; Jolito Siasico Gomez and John Dave Miraveles Oxino, 17. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Thousands of residents of Zamboanga City were forced to evacuate as a flash flood inundated at least nine barangays due to incessant rains triggered by the southwest monsoon, also known as habagat.

The local weather bureau said heavy rain was due to the southwest monsoon, which was enhanced by tropical depression Marilyn.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office has received no reports of casualties so far since the flooding started at dawn. The city government implemented forced evacuation in the flooded villages. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A military official hails the Western Mindanao Command after it was conferred with the most highest proficiency status in the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ transformation roadmap.

Armed Force Chief General Benjamin Madrigal, who was guest of the 13th Founding Anniversary of Westmincom, conferred Westmincom with the Proficiency Status and lauded the leadership of Westmincom chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana for steering the command.

The Westmincom received the Gold Trail Blazer Award after garnering 97.3% of its proficiency in the programs adopted not only in the security operations against various threat groups but also in looking up the welfare of individual soldiers.

“The rating was so high and this prove that you cannot just proceed with operational accomplishment without pursuing transformation,” Madrigal says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño 

The police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency are verifying the identities of three slain drug suspects and another who was arrested during a raid in a recognized Moro Islamic Liberation Front camp in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

The joint anti-drug operation by the PDEA, police and military at Purok Javier, Barangay Upper Pangi, left PDEA agent Jack Roland Bastatas dead and a police officer wounded.

Jacquelyn de Guzman, a lawyer and PDEA-9 regional director, says they are coordinating with the MILF leadership through the ad hoc joint action group of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities for more information on the suspects.

The suspects who were killed were identified as Ibrahim Cula, Absar Cula and Jan-jan Mauli. The arrested suspect was identified as Rosalie Gonzales Cula.

"It is officially listed (as registered MILF community) and we don’t want to make any assumption that will have a possible effect (on the peace process)," De Guzman says.

De Guzman says the MILF leadership has continuously assured them that the front is firm in supporting the peace process.

The MILF has long declared that illegal drugs are strictly prohibited in its communities. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Rep. Mujiv Hataman (Basilan) turns over a Boston Whaler speedboat to Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana at the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.

The purchase of five Boston Whaler speedboats was funded by a P30-million allocation from the now defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao when Hataman was regional governor.

The speedboats are for the joint task forces in the Western Mindanao Command, which also operates in provinces of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao that replaced the ARMM. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A lack of tuberculosis medicine from the central office has led to regional Department of Health offices to seek supplies from among themselves, a Health official in the Zamboanga Peninsula says.

Dr. Mary Rose Bugtay, DOH-9 cluster head for the infectious control unit, says the shortage is due to delayed deliveries from suppliers because of changes in packaging.

Bugtay says that in Region 9 alone, about 700 to 800 patients are waiting to get their tuberculosis medicine.

She says the region began to notice the lack in supply early this month although the central office advised them of a possible shortage as eaely as April.

“So what we did just to ensure to avoid from having stock out of the anti-TB medicines we try to manage our medicines at the local level by borrowing from provinces which still have available medicines while there is not delivery yet from the central office,” Bugtay says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The new commander of Task Force Zamboanga has been told to make sure the regional business hub is safe from terror threats.

Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, 1st Infantry Division chief, issued the toll order to Col. John Divinagracia, who assumed leadership of the joint task force on Monday at Camp Arturo Enrile based in Barangay Malagutay in Zamboanga City.

Divinagracia replaces Col. Leonel Nicolas, who assumed last week as the 102nd Infantry Brigade commander. The brigade operates in the Zamboanga Peninsula and in Misamis Occidental.

"As the new commander of the Joint Task Force Zamboanga ensure there will be no untoward incident in Zamboanga City," says, adding an incident in the city will affect the entire region. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The chif of Joint Task Force Zamboanga is now the commander of the Army brigade covering the Zamboanga peninsula.

Col. Leonel Nicolas now commands the 102nd Infantry Brigade based in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay after a change of command ceremony on Monday afternoon.

Nicolas replaces Brig. Gen. Bagnus Gaerlan, who was promoted as assistant division commander of the 1st Infantry Division.

Nicolas is a member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1991 and is an Airborne Ranger. He has been hailed for preventing kidnapping and bombing incidents in his more than two years as JTFZ commander.

Officials say at least four Vietnamese fishermen were apprehended after the Philippine Coast Guard intercepted its fishing vessel suspected to be illegally poaching on turtles in the waters off Taganak Island, Tawi-Tawi.

Commodore Joseph Coyme, PCG Southwestern district commander, says his unit stationed at Great Bakungan were conducting maritime patrol when they spotted the unregistered vessel which turned out to be manned by Vietnamese fishermen about 3 p.m. Friday in the vicinity waters of Langgaan Island. 

Coyme says the Coast Guard personnel immediately intercepted the vessel which has no safety security environmental number tag, a tagging system that is being applied to all vessels in the country for purposes of security and identification. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Four New People's Army rebels surrendered to the military in Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay on Thursday, a security official says.

Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, commander of the 44th Infantry Battalion, says two women, a team leader and a medic surrendered to troops and gave up the location of their arms cache. In the cache were an M14 rifle, an AK-47 rifle, an M1 Carbine, and a cal.38 revolver.

He says the rebel returnees also yielded two land mines, ammunitions, three cellphones and subversive documents described to be of intelligence value.

Templonuevo says the four told them they decided to surrender after hearing from former comrades who entered the government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

More than 250 soldiers from different Army divisions have started marksman training at Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.

The Army's 1st Infantry 'Tabak' Division is hosting Squad Snipers Training Class 3, facilitated by the Mobile Training Team, Marksmanship Training School of the Training and Doctrine Command, in Camp Sang-An in Labangan.

Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, says the training aims train the marksmen in using the standard issue Remington R4A3 assault rifles.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines acquired the R4A3, also commonly known as the M4 carbine, to replace the longer M16 rifle. 

Ancan says the 275 candidates will undergo the six-week course designed to train them to to shoot accurately and to provide covering fire as their squad advances.

"Bear in mind that many people sleep peacefully at night because there are men stand ready to protect them and that is our sworn oath," Ancan tells the trainees.

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

A military official says at least four members of the Islamic State-inspired terror group Dawlah Islamiyah surrendered to the authorities Friday in Lumba Bayabao town, Lanao del Sur.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Brawner, commander of the 103rd Brigade, says the group members also yielded a rocket propelled grenade, a carbine, three handguns, a caliber .45, two .38 revolvers, and ammunition when they surrendered in his headquarters at Barangay Sabala Bantayao.

“The two local terrorists were involved in the attack of Butig town in 2016,” Brawner says.

The military official says the surrender of the four members was a result of the joint efforts of the police and the local government led by Mayor Mahar Dagalangit of Lumba Bayabao town. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Two unidentified gunmen shot a public school teacher inside her classroom in Guipos town, Zamboanga del Sur on Monday, police say.

Police say the victim was identified as Narcisa Caay Gumibao, 58, Grade 9 class adviser of Balongating National High School in Purok Bonifacio, Barangay Balongating.

Police Staff Sargeant Mylin Mancia, case investigator, says the gunmen were riding a motorcycle while looking for Gumibao at the school campus.

Mancia says the two suspects asked some of the students there if they know the teacher and her room. The students gave them directions to Gumbao's room/

The two suspects immediately went to the classroom and shot Gumibao several times wihtout warning. Some of Gumibao's students were already in the classroom when she was shot. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Authorities say a trainee of the Bureau of Jail Management and Pelonogy 9 was killed while three others were injured in a multiple crash involving two trucks and a motorcycle along the highway of Pagadian City,  Zamboanga del Sur.

Police Lt. Col. Alvin Saguban, Pagadian City Police chief, identifies the fatality as Jail Officer 1 Junrey Benag, 26, a BJMP trainee.

The victim was already scheduled to report for formal duty on Monday.

Police investigation reveals that the victim was riding his motorcycle supposedly to attend his last day training at the BJMP regional headquarters when he was hit by a speeding cargo truck loaded with feeds about 5:10 a.m. Saturday along the highway in Barangay Tiguma. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A security official says the naval forces intercepted a motorboat loaded with smuggled rice worth P12 million Friday near an island off Basilan province.

Rear Admiral Erick Kagaoan, commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao, says the personnel of the Naval Task Force 61 were conducting maritime security patrol when they spotted the motorlaunch suspiciously steaming near the vicinity of Lampinigan Island.

Kagaoan says the naval forces immediately intercepted the watercraft and discovered it was loaded with 10,000 sacks of smuggled rice. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The regional police office has placed all of Zamboanga peninsula on full alert status in response to the bombing last week of a military outpost in Indanan, Sulu.

Police presence in many areas across the region have been doubled and leaves for police personnel have been cancelled.

Provincial directors and station commanders have also been told to intensify and conduct target "hardening"—or making targets more difficult to attack— by ramping up police operations as well as intelligence gathering.

Security is also tight at all police checkpoints and at chokepoints. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Personnel of Naval Forces Western Mindanao intercepted a ‘jungkung’ watercraft loaded with 600 master cases of smuggled cigarettes in waters off Zamboanga City early Wednesday.

Rear Admiral Erick Kagaoan, NFWM commander, says the naval personnel were on patrol when they spotted and intercepted the Azeez Express about 3 a.m. in waters off Bagong Calarian.

They immediately brought the watercraft and its six-member crew to the Majini Pier in Naval Station Romulo Espaldon.

They discovered the suspicious watercraft was loaded with 600 master cases 'Bravo' cigarettes.

Kagaoan directed the naval team to immediately turnover the seized contraband to the Bureau of Customs district office for proper inventory.

“The foiling of the alleged illegal transport of smuggled imported cigarettes is a result of an intensified and focused maritime patrol and operation of the Philippine Navy in collaboration with other Law Enforcement Agency,” Kagaon says.

Kagaon vowed the NFWM will remain vigilant in the conduct of the sea operations to deter any unlawful activities in its area of operation. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Two alleged communist rebels surrendered to the military Monday due to hardship and starvation while running away from the combat operations, a security official says Wednesday.

The two New People's Army rebels, who identities are being withheld for their security, surrendered to the 51st Infantry Battalion and 5th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Rogongon, says Capt. Clint Antipala, acting public affairs officer of the 1st Infantry Division.

Lt. Col. Jasper Edward Obar, commander of 51st IB, says the two alleged rebels claimed during debriefing that relentless combat operations had forced them to always be on the run and that they could only eat one meal a day.

“Life in the mountains was very hard. It was difficult than when we were still members of the NPA. This is beside the uncertain direction to what we are really fighting for,” alias Braga was quoted as saying in Bisaya by the military officials. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc., through West Metro Medical Center, is building its fifth cancer center after a formal groundbreaking ceremony in Zamboanga City on Monday.

The MPHHI, which is part of Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investment Corp., will be constructing its the cancer treatment facility inside the compound of the WMMC located at the Veterans extension this city, says Ramon Diaz, president and chief executive officer of WMMC.

The center will cost more than P300 million to build.

Diaz says the West Metro Cancer Center is estimated to become operational by the first quarter of 2020.

He says the establishment of the cancer treatment facility is not an easy project to complete but is urgently needed in the region.

"And a cancer center in Zamboanga City and Western Mindanao is definitely worth having. It is about time that people here have access to quality cancer treatment. As you might have noticed, this is what West Metro tries to be here in Zamboanga. We want to be a hospital that brings to the community services that used to be unavailable, because truly, as our tagline says, West Metro cares," Diaz says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño in Zamboanga City

At least eight public high school students were injured when the ceiling of the covered court they were using as a temporary classroom collapsed Monday morning in a remote village in Zamboanga City.

Local officials and teachers say the incident occurred 8:30a.m inside the Sinubong National High School, Barangay Sinubong, about 26 kilometers from the city proper.

The victims were identified as Michaela Martinez, Jenelyn Ebag, Shaina Alipan Radzmi Jainal, and Mica Macaso, all Grade 9 students at the school.

School teachers said more than 50 students were gathered at the covered court, which they had been using their temporary their old classroom had a leak in the ceiling. — The STAR/Roel Pareño in Zamboanga City

Police say suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen released unharmed nine Badjao tribesmen in Sulu after the hostages offered no means to pay ransom.

The police forces recovered the hostages about 10 p.m. Friday along the road of Barangay Kahawa, Talipao town. 

The victims told the police they were on board their fishing boat when they were taken at gunpoint by the gunmen in speedboats in the waters off Lahad Datu, Sabah. They said six of their companions were left behind. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Philippine Navy have intercepted a motor launch off Zamboanga City and seized about P25 million in smuggled cigarettes before dawn on Thursday.

The naval personnel under the Naval Forces Western Mindanao launched the operation following inter-agency tips about the smuggling of imported cigarettes.

Customs district collector Segundo Sigmunfreud Barte says the navy operatives intercepted Motorized Pumpboat Parniza about 1:30 a.m in the waters off Barangay Baliwasan Seaside.

Authorities believe the contraband was to be unloaded along the shoreline of sitio Estanvac, incidentally a few hundred meters away from the Naval Forces Western Mindanao headquarters in Barangay Campung Islam, adjacent to the village of Baliwasan.

The naval personnel immediately conducted board and search operation and discovered several boxes of "Bravo" brand smuggled cigarettes. — The STAR/Roel Pareño in Zamboanga City

A former policewoman and 13 other drug pushers were arrested in a series of buy-bust operations in Zamboanga City on Saturday.

Police Colonel Thomas Joseph Martir, Zamboanga City Police Office director, said the anti-drug sting yielded more than P205,000 worth of shabu.

Martir identified the arrested former policewoman as Charlotte Reyes Foncardas, 37, jobless and resident of Barangay Tetuan.

Police said Foncardas was arrested along with six others identified as:  

• Jayson Bonifacio Taytay, 40
• Eliner Marcelino Perez, 28
• Joe Vincent Miguel Pantaleon, 29
• Lionel Hipolito Dagalea, 32
• and Joemar Siason Dagalea, 45.

All are residents of Barangay Guisao in Zamboanga City.

Martir said the seven other drugs suspects were also arrested by operatives from the different police stations.

The police official noted that those arrested were college and high school graduates and mostly jobless. -- The STAR/Roel Pareño in Zamboanga City

A police official says a male teacher and a grade 6 pupil were injured when a rifle grenade accidentally exploded while students were playing with it Thursday inside a public school in Liloy town, Zamboanga del Norte.

The injured victims were identified as Desiderio Pizon Acain, 54, teacher of Ganase Elementary School, and John Michael Fabraquel Baunillo, 12, a grade 6 pupil of the same school, saiys Police Brig. Gen. Froilan Quidilla, director of Police Regional Office 9.

Police investigation disclosed that the students were playing with the rifle grenade when it accidentally exploded about 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

The explosion injured two victims and partially damaged a classroom. The injured victims were brought to Liloy Integrated Hospital for treatment. Responding police recovered pieces of shrapnel from the parts of the rifle grenade. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

A police official says three drug dealers, including a female student, were arrested by police forces and seized more than P1 million worth of shabu during three separate operations in Zamboanga City,

The suspected drug dealers were identified as Adamay Abduhari Sipin, 19, a female college student; Munir Jalaidi Adjid, 42, a businessman and Arial Bael Buhian, 52.

The confiscated illegal drug substance were brought to Crime Laboratory Office for examination while all arrested drug suspects were detained at respective police stations and charged for violation of Republic Act 9165, known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The cousin of a newly elected vice mayor of a town in Zamboanga del Sur was gunned down in Pagadian City on Thursday morning, police say.

The victim was identified as Sammy Nian, cousin of Vice Mayor-elect Matt Nian of Dinas town.

Police Brig. Gen. Froilan Quidilla, director of Police Regional Office 9, says the victim was shot dead by the two unkown gunmen around 7:20 a.m. near the Cabahug Hospital in Barangay San Pedro.

Polcie say Nian was in a motorized tricycle when the gunmen rode by on a scooter and shot him three times when it stopped near the hospital to drop off two passengers.

A pursuit operation is under way. — The STAR/Roel Pareño in Zamboanga City 

A suspected kidnapper tagged in the abduction of an Italian priest 12 years ago, was killed in drug raid pre-dawn Wednesday in a coastal village of Zamboanga City.

Masdal Jakaria, suspected to be a member of KFRG Muloc and the Waning Abdusalam Group, was killed in a joint police and military operation to serve a search warrant for suspected violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act at Jakaria's safehouse in Barangay Mampang.

Police Col. Thomas Joseph Martir, director of Zamboanga City Police Office, says Jakaria opened fire on the team serving his warrant, triggering a shootout. 

"The suspect was involved in the abduction of a foreign priest," Martir says, referring to the abduction of Fr. Giancarlo Bossi.

Bossi was abducted by 10 gunmen of the Waning Abdusalam Group on June 10, 2007 while he was on his way to Barangay Bulawan in Payao town, Zamboanga Sibugay to officiate a mass.

Bossi was freed after 41 days in captivity. Operations to find him left 14 Marines and nine others dead in an ambush on July 11, 2007 in the hinterlands of Al-Barka in Basilan. — The STAR/Roel Pareño in Zamboanga City

A security official says troops recovered several high-powered firearms and other paraphernalia hidden by the Abu Sayyaf group in an island off Sulu. 
 
Maj. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, commander of Joint Task Force Sulu, says the troops from the 6th Special Forces Battalion and five members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team were conducting security patrol when they were led to cache of firearms hidden by the surviving Abu Sayyaf members in Minis Island off Barangay Latih, Patikul town.

Pabayo says firearms, magazines and ammunition were kept by the fleeing Abu Sayyaf to avoid detection by pursuing military forces.

The cache include one M14 sniper rifle and one M16 assault rifle, a bandolier, three M14 magazines, another magazine for M16 all loaded with ammunition, a set each of military and police battle dress uniforms. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has sent a battalion of soldiers to Zamboanga City to secure it as more troops are poured into operations against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.
 
The military says the 74th Infantry Battalion arrived in Zamboanga City on Monday from Sumisip, Basilan. The 74th IB will replace the 11th IB, which is going back to the Capiz-headquartered 3rd Infantry Division.

Col. Leonel Nicolas, commander of Joint Task Force Zamboanga, says there will be a smooth transition as the two battalions trade places.

"There will be no security vacuum in the deployment. We don’t have anything to worry about," Nicolas says.

The JTFZ, which has at least three battalions of Army troops in and around the city, can also mobilize Air Force and Navy units based in the city.

— The STAR/Roel Pareño in Zamboanga City

An intelligence officer working in the anti-drug campaign and a businessman were killed while two others were wounded in separate gun attacks in the Zamboanga Peninsula on Saturday, a security official says.

Police Corporal Edgar Gaganting, assigned at Police Station 4 as intelligence officer and anti-drug enforcer, was shot by two unidentified motor riding assassins about 5:35 p.m along the road at Barangay Tumaga, Zamboanga City.

Gaganting, who sustained a gunshot wound to the head, was rushed to the hospital was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

An industrial canning steam boiler exploded in a factory in Zamboanga City on Tuesday, killing a worker and leaving two others injured, police say.

The city's Police Station 9 reports the incident occurred inside the steam section facility of Southwest Asia Canning Corp. in Barangay Talisayan before noon.

Police Major Chester Natividad, Police Station 9 commander, says assistant boiler operator Zacarias Alberio Rico, 49, of Barangay Talisayan was killed in the explosion.

Francisco Caunsag Dumagal, 39, chief operator, and Mark Anthony Villaflores, 28, the safety officer of the canning factory, were injured.

Police say the three were troubleshooting the steam boiler when it exploded. — The STAR/Roel Pareño 

A teenager was killed after he was struck by lightning Sunday in a coastal village in Tabina town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Police identified the victim as a 16-year-old Grade 8 student and resident of Purok Quarry, Barangay Abong-Abong.

Police Major Helen Galvez, spokesperson of Police Regional Office 9, said investigation disclosed the victim was aboard on a banca on an errand to buy some spare parts for their motorized pumpboat when he was struck by lightning about 7:15 a.m while heading to Barangay Poblacion.

A witness, identified as Ronilo Ocang, said the banca was heading towards Purok Quarry when it was hit by lightning. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Personnel from the  Bureau of Customs, Coast Guard and Marines destroy 575 boxes of smuggled cigarettes worth around P30 million in Zamboanga City on Monday.

Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 seized the smuggled cigarettes from a warehouse in Barangay Arena Blanco on Saturday night, Customs District Collector Segundo Sigmunfreud Barte.

Barte says the Marines immediately alerted Customs about the discovery of the smuggled “Union” cigarettes and subsequently conducted the raid and confiscation of the contraband.

Barte says warehouse workers managed to scamper and swim away.

Rep. Celso Lobregat has filed an electoral protest against Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar over alleged irregularities in the May 13 polls, the congressman announces Sunday.

Lobregat says the case was filed by his lawyers last Thursday and received by the Comelec Judicial Records Division. The protest was logged as EPC No. 2019-001.

“We are protesting the results of the mayoralty race in Zamboanga City as they are not truly reflective of the actual and legitimate results due to electoral fraud, anomalies, irregularities and errors. We are filing this electoral protest so that the true will of the people will prevail,” Lobregat says.

Lobregat says that as early as the day after the elections he had already raised concerns over the results, which he says were “unbelievable”.  — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Security officials say a young fighter of the New People’s Army voluntarily surrendered to the military after escaping from the rebel group reportedly due to frustration and hardship in the mountains of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, commanding officer of 44th Infantry Battalion, says the 21-year-old NPA defector also yielded his M14 rifle during his formal surrender at the battalion headquarters. — Report from Roel Pareño

The regional police command is deploying 503 new officers to its mobile public safety units.

The new police personnel have trained in the Basic Internal Security Operations Course aside from the baic recruit and field training courses.

Police Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Luis Licup, director of Police Regional Office 9, says the new cops were given a traditional send-off ceremony at Camp Col. Romeo Abendan in Zamboanga City on Monday.

Of the 503 new personnel, 190 were sent to the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-9. Another 78 were sent to the Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company while 61 will augment the Zamboanga Del Norte Provincial Mobile Force Company.

The Zamboanga Del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company gets 79 new cops and the Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Mobile Force Company gains 93.

"The fresh batch of police force will beef up the existing deployment at the Public Safety Forces Company for police visibility and internal security operations across the region," Licup says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Australian troops are in Zamboanga for a training exercise on urban warfare with personnel of the Philippine Army.

The Philippines-Australia Army to Army Exercise 2019 formally opened Monday with troops of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division at Camp Sang-An in Labangan town, Zamboanga del Sur. 

— The STAR/Roel Pareño

Australian Ambassador Steven Robinson visits Zamboanga City to address the crew of HMAS Childers, an Australian patrol boat docked in the city for a maritime training exercise with the Philippine Navy.

The Philippine Navy and the Royal Australian Navy will conduct the two weeks of exercises in the waters off Basilan and Sulu. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

In a statement after the proclamation, Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar calls on the city's residents to forget their political differecnes and buckle down to work for the development of the city.

The mayoral race between Salazar and Rep. Celso Lobregat was described by residents here as a rematch of the clash between the two influential clans in the 1980s, when the legendary Mayor Cesar Climaco defeated the Rep. Maria Clara Lobregat.

Salazar, a niece of Climaco, started her political career with the Lobregats as councilor and later as vice mayor. She was also congresswoman of the 1st District before running for mayor under Celso, son of Maria Clara Lobregat. This temporarily stopped the clan rivalry.

However, the animosity resumed in 2013 as she joined the Liberal Party to run for mayor as mayor to replace Lobregat, who ran for Congress. 

Rep. Lobregat, who joined the administration’s Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipio-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), was officially endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Salazar, ran under LP but distanced herself from the dwindling party by using her local group called Team Climaco or Team Pink. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

History repeats itself between two influential political clans as Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar defeats Rep. Celso Lobregat in the race for city hall.

Salazar, popularly known as Beng, will be officially proclaimed Thursday once the city board of canvassers finishes  the remaining 2% of the election returns from the remaining seven precincts in the city.

As things stood Thursday, Salazar had more than 144,000 votes against Lobregat's 111,000. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

An undetermined number of communist rebels, and a soldier, were wounded in a clash between Army and police personnel and members of the New People's Army in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay, the military says.

According to 2Lt. Angel Manglapus, acting public affairs officer of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, troops from the 44th Infantry Battalion and Police Mobile Force Company were in a firefight with around 30 rebels at Barangay New Tampilisan.

Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo says they launched the operation following reports of the presence of the NPA rebels "reportedly threatening and harassing the populace in the area."

-- The STAR/Roel Pareño

Police and military personnel a man suspected of being a member of a kidnap-for-ransom gang and of being involved in the illegal drug trade in a pursuit operation in Labason town, Zamboanga del Norte on Tuesday, regional police say.

The captured suspect was identified as Asbi Samdani alias Asbih, 39, said to be a member of the Barahama Alih Group, a notorious criminal gang operating kidnap-for-ransom and illegal drug trade in Zamboanga peninsula.

Asbih was reportedly tracked down and arrested in Barangay Osukan, Labason town on Tuesday afternoon by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of Zamboanga Sibugay, Regional Drug Enforcement Unit 9, the military and the regional intelligence unit. — The STAR/Roel Pareño

Gun attacks in Pagadian City and Sominot in Zambaonga del Sur on Monday left at least four dead and two injured, police say Tuesday.

Police say the shooting in Pagadian City ohappened Monday night at the New Agora in the city's Sta. Lucia District.

Police Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Luis Licup, Police Regional Office 9 director, identified the victims as Noel Solmeron Carbonillas, 40, of sitio New Agora, and Mario Binghay, of legal age of Barangay Banale.

Unidentified gunmen also attacked and killed a barangay kagawad (councilor) and a watchman in the presence of his horrified children in Barangay Pictoran, Sominot town earlier that afternoon.

Licup identified the victims as Donald Espejo Monto, 41, barangay kagawad, and Antonio Patacte Malim, barangay tanod of Barangay Pictoran. — Roel Pareño

Follow this thread for updates from Zamboanga City and the Zamboanga Peninsula.