Bus bursts into flame
A bus caught fire while traversing the South Luzon Expressway at around noon yesterday.
Manny Prades of the monitoring section of the Philippine National Construction Corp. said initial details that reached their office said the incident happened while the Jam Transit bus was near the boundary of Biñan, Laguna and Carmona, Cavite.
He said the passengers were able to alight from the bus even before flames started to engulf the vehicle.
Firetrucks rushed at the site to put out the fire, which was reportedly caused by an electrical problem. The bus was towed from the area at around 2 p.m.
Prades said a thorough investigation will be conducted by the local police. – Rhodina Villanueva
Body found on Caloocan road
The body of a man with a bullet wound in the back of his head was found along Canary Road in Bagumbong, Caloocan City early yesterday.
The victim was described as 5’9” tall, fair-complexioned, and sporting a moustache.
The victim was wearing blue denim pants, an orange T-shirt with black windbreaker, and gray Nike shoes with blue socks.
The victim has tattoos on different parts of the body: “Cyndi” on the chest, “Paracha Bong” on the left shoulder and “Banjoe de la Cruz” on the back.
Police brought the victim’s body to a funeral parlor in the area for autopsy. – Pete Laude
Fire hits Makati hotel
A six-minute fire caused by a short circuit occurred in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati City at noon yesterday.
Information from the Makati Fire Department said no one was hurt in the incident that took place at the third floor of the hotel.
Hotel staff said there had been a “slight problem with the Christmas décor” and assured the public that the matter has been addressed. – Michael Punongbayan
Man charged for buying hat with fake money
A man who tried to buy a hat with a counterfeit P500 bill early this month was charged yesterday before the Manila Regional Trial Court.
Butch Onig, 27, a resident of Baseco Compound in Tondo, Manila, faces charges of illegal possession and use of false treasury or bank notes and other instruments of credit.
Assistant City Prosecutor Magnolia Gonzales recommended bail be set at P24,000.
Court records show Onig was beaten up by vendors and bystanders along Rizal Avenue, Manila last Dec. 1 after he paid for a P50 hat with the fake bill.
An officer of the vendors’ association in Quiapo pacified the mob and brought Onig to the police station, where he was found to possess two more fake P500 bills. – Sandy Araneta
Medical worker slain in Caloocan robbery
A medical attendant was stabbed dead by unidentified robbers during a heist in Caloocan City Sunday.
Police identified the victim as Emilie Palasigue, 31, a resident of Villa Magdalena Subdivision, Barangay 172 in Urduja, Caloocan City North. She was stabbed in the neck.
Witnesses told police that Palasigue was walking home in Villa Magdalina Subdivision when two men accosted her at around 12:30 a.m.
One of the suspects grabbed the victim’s bag but Palasigue resisted. This prompted one suspect to stab her in the neck.
The robbers fled with her bag.
Palasigue was brought to the Novaliches General Hospital in Quezon City for treatment, but doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.
The Caloocan City police were still clueless yesterday as to the suspects’ identities. – Pete Laude
Bystander shot dead in UP campus
An unidentified man was repeatedly shot by at least six motorcycle-riding men on the outskirts of the University of the Philippines’ Diliman, Quezon City campus Sunday afternoon.
The victim, described to be slim, 5’3” tall aged between 35 and 40 years old, suffered at least four gunshot wounds in the face and nape. He was wearing denim pants, a violet shirt and rubber shoes.
Police said the victim was standing on the center island of Commonwealth Avenue in front of the UP Asian Institute of Tourism when he was attacked.
A security guard manning a nearby footbridge said he saw the incident. Police are still trying to determine the motive behind the attack. – Reinir Padua