Body found and lost in Pasig River Homicide investigators in Manila had a big case slip away from the tip of their fingers – a body floating along Pasig River without a head, upper limbs, and feet. After attempts to pluck the so-called “body of evidence” out of the river after midnight Tuesday, it had drifted away beyond sight. Wilde Agres, 24, of Intramuros, Manila was the one who spotted the decomposing torso of a person floating not far away from the barge he was on under the Del Pan Bridge at 4 p.m. Monday. It was not established whether it was that of a man or woman. A team from the Manila Police District (MPD) Homicide Section, led by Senior Police Officer 2 Lester Evangelista, arrived at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday; and, with 25 meters of bamboo poles tied together, tried to pluck the body out of the water. However, SPO2 Evangelista was left with merely taking note of the information, because the body was swept away by a river current. (Ria Fernandez) Girl who drowned in Rizal found in Marikina The body of a 10-year-old girl was found washed up by the riverbank in Marikina City on Monday morning, police said. It turned out that it was that of Grade 4 pupil Christine Biolon, of Barangay Sta. Ana, San Mateo, Rizal, who went missing last Saturday while swimming in Sta. Ana River with her friends. The search and rescue (SAR) operation for Biolon had gone on since she was swept away by a strong river current at 1 p.m. Saturday. Tuesday around 10 a.m., the victim’s father, along with rescuers, found her body on the pavement under the Tumana Bridge. Police said the girl’s father has opted not to pursue further investigation into her daughter’s drowning. (Hanah Tabios) P200K burglary hits Filipinas Village warehouse At least P200,000 worth of merchandise and other personal belongings were stolen from a warehouse located inside Filipinas Village in Barangay Malanday, Marikina City Tuesday. Senior Police Officer 1 Eric Orsal, case investigator from the city police, said the burglary was discovered by Kristian Ian Orca, 40, a driver, and his wife Evangeline – both of them staff members of the commercial warehouse – at 4:30 a.m. The couple told SPO1 Orsal that as soon as they arrived to see the warehouse door unlocked and the storage room in disarray, they contacted their administrative head, Maricel Deyto, 46, at the scene. After an inventory of the missing items, Deyto said the items stolen were three boxes of assorted jewelry pieces worth P100,000; 12 branded stuffed toys worth P20,000; a laptop worth P30,000; and her personal belongings that included P10,000 cash; a cellular phone (P5,000); a wrist watch (P2,500); two government IDs; and an ATM card. A deeper investigation was being conducted by Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO). (Hanah Tabios) Armed guard wounds 3 bus firm employees Three employees of a bus company in Quezon City were wounded after the service firearm of a security guard accidentally went off Tuesday morning. The Quezon City Police District-Kamuning Police Station identified the suspect as Raymund Cabanela, 20, a native of Atimonan, Quezon, and duty guard at the bus liner on EDSA southbound near the corner of Monte de Piedad Street in Barangay Immaculate Conception when the incident happened at 7 a.m. Superintendent Benjie Tremor, station commander, said it appears that Cabanela accidentally pulled the trigger of an Armscor Rock Island 9-mm pistol while loading the magazine into the chamber. Shrapnel from the slug that hit the pavement wounded the feet of Jelyn Manahan, 40; Jessica Montilla, 37, both stay-in employees of the bus firm; and bus conductor Frediric Ruviviar, 33. The victims were taken to the nearby East Avenue Medical Center for treatment, while Cabanela surrendered to police at 12:30 p.m. the same day. But police said the victims have decided not to file a case of reckless imprudence resulting in physical injury against the guard. (Alexandria San Juan) 13 nabbed for illegal drugs in Cubao Thirteen alleged drug suspects, including a 16-year-old girl, were nabbed by the anti-illegal drug operatives of the Quezon City Police Station 7 (PS-7) in separate anti-narcotics operations at a building in Cubao Monday night. Superintendent Hycenth Caliao, chief of PS-7, said the two groups were arrested in two different rooms of a residential building on Monte de Piedad Street near corner Lantana Street in Barangay Immaculate Conception. Police said that the arrested suspects in the first buy-bust operation were members of the “Bahala na Gang” identified as Kim Jhon Bertulfo, 28, who was included in drug watch list of Barangay Tatalon, and his companions Jasper Delgado, 26; Paolo Canaceli, 40; Joseph Resco, 29; and Christian Bertulfo, 29. A 16-year-old female, who was not a member of the gang but listed as a drug surrenderer, was also apprehended with the group. Police said they were monitoring the suspects who were reported to be notorious drug users and dealers in their area prior to their operation inside room number 205 at around 7:30 p.m. Five minutes after the first drug sting, same operatives conducted another buy-bust inside room number 401 of the same building. The same operatives nabbed the drug suspects they identified as Victor Brofas, 40, and his cohorts Maricris Into, 20; and Norman Alexis Garcia, 40; who were also members of Bahala na Gang. Also arrested along with them were 65-year-old Jose Noriel Catalan; Reichel Alvis, 32, who was included in PS-7 drug watchlist; George Cruz, 44, and Lowell Rafols, 19. Anti-narcotics personnel were able to confiscate from them 16 sachets of suspected shabu, an Armscor 200 Chrome caliber .38 revolver, six live ammunition, a mobile phone, some drug paraphernalia, and the buy-bust money. (Alexandria San Juan) Mechanic pinned to death by truck A mechanic was pronounced dead at midnight, Monday, Sept. 24 after being pinned to death by a truck at Caloocan City. Police identified the victim as Bernard Aldecs, 48, resident of the Barangay 28, Caloocan City. Investigation disclosed that Aldecs was repairing the chassis of an Isuzu Cargo Truck along Dagat-Dagatan Avenue Extension, Barangay 28, Caloocan City at about 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23. He then instructed Renald Bantugan, 22, the driver of the truck to turn the steering wheel to the right before alighting from the vehicle. But while the victim was standing between the truck and the chassis, the truck moved backward and eventually pinned him between the door of the truck and the chassis. Aldecs was rushed to Caloocan City Medical Center but was declared dead by attending physician Dindo Perez, M.D. (Minka Klaudia Tiangco) 367 violators of law, city ordinances There is no stopping Manila Police District (MPD) from apprehending violators of laws and city ordinances. In its latest anti-criminality operations, MPD rounded up a total of 367 persons from 5 a.m. of September 24 up to early morning Tuesday. Sta. Cruz Police Station had the most number of violators, recording 72; followed by Meisic Police Station with 67. Meanwhile, Moriones Police Station had the least number of violators with only six. All in all, 172 broke the smoking ban; 62 drank liquor in public; 88 went half-naked outside; and 45 violated other laws and city ordinances. (Ria Fernandez) Man slips, falls into river, drowns A 56-year-old man who was allegedly drunk, slipped, feel into the Pasig River and drowned on Monday night. The police identified the fatality as Edward Pedro, 56, a stevedore who unloads fertilizer in the barge dock and resident of Lower Kalaklakan, Olongapo City. Initial investigation showed that prior to the said incident, the victim was seen drunk and was walking at the barge to urinate when he suddenly slipped overboard at 10:50 p.m. along Pasig River near slope terminal in Paco, Manila on September 24. James Villanueva who witnessed the incident immediately reported to Ermita Police Station (PS-5). Rescuers searched for the victim in the river for about two hours. Authorities said there were no external injuries noted on the body of Pedro during the cursory examination. It was further learned that the victim could not swim. (Erma Edera) Alleged drug user nabbed An alleged drug user was arrested by the police while his male cohort managed to escape when confronted by policemen in Caloocan City on Monday evening, Sept. 24. A report said the Caloocan City Police Station Special Operations Unit were on an anti-criminality operation at the PNR Compound, Barangay 73, when they chanced upon two men handing sachets of suspected shabu to each other. When the police approached them, both suspects ran which prompted lawmen to chase them. One of the suspects was cornered and arrested after police retrieved four sachets of suspected shabu from his possession. The other suspect managed to evade arrest. Arrested was Archie Dulay, 27, jobless, resident of the area. (Minka Klaudia Tiangco)