TACLOBAN CITY-Police arrested a barangay councilor during a buy-bust operation here in the city Saturday (June 6).
The suspect was identified as Arthur Dave Degalla, 38, married and kagawad of Barangay 51-A, this city.
Purchased from the suspect was one heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet of substance believed to be shabu.
Confiscated from his possession were two sachets of shabu, one P500 bill used as buy-bust money, 31 pieces of P500 bills as bogus money, one mobile phone, and cash amounting to P3,120.
The suspect will face charges for violation of sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
(RONALD O. REYES)

ORMOC CITY-A midday fire on Sunday at the town’s poblacion in Capoocan, Leyte was caused by an unattended cooking, said SFO2 Leo Hernandez, fire investigator of the town’s fire bureau.
The blaze gutted down four houses whose dwellers were mostly elderlies.
Hernandez said that the fire started at the house of Eutequia Makabenta, 88, who fell asleep while cooking for lunch. She lives alone.
The fire investigator said in a telephone interview that Makabenta was saved by her niece who was also her neighbor, when she noticed a fire starting in the kitchen particularly a cooking using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Citing the account of Makabenta’s niece, the investigator continued “the elderly who was already awake that time seemed shocked while watching the growing fire so the niece immediately grabbed her aunt out of the house.”
Also left homeless were Makabenta’s sister, Clara Paz, 80, and other neighbors Timotea Nicole, 60 and Nelia Aborque, 52. All of them failed to save any belongings since the fire had already engulfed their houses that were made of light materials.
Five fire trucks including responders from the neighboring towns of Carigara, Barugo and Jaro worked together to put out the blaze.
The incident started at 12:40 pm and was put out at 2 pm with total damage cost at P1.7 million.
(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)

TACLOBAN CITY-A 23-year old man was killed after he was hit by a lightning in Zumarraga town in Samar province on Sunday (June 7) while he was trying to untie a rope of their motorized banca.
Killed was Romulo Papelerin of Barangay Mualbual who was with his friends on a motorized banca on their way for a swimming when the freak incident happened at around 11:30 am on that day, said Staff Sergeant Mat Jomel Tañega of the Zumarraga municipal police station.
Tañega, in a phone interview, said that Papelerin was with 13 others, including their village Sangguniang Kabataan chairman Esmeraldo Alborta for a swimming to an island located across their village, when he was hit by the lightning.
“As he was pulling the rope of the motorized banca as they were to leave for a swimming, heavy rain suddenly poured followed by a lightning which hit the victim who was standing at the rear portion of the banca,” the police officer said.
The victim died immediately though he was brought at the Samar Provincial Hospital in Catbalogan City.
None of his companions were hurt by the incident, the police said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)