Military and police seized some PHP4.7 million worth of smuggled cigarettes in this city and in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, the region’s top cop said on Saturday. Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, said the bulk of the smuggled cigarettes was seized around 6:40 p.m. Friday in Sitio Malasugat, Barangay Sangali. Ylagan said troops of the 74th Infantry Battalion were manning a checkpoint when they flagged down a cargo truck driven by Jay Villarosa, 43, who was traveling with a companion, Abby Jadjail, 31. The truck, when inspected, was found to be loaded with

A military commander here said the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) is weakening as more extremists realize they were misguided and fighting a lost cause. “More have expressed to surrender but (are) just waiting for an opportune time,” Col. Pedro Balisi, commander of the Army’s 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, said in an interview here Saturday. Balisi said 80 to 90 BIFF radicals left in the marshland of Maguindanao are expected to surrender soon. Local government officials, including village leaders, he said, are continuously convincing those misguided by the BIFF ideology to surrender peacefully to the government and live normal lives.

Five disgruntled New People’s Army (NPA) rebels voluntarily surrendered to the 23rd Infantry Battalion (23IB) in the hope of changing their and their families’ lives through the support of government programs and services. Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C. Paulo, 23IB commander, welcomed the move, saying the five former NPA combatants could no longer endure the exploitation, deception, and treacherous propaganda of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). “They appeared exhausted and fatigued when they voluntarily surrendered at our headquarters in Barangay Alibuhid, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte. They also indicated their refusal and disinclination to continue with the hopeless armed

Some eight of the more than 300 suspects arrested in Friday’s simultaneous police operations by the Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) were New People’s Army (NPA) rebels. “In our ongoing drive to end local communist armed conflict, PRO-13 also captured eight NPA rebels while another 22 insurgents surrendered to different police units, bringing with them 24 firearms of different calibers,” said PRO-13 director, Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. The police operations yielded a total of 71.8 grams of shabu and 38.08 grams of marijuana valued at PHP849,334, 93 loose firearms, and arrest of 302 suspects of various crimes. Aside

A new marketing plan with a “Better Than Ever” brand has been crafted for the island of Boracay as it strives to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Acting Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista, in sharing the island’s roadmap during the virtual Visayas Area Business Conference of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) on Friday, said the island has shifted from its “The 24/7 Island” brand. “From being a party island before, we change(d) it to not only for party-goers but at the same time for Boracay as a family tourist destination,” he said. It was crafted along

More people in the countryside are availing of the government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination rollout as health authorities in North Cotabato have brought vaccines to its remote villages of the province. Dr. Venancio Ang of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) said Saturday the “outreach vaccination” to Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) of North Cotabato has initially benefited the remote village of Tamporan in Magpet town. On Friday, a total of 65 senior citizens (A2 group) and persons with comorbidities (A3), including a 92-year-old woman had received their Johnson&Johnson’s Janssen single-dose jabs in the village. “Barangay Temporan is