MANILA, Philippines - Two girls, aged 13 and 8, have been reported raped and killed in Sorsogon and Davao cities. The body of 13-year-old Mildred Lanac was found by residents in the middle of a field in Barangay Peñafrancia, Sorsogon City around 6 a.m. Thursday. Lanac's mother, Maribel, said half of her daughter's body was buried in the mud when discovered. The girl's underwear was also missing. "Hindi ko maisip na patay na siya. parang palaging buhay," the victim's mother said. She said that Mildred went missing after going to her grandmother's house in Barangay Peñafrancia on Wednesday morning. Police believe that the girl was raped because she was not wearing underwear when found. Police added that Mildred could have died of strangulation as indicated by the rope tied around her neck. Her neck also had a stab wound. Senior Superintendent Hereberto Olitoquit, Sorsogon provincial police office director, said that 2 teenagers aged 14 and 17 have been invited for questioning. Oligoquit said that a witness saw the 2 teenagers at the crime scene. He added that the crime could have been committed by at least 5 people. A task force has been formed to investigate Mildred's killing. Meanwhile, a 6-year-old girl was also found dead in a grassy area in GSIS Village Matina in Davao City around 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Police said that the girl could have also been raped and then killed by her attacker. Police said that the victim's head was hit by a blunt object and her face was wounded. Investigators added that the victim's shorts were pulled down and both her legs were tied with a rope. Police have invited for questioning a 13-year-old boy, who was seen playing with the victim before her body was discovered. -- Reports from Jose Carretero, ABS-CBN Bicol and Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN Southern Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - For the first time since she was recovered unconscious after being raped, volunteer nurse "Florence" has uttered her first word on Friday as she continues to recover from the traumatic experience at a hospital in Davao City. Dr. Leopoldo Vega, chief of the Southern Philippine Medical Center, said the volunteer nurse uttered her first word on Friday, ahead of the scheduled visit of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. "For the first time she uttered a word. What she said was, 'Mama,'" Vega told ABS-CBN News. Vega said that the lump in the nurse's brain has already subsided and she can already move her legs. The victim was almost paralyzed due to the head trauma inflicted by her attackers last September 25 inside the compound of the South Upi Municipal Hospital, where she works as a volunteer nurse. After the arrest of 6 men, former militiaman Melchor Fulgencio surrendered to the police and confessed to the rape. Fulgencio has told police that his friend named "Edwin" hit the nurse in the head and raped her at the back of the hospital. Dr. Tahir Sulaik, provincial health officer of Maguindanao, earlier said that the volunteer nurse was unconscious and half naked when found at the back of the hospital. Sulaik said that the nurse's face was badly damaged by her attackers. De Lima told reporters on Friday after her visit at the Davao City hospital that they are now mulling the possibility of removing from the list of suspects the 6 men who were initially arrested by the local police of South Upi town. "I am inclined to dropping the case against the 6 kasi according to her (Florence) colleagues, hindi naman umalis sa lugar ang mga kasama ni Florence Joy except one na nauna nang umalis dahil lasing na," De Lima said. There were earlier reports that the volunteer nurse had a drinking party with the 6 suspects before the rape happened. De Lima, meanwhile, said that she has instructed the police and the National Bureau of Investigation to closely study the statement of the former militiaman. Before her visit to the nurse, De Lima led a case conference with the 2 investigating teams and local prosecutors in Cotabato City. She said that as soon as doctors at the Davao City hospital give them the go signal, probers will show the volunteer nurse the pictures of Fulgencio and the 6 suspects. -- Report from Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN Southern Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines - Police have arrested 10 ushers and at least 4 bettors, majority of them women, of the illegal numbers game "last two" in Davao City. Police said the 10 ushers and 4 bettors were arrested in Sta. Ana district. The arrests were made only days after the Philippine National Police re-implemented its "one strike policy," which means police chiefs will be relieved of their posts if operatives from the regional offices found out that illegal gambling is active in their areas of jurisdiction. The numbers game "last two" or "last two digit" has been popular in Davao City and other parts of Mindanao since the 1980s. The games' winning combination is taken from the last two digits of a winning sweepstakes ticket. The winning combination can also be based from the last two digits of a winning lotto combination. – Report from Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A flash flood triggered by heavy rains forced dozens of families to flee their homes in Davao City on Monday, authorities said. The flash flood also resulted in hundreds of motorists being stranded along a highway, according to witnesses. Flood waters rose to more than 5 feet in Sitio Suawan, Barangay Marilog, Davao City around 5:00 p.m., resulting in around 67 families being evacuated to higher ground. Kimpo Aloy, a local resident, said many of them had to leave their belongings behind because of the sudden rush of water that engulfed many homes. “I was able to bring only our pig. I was almost trapped inside the house,” said another villager, Evangeline Lagman. There were no reports of injuries but the flash flood destroyed 15 houses and damaged 8 other homes. Flood waters also swamped hundreds of hectares of farmland and caused a landslide along a highway in Sitio Balite. The Department of Public Works and Highways took 6 hours to clear the road. The affected families are currently housed at a temporary evacuation center. “They are OK but we can’t allow them to return to their homes. It is still dangerous because of the heavy rains,” said Suawan village captain Teodora Amag. – with a report from Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN Southern Mindanao

Last December, our segment producer, Shiela, arrived in our set waving a piece of newspaper.  What caught our attention was the P999.00 airfare from Davao to Cebu and vice versa.  Right there and then, we decided to book for Cebu on April 2010.  Came christmas and new year, we forgot about the ticket until Christine reminded us of the trip.  e all got excited and set the date, March 31 to April 4.  Michelle and Shiela planned everything, from accommodation, and transportation.  We set our budget limit to P5000.00 for the whole trip.


We left Davao without taking a leave of absence from the office.  I thought, i didn't have to because its Lenten season and its holiday.  We were about to board when my phone rang.  My boss was looking for me.  He was so enraged that we left without asking permission.  And then i found out, i was the only one who was supposed to be on duty that time.  Damn, it spoiled my excitement, thinking that when i get back in the office, a memo might welcome me.
I tried to enjoy my vacation, for what its worth.  after the trip, my bass called my attention and scolded me for being "irresponsible leader." 

MANILA, Philippines - Two apparent improvised bombs were found in separate public places in Davao City Thursday late afternoon.

The first improvised explosive device (IED) was found inside a comfort room for women in Davao City Hall and was immediately reported to the police.

Members of the explosive and ordnance division of the Davao City police and Task Force Davao responded immediately.

Police immediately ordered the evacuation of all employees and people from the Davao City Hall.

Police said the carton box contained 2 plastic bottles containing what appeared to be ammonium nitrate with white and red electrical wires attached to it and to a suspected cellphone circuit board.

The IED was neutralized by police using a water-cannon disruptor.

After a few minutes, another call to the city’s Emergency 911 reported another possible IED discovered outside the gate of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) building in Tionko Street.

Police immediately cordoned off the area, and the IED was also “disrupted.”

The device found at the fence of the BSP was similar to the IED found at city hall.

Police said that the devices would be subjected to chemical analysis to determine if they contained ammonium nitrate. The chemical is a component in improvised bombs.

Police are still investigating the possible culprits and motives behind the two incidents.

Identical and meant to scare

A military spokesman, meanwhile, already confirmed that the devices found in Davao City were bombs and were identical.

“They were identical,” said Maj. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command.

He said the devices were composed of a cellphone, batteries, blasting caps, circuit boards, toggle switch and ammonium nitrate placed in plastic bottle.

Cabangbang said the bombs, however, lacked booster and shrapnel.

“They were crudely made, meaning it is not their intent to harm but merely to scare. Its not meant to harm,” he said. With reports from Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN Southern Mindanao and Noel Alamar, dzMM

as of 02/25/2010 7:00 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Mock elections held in the provinces on Saturday morning were declared a success despite a few incidents of ballots rejected by the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.

All PCOS machines in 3 polling precincts in the cities of Davao, Baguio and Cebu rejected a few ballots fed by registered voters who participated in the mock polls.

In Davao City, a ballot jammed the PCOS machine at the Generoso Elementary School around 8:24 a.m.. It took a Smarmatic-TIM technician 5 minutes to take out the jammed ballot and restart the machine.

Another ballot was also rejected by the same voting machine and declared void because the voter placed a check mark instead of shading his ballot.

PCOS machines at the Pines City National High School in Baguio City and the Bulacao Community School in Cebu City rejected one ballot each.

Election officers in Baguio City said the rejected ballot was not properly shaded by the voter while the rejected ballot in Cebu City had a smeared bar code.

Teachers, acting as board of election inspectors (BEIs), at the Pines City National High School said the rejected ballot would still be included in the mock elections results. They said the ballot will be brought to the municipal level and then manually counted.

In another polling center at the Mabini Elementary School, also in Cebu City, the BEIs failed to transmit the votes through mobile network signals. They were forced to use the BGAN (broadband global area network) satellite antenna and succuessfully fed the results to the servers in 16 minutes.

Despite the hitches, all PCOS machines in the 3 cities were able to transmit votes to the municipal level servers and successfully received by the central server at the Commission on Elections main office in Intramuros, Manila.

The mock elections started at 8 a.m. and ended at 10 a.m. The Comelec said the central server received the results of the mock elections in the 3 cities before noon. -- Reports from Reno Tallado and Carine Asutilla, ABS-CBN Cebu; Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN Davao and Dhobie de Guzaman, ABS-CBN Baguio
as of 02/06/2010 12:57 PM

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) - Police on Thursday morning seized nearly 50 firearms and several ammunition from the house of Energy Undersecretary Zamsamin Ampatuan's brother-in-law in Davao City.

Operatives from the Davao City police and the Police Regional Office 11 raided the house of Mozulini Lidasan on Eagle Street, GSIS Heights in Matina district around 6 a.m.

Firearms seized from Lidasan's house include 24 pieces of .38 revolvers, 17 shotguns, 2 M-16 rifles, several ammunition and military camouflage uniforms.

An ABS-CBN Davao regional news bureau report said Lidasan, whose wife is a sister of Undersecretary Ampatuan, has a security agency.

Police, however, found out that the security agency's license to operate expired last August. Investigators were checking if the firearms have proper documentations.

Lidasan and an Army sergeant named Alberto Antisoda, who was "securing" the area, were arrested.

The report added that police were also preparing to enter another compound in Davao City where more firearms are believed stashed. -- Reports from Michelle Robin and Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN Davao
as of 01/21/2010 3:09 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. has filed charges of arbitrary detention against senior military officials in the Southern Mindanao region.

Andal Sr. has been detained at Camp Panacan military hospital at the Armed Forces’ Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) headquarters in Davao City.

Authorities have said that the head of the powerful Maguindanao clan was arrested in Shariff Aguak during the martial law period in the province but was initially placed in a private hospital in Davao City after complaining of ill health. He was later forcibly brought to the military hospital.

In his complaint filed at the Davao City Prosecutor's Office, Andal Sr. named as respondents: EastMinCom chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferer, Army’s 601st Brigade commander Col. Leo Crescente Ferrer and Lt. Col. Joel Paloma as well as other military personnel allegedly involved in his arrest.

The complaint filed by Andal Sr.’s lawyer Philip Pantojan alleged that no warrant of arrest was presented by the military when he was nabbed.

Andal Sr. added that no commitment order was also issued after rebellion charges were filed against him. He also sought for his release from detention.

Physical injury case?

The camp of Andal Sr. also disclosed that they are mulling the filing of a physical injury case against the soldiers who forcibly took him from the Davao Doctors’ College hospital where he was initially confined.

Military officials, meanwhile, said they were only following orders.

"Our lawyers have answered all the allegations. Dapat maintindihan nila, nadakip siya during martial law (He should realize that he was arrested during martial law),” said Maj. Randolph Cabangbang, Eastern Mindanao Command spokesman.

The military command spokesman also said they would welcome the filing of the physical injury case.

“I urge them to file the physical injury case, kasi may video kami na ang sundalo namin ang nabugbog at di sila (because we have a video that shows our soldiers were the ones hurt not them)," said EastMinCom’s spokesman.

Aside from rebellion charges, Andal Sr. and other key members of the powerful Maguindanao clan have also been named as respondents in the multiple murder case in connection with the gruesome massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao last November 23. Killed in the massacre were members of a rival clan in Maguindanao, lawyers and at least 30 journalists.

The patriarch’s son, Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., was tagged as the primary suspect in the massacre.

Panels of the Department of Justice, conducting separate preliminary probes on the rebellion and multiple murder complaints, were set to issue resolutions by January.

Andal Jr. and Andal Sr. have waived their rights to file counter-affidavits to the multiple murder complaints filed against them. From a report of Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN Southern Mindanao
as of 12/30/2009 6:44 PM

DAVAO - The stars may have nothing to do with Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's presidential bid but according to two fortune-tellers, the road ahead for the presidential wannabe is fraught with danger.

According to Madam Rose Elvina, Aquino could face either an assassination attempt or an accident when he starts his presidential campaign later this year.

Another fortune-teller, Madam Sal Cruz, said Aquino's sudden popularity has made him a target for political foes who do not want him to succeed.

"He has to be careful. Don't be complacent. There will be some who will love him, some who will be his enemies," she told ABS-CBN News.

The two fortune-tellers, however, were undecided on whether Aquino made the right choice in announcing his presidential bid on Sept. 9, 2009, exactly 40 days after the death of his mother, former president Corazon Aquino.

In her tarot reading, Elvina drew a card from the suit of swords, which she said indicated that Aquino chose the wrong date to declare his presidential bid. "He will have a hard time based on the cards. It's the swords. That means that the people are still 50-50 about him. He doesn't have their sympathy," she said.

On the other hand, Cruz said Aquino's declaration on September 9 was well timed. "He chose a good date. It will prosper," she said. With a report from Francis Magbanua, ABS-CBN News Davao

as of 09/11/2009 5:37 PM