Baby from Bacolod killed,
family injured at NAIA, too
BY CARLA GOMEZ

An 18-month-old boy was killed and his mother, grandmother and 3-year-old cousin from Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod, were injured when they were hit by stray bullets when gunmen assassinated a Zamboanga del Sur town mayor and his wife at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 arrival area past 11 a.m. yesterday.

A bullet pierced the head of 18-month-old baby Phil Tomas Lirasan and killed him instantly.

Injured were his mother, Mary Ann Lirasan, 28, who was hit by a bullet in the left hand, grandmother Amalia Lirasan, 58, who was shot in the back, and cousin Dianne Uy, 3, who was also hit in the head, her father Danny Uy told the DAILY STAR.

Police tighten security
BY SHIELA GELERA

The police have tightened security in banks, pawnshops and jewelry shops in malls and markets in Bacolod City amid the holiday rush.

Supt. Jefferson Descallar, deputy police director for operations, said they visited malls and talked to managers and supervisors on their security measures, and listed additional security requirements the malls have to comply with, like more security personnel.

Four more uniformed police personnel in the morning and four in the afternoon will be deployed at the malls and other places of convergence, like markets, piers, terminals and churches, he said.

Bureaucratic red tape
delays cyber center
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Bureucratic red tape has delayed the release of the second phase loan of P157.5 million of the Negros Occidental provincial government for the completion of the Negros First CyberCentre in Bacolod City.

The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved on August 7 the loan earmarked for the purchase of a standby generator, air-conditioning and ventilation system, water and waste treatment facilities, site development, and passenger elevators for the Negros First CyberCentre.

However, the loan has yet to be availed of from the Development Bank of the Philippines.