Metro Pacific wants to
buy into Riverside
PANGILINAN EYES MAJORITY STAKE
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Metro Pacific Investments Corp. headed by Manuel Pangilinan has expressed interest in buying into the Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital in Bacolod City, Dr. Hector Torre, DPOTMH president and chairman of the board, confirmed yesterday.

But Torre said there is no truth to the rumors that the hospital, also known as the Riverside Medical Center, has already been sold and department heads are being asked to submit their resignations.

Pangilinan is still looking into buying the majority shares of the DPOTMH, which would bring fresh infusion of funds to further upgrade the hospital to the level of the Makati Medical Center, or even better, Torre said.

Lightning killed five persons and injured two others in Barangay Inapoy, Mabinay, Negros Oriental, yesterday, DYEZ Aksyon Radyo reported.

Riolita Dominguez, who was interviewed by DYEZ at the Lorenzo D. Zayco District Hospital in Kabankalan City, said the victims and five others were harvesting rice when it started to rain and they took shelter in a hut.

She said at about 12:30 p.m. yesterday, lighting struck the hut once, killing the five and injuring two, including her husband, Jose Domiguez, who was brought to the Kabankalan hospital.

Four Palawan fishermen who had been drifting at sea for more than a month after the engine of their pumpboat conked out on Aug. 10 were rescued in Cagayancillo waters Wednesday.

The four who are from Indalawan, Balabac, Palawan, are Tualot Libating, 43, owner operator of MV Sea Baby Wing, Ameril  Culele, 21, Tonton Palayu, 14, and Jee Can, 14, administrator designate of Hinobaan town, Jose Candulizas said yesterday.

Candulizas said Rogelio Jimenez, a fisherman of Culipapa, Hinobaan, was in Cagayancillo waters between Hinobaan and Palawan when he saw the four fishermen drifting on their pumpboat and towed them back to Hinobaan.