JARDELEZA NAMED SOLICITOR GENERAL
President Benigno Aquino 3rd has appointed Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Francis Jardeleza as the new Solicitor General. The Office of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. announced the appointment of Jardeleza following the resignation of Jose Anselmo Cadiz, who resigned last week. Jardeleza was He was graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law, placed third in the 1974 Bar exams and completed his master of laws in Harvard University in the United States.     JOVEE MARIE N. DELA CRUZ

TWO VICTIMS BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION
Two unidentified dead victims were found charred inside a vehicle late Friday night in Batangas, police said on Saturday. The victims were allegedly shot dead before they were burned by unidentified suspects in Tinga Itaas village, Batangas City at around 10:00 p.m., Philippine National Police spokesman Agrimero Cruz Jr. said. The vehicle, which was also burned, has multiple bullet holes, he added. “Recovered from the scene were the charred bodies of the unidentified victims, the Honda Jazz car and still unaccounted spent 9mm, .45 and 5.56 mm shells,” he said. Cruz said that the Batangas police were still conducting in-depth investigation for possible identification of the victims and arrest of the suspects, he said. XINHUA

FROST TO HIT BENGUET CROPS
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet: The occurrence of frost in the hinterlands is expected this cold season although there are no reports yet reaching the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist to date, but farmers are now ready to counter its effects on plants. Provincial Agriculturist Lolita Bentres said even if frost or ‘andap’ is expected this cold month of February due to the drop of temperature in recent days, she stressed that frost does not cause any injury to plants. Frost normally occurs in the months of November to February, the cold season in the highlands. It is usually experienced in Paoay in Atok, Madaymen in Kibungan and Natubleng in Buguias, said Bentres. Although there are still some vegetable farms affected by frost in the previous years, seasoned farmers in the highlands already know measures to counter it such as the use of sprinkler or overhead irrigation, according to Bentres. Farmers use sprinkler or overhead irrigation overnight or early morning to counter the development of ice in plants. Frost does not immediately manifest and settle. It takes around three days, hence, the application of sprinkler or overhead irrigation helps counter the development of ice in plants, said Bentres. THOM F. PICAÑA

GRADE, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GET CASH GRANTS
IMUS, Cavite: Some 32,665 grade and high school students from 26 schools here received modest cash grants from 3rd district Rep. Ireneo “Ayong” Maliksi as part of his bid to improve the basic education sector. Grades five and six pupils are entitled to P 300 each while third and fourth year high school students received P 500. ROGELIO LIMPIN


ILOILO DRUG DEN RAIDED, MAINTAINERS NABBED
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) closed down a drug den in Jaro, Iloilo on February 6, 2012, resulting in the arrest of the owner and a visitor of the illegal facility for selling and using shabu. PDEA Director General Undersecretary Jose S. Gutierrez, Jr. identified the suspects as Jomarie A. Obregon alias “Loncio”, 42, married, unemployed; and Edwin Jaspe, a 39-year-old vendor. Operatives of PDEA Regional Office 6 (PDEA RO6) nabbed Obregon in his residence utilized as a drug den in the relocation site in Barangay San Isidro, Tabuc Suba, Jaro, Iloilo City, after he sold one plastic sachet of shabu to a poseur-buyer. Obregon yielded more shabu bundled in one big plastic pack and five plastic sachets in varying sizes. PDEA agents also recovered from the site empty sachets with shabu residue and drug paraphernalia. Jaspe, who was in Obregon’s house when the operation was conducted, was also arrested. JING VILLAMENTE

THREE DEAD, FIVE HURT IN ROAD MISHAP
COTABATO: Three people died in a freak accident involving a cargo truck and a motorbike at dawn Saturday in Agusan Del Sur, police said. The victims, Glaida Guitirigan, 18, Ronald Napare, 26, and another unidentified, were heading to Buenavista town at around 4:00 a.m. when the motorbike they were riding bumped a ten-wheeler truck along the national highway, said Martin Gamba, spokesman of the Caraga police regional office. XINHUA

NOTORIOUS BURGLAR MEETS END
CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna: A notorious robbery suspect was gunned down in a police operation in Sta. Cruz Laguna. Laguna police director Sr. Supt. Gilbert Cruz identified the slain suspect as Erick Valencia of Magdalena, Laguna. Valencia was listed in the police’s order of battle as a leader of a burglary gang in Sta. Cruz. According to Cruz, the suspect, who actually had an army haircut, was known to sport a wig as disguise after pulling the heists. Cruz said the local police had been conducting a weeklong surveillance on Valencia after being tipped off that the suspect was seen in the vicinity of Sta. Cruz. He said police chanced upon the wigged suspect in a dimly lit area in Barangay Pagsawitan but when approached, Valencia fired shots at the authorities. The police fired back hitting Velencia twice in his body that caused his death. A .38 was recovered from the suspect. ROSELLE AQUINO