TMU forms task force
vs. colorum vehicles

The Bacolod City Police Office Traffic Management Unit recently formed an Anti-Colorum Task Force to run after undocumented taxis and other public utility vehicles plying the city’s main thoroughfares, TMU head, Chief Insp. Levy Pangue, said yesterday.

Pangue disclosed that he has assigned 10 organic members of the Bacolod Traffic Authority to man the task force, which had started its initial operation two weeks ago.

Aside from the BTAO personnel, Pangue also said they deputized some members of the Association of United Taxi Operators in Negros to help them neutralize the drivers of these colorum vehicles.

He said they decided to form the task force following complaints from legitimate taxi and PUV operators in the city, that there are public transport vehicles with no licenses from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

It’s not fair, Pangue said, as the operators of the colorum taxis and PUVs are not paying anything to the LTFRB, while the legitimate operators of public transports are paying fees for permits to operate.

The operation of colorum taxis and PUVs is also against the law, he stressed.*APN

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2 drug suspects nabbed

Two drug suspects were apprehended by the Bacolod City police in barangays 18 and Villamonte yesterday.

Arrested were Samuel Sumagaysay, “alias Buknoy”, 29, of Purok Amor in Brgy. Villamonte and Leah Aldea, 39, of Purok Interior in Brgy. 18.

Aldea was arrested by the team of Police Officer 3 Nestor Mioten, police officers 2 Michael Damilao, Inocencio Batislaong and Elton Exaltado near her residence at about 1 p.m. yesterday.

BCPO Warrant and Subpoena Section chief, Senior Police Officer 1 Gilbert Linda, said Aldea was arrested on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 47 Judge Edgar Garvilles.

About three hours later, operatives of the BCPO Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group arrested Sumagaysay near his residence in a buy-bust operation, CAID-SOTG team leader Senior Insp. Joemarie Occeño said.

Occeño said they arrested Sumagaysay when he handed a plastic sachet of suspected shabu to one of their operatives, who acted as a poseur-buyer in exchange for P300.

He added that they also confiscated three improvised tooters, a bamboo clip, three disposable lighters and a pair of scissors from Sumagaysay.

An operative of the CAID-STOG, who requested anonymity said that Sumagaysay was not on their watchlist as his name had just come out several months ago.*APN

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Robber apprehended in Talisay

A man was apprehended for robbery by operatives of the Talisay police headed by Supt. Thomas Joseph Martir, chief of police, Wednesday, a Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office press release said yesterday.

Martir identified the suspect as Ernesto Matandak, 37, of Zone 13, Barangay Concepcion, Talisay City, Negros Occidental.

The apprehension was by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Manuel Cardinal Jr. of the  Regional Trial Court Branch 49, Bacolod City, dated Dec. 13, 2010.

Matandak is still detained for failure to post a bail bond of P24,000, the press release added.*

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