Work to retrieve oil from the MT Solar 1 that sank off the coast of Guimaras seven months ago began yesterday.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources officials yesterday boarded the Allied Shield tasked with retrieving oil from the MT Solar 1 to ensure its crew's compliance with environment precautions required by the Philippine government.

The Allied Shield, a vessel of Sonsub, an Italian firm specializing in deepwater operations, docked at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. port in Bacolod City Saturday night and sailed for the sink site yesterday morning to begin work

2 killed, another
hit by stray bullet
BY GILERT BAYORAN

Two men, one of them a dismissed militiaman, allegedly involved in series of robbery-hold-up incidents, were killed in a gunbattle with soldiers during the weekend in Brgy. Minapasok, Calatrava, the police said.

A civilian identified as Anthony Casipong was also hit by a stray bullet in his left foot. Supt. Edgardo Ordaniel, 611th Provincial Mobile Group director, yesterday identified the fatalities as former CAFGU member Norberto Gallego, 41, and his nephew, Crisanto Gallego, 36.

Monico links
Dante Ang to editorial
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella Saturday said the Manila newspaper that wrote an editorial Friday branding him as having a "perverse outlook" is owned by Dante Ang, the man who has been at the forefront of the call for a retake of the June 2006 Philippine nursing licensure examination for passers who want to go to the United States.

Ang, chairman of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas and former publisher of The Manila Times, recently convinced the US nursing board authorities to hold the National Council Licensure Examinations (NCLEX) in the Philippines.