ABUCAY, Bataan: Around 480 reams of assorted counterfeit cigarettes were seized from two illegal traders here Thursday as the Philippine National Police intensifies its operations against fake products that are being sold in the market.
Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Provincial Field Unit and the Abucay Municipal Police Station arrested the suspects identified as Carolina Isaac and Danilo Ellivera, both of legal age.
Senior Supt. Christopher Abrahano, chief of the CIDG-Central Luzon, said the operating troops served a search warrant in a warehouse in Barangay Capitangan upon receiving a tip that the two traders were allegedly engaged in storing, distributing, and selling fake cigarettes.
When operatives searched the warehouse, they found hundreds of boxes of cigarettes without pertinent documents, Abrahano said.
Further investigation revealed that the areas of operation of the suspects reach Abucay and Balanga City through the help of unknown cohorts from Pampanga and Metro Manila, the CIDG officer added.
Chief Supt. Amador Corpus, CIDG director, lauded the operatives as he said the operation was conducted in line with President Duterte’s directive to strengthen law enforcement efforts against fraudulent products.
The seized items were brought to the CIDG Bataan provincial office for inventory, according to Abrahano. (Martin A. Sadongdong)
ALAMINOS CITY, Pangasinan: Police on Wednesday arrested Baguio City’s most wanted person dubbed as “killer maid” with her live-in partner in an entrapment operation on Dampay St., Poblacion, Alaminos City, Pangasinan.
Chief Supt. Romulo E. Sapitula, Ilocos police director, identified the suspect as Marites Rilloraza Judan, who is said to be notorious thief and murderer posing as housemaid. She was nabbed with her live-in partner, Manuel Carbonel Balangatan.
Judan is also known as “Marites Relloraza,” “Florence Macaalay,” “Marites de Guzman,” “Brenda Mendoza,” and “Brenda Ducusi” and is the primary suspect in the killing of 15-year-old Allery Wagayen of Pinsao Proper, Baguio City on May 24, 2016.
She was also linked to the recent robbery incidents in Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur, and has a qualified theft case in Bangar, La Union.(Freddie Lazaro)
CEBU CITY: The Department of Health (DoH) has recorded more than 2,000 dengue cases in Region 7 or Central Visayas in over a month.
From Jan. 1 to Feb. 2 this year, 2,132 dengue cases have been recorded and the DoH 7 is expecting the figures to further increase.
“The number of dengue cases for the first two months and first week of February are very, very high because that’s 154 percent higher than the previous year. Comparing the same periods this year and last year, dengue cases have more than doubled and we are expecting more,” said Dr. Jarvick Buscato, dengue program coordinator of the DoH Region 7.
Fourteen persons died from dengue last month while four have died so far this month. (Calvin D. Cordova)
CEBU CITY: Central Visayas has been dealing with measles outbreak since August last year.
But Department of Health Central Visayas Region 7 Director Jaime Bernadas said they have been conducting catch-up immunization after measles broke out in the region in the middle part of last year.
Bernadas said the outbreak first happened in Dumaguete City and it spread to neighboring towns in Negros Oriental.
A province-wide measles outbreak was declared, prompting the DoH Region 7 to conduct outbreak quick respond immunization.
A region-wide measles outbreak was then declared when the infectious disease spread to Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor.
The Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit-Central Visayas noted a more than 2,000 percent increase in measles cases from January to February this year compared to the same period last year. From January to February last year, there were only four reported cases of measles with zero casualty. But from January to Feb. 2 this year, 96 cases with one death were recorded in Region 7. (Calvin D. Cordova)