Sexagenarian man drowns

A celebration turned into a tragedy when a sexagenarian man, attending the birthday party of his nephew, drowned in a river in Brgy. Cabug, Bacolod City, Saturday.

The fatality was identified as Manuel Villegas, 65, of Purok Sambag, Brgy. Alijis, Bacolod City, by Station 9 commander, Chief Insp. Placido Gentoleo.

April Carpentero, the wife of Villegas’ nephew Mark, said she saw her uncle taking a bath at the river near their house at noon but later did not see him anywhere.

Worried, she sought the help of their relative, Ariel Espares, to look for him. After several minutes of searching, they found him floating and already dead, Gentoleo said.

His family brought Villegas’ remains to the La Lourdes Funeral Homes and requested City Medico Legal Officer Ely Cong to conduct an autopsy on his body to ascertain the cause of his death, Gentoleo also said.

He said the family was wondering how Villegas drowned because the water in the river was not deep at the time.

Meanwhile, the woman who drowned at a beach resort in Brgy. Punta Taytay Monday remained unidentified as of yesterday.

Gentoleo said that if no one will claim her body, the management of Alisbo Memorial Chapels may decide to bury her at the City public cemetery.

The unidentified woman was clad in blue green shorts and brown T-shirt. Her body was found floating in the shorelines of Brgy. Punta Taytay, Bacolod at about 4:30 p.m. Monday by some passersby. She was also described to be between 20 to 25 years old, about five feet in height and with a dark complexion.*APN

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‘Robber’ killed, two cops
hurt in grenade explosion

ILOILO CITY – A suspected robber was killed and two police officers were injured in a grenade blast in an apartment building at E. Lopez Street in Jaro district, Iloilo City, at about 1 a.m. Saturday.

Chief Insp. Gilbert Gorrero, chief of Jaro Police Station 2, identified the fatality as Gilbie Prinsipe, alias "Bebey," from Barangay Awa, Pototan, Iloilo, who had several pending warrants of arrest.

Injured were Police Officer 3 Fidel Mosqueto and PO1 Christian Lava, who sustained shrapnel wounds.

Investigation showed that the grenade exploded inside an apartment on Del Carmen Street in Jaro, where the fatality hid when chased by policemen after refusing to stop for a checkpoint at E. Lopez Street, also in Jaro.

Gorrero said police manning the checkpoint flagged down the suspect on board a motorcycle, but instead of stopping, he sped away, prompting the cops to give chase.

Gorrero said they did not know that the suspect had a grenade. Police also recovered a .45 caliber pistol and P29,000 cash from Prinsipe, who had warrants of arrest for robbery and hold-up cases in the city and province of Iloilo.

Police believe that the suspect might have accidentally dropped or had loosened his hold on the grenade.*PNA

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