DOE sees alleviation
of power woes in 2010
CHIZ WARNS OF
CRIPPLING EFFECT ON VISAYAS
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Alleviation of the power shortages in the Visayas is expected by the first quarter of next year yet, and, meanwhile, consumers are urged to conserve energy during peak hours, especially during Christmas, to prevent power outages, Director Antonio Labios of the Department of Energy Visayas Field Office, said yesterday.

The power shortages in the Visayas threaten the growth of the economies of key areas in the region, Senator Francis Escudero warned yesterday.

Bacolod City and other parts of the Visayas have been experiencing power outages, especially during peak hours.

A notorious robbery-hold-up suspect who is facing string of cases in court, was shot in the abdomen yesterday when he resisted arrest, and tried to shoot a policeman about to apprehend him in Silay City , Negros Occidental.

Supt. Jerry Bartolome, Silay police chief, said that Sam Michael Aguirre, alias Nognog, was rushed by his police captors to the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital .

Bartolome said a homemade .38 caliber revolver with four ammunition, a 12-inch bladed weapon and a black bonnet were recovered from Aguirre.

City Police Officer in Charge Senior Supt. Celestino Guara yesterday said that his office will check whether Ariff Gonzales, who was arrested Friday last week for allegedly holding up a former employee of Rexle Sizzlers in Bacolod City , is involved in other crimes.

Gonzales, the younger brother of businessman and mayoralty bet, Vladimir Gonzales, was temporarily released from detention after posting P100,000 as bail on Saturday, for the robbery charges filed against him.

Guara said he has received raw information that the description of Gonzales is similar to that of the suspect in some theft incidents, including that in a motel in the city, where some appliances were allegedly stolen.