DEATH OF CYCLIST
Raps set to be filed
versus driver -- kin

The family of Paulo Maapni, the cyclist who died Wednesday after a passenger jeepney hit him and his three friends on Sunday at the Bacolod-Murcia Road, yesterday said they will file charges for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide before the Bacolod City Prosecutor’s office Monday against the driver.

Maapni’s uncle, Crispin Chua, said Jean Maapni, the mother of Paulo, already executed a complaint affidavit for the filing of the charges.

Chua added that his nephew’s remains is now at the Alisbo Memorial Chapels and will be laid to rest at the Greenhills Memorial Park in Bacolod after a 1:30 p.m. mass  tomorrow at the Queen of  Peace Parish at the Capitol Shopping Center.

Maapni, 22, of Las Palmas Subdivision, Bacolod City, with Joedito Gasendo, 43, Joefran Gasendo, 34, both also of Las Palmas, and Philip Gabanzos, 34, of Brgy. Poblacion, Bago City, Negros Occidental, were injured when the jeepney driven by Nelson Llamera, 55, of Zone 4, Murcia town hit them.

Maapni, who was the son of former Chinese Chamber Assistant Fire Chief Danny Maapni and not of Amity as earlier reported, died due to head injuries four days after the incident at the intensive care unit of the Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital in Bacolod City.*APN

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Gaverza, Amat get promotions

Brig. Gen. Josue Gaverza was promoted to  major general after his short stint as commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade in Murcia town, Negros Occidental, a military report said yesterday.

Gaverza, who has a two-star position and is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1978, is now the commander of the Army Support Command.

He joined other PMA Class ’78 members, including Army chief Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit and Major Generals Ralph Villanueva, AFP Central Command chief, and Vicente Porto, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, now occupying key positions in the AFP.

Newly-promoted Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Amat, 3rd ID deputy commander, also joined other Army generals who took their oath at Malacañang Palace on Thursday.

Bangit, in a statement, reminded the newly-promoted generals that their new ranks entail greater responsibilities, especially now that the campaign against the New People’s Army is at its  peak. *GPB

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PDEA to tackle plans
for Yuletide season

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 6 Plans and Operations chief, Intelligence Officer 2 Cerilo Baluma, said yesterday he will meet PDEA operatives in Negros Occidental in preparation for the yuletide season.

Baluma, who just came from a law enforcement seminar in Thailand, said he will meet his operatives on Monday to discuss their plans on how to curb the possible upsurge of drug demand and supply during the holidays.

While the drug demand and supply is expected to rise during the holiday season, Baluma said they do not foresee any increase in drug supply for the upcoming elections.

He said that based on his experience being in the PDEA for eight years, drug supply is scarce during the election period.

Meanwhile, Baluma said that random drug testing in schools is a must, so that authorities will know who among the students are using illegal drugs.

The Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Health have started random drug testing in schools in the provinces of Aklan and Antique, while random drug tests in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental are slated next week.

Baluma noted that whenever they have a symposium, they  encourage the school administrators to conduct random drug tests among their students.*APN

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