Zambales mayor hurt, 2 killed in bus collision

The wreckage of the Mitsubishi Estrada pickup that carried Mayor Elvis Soria of San Marcelino, Zambales. The pickup collided head-on with a Daewoo passenger bus that traversed the opposite lane along the national highway in Barangay Pamatawan in Subic town at about 2 a.m. Wednesday. Soria survived the accident but two of his companions died on the spot. ALLAN MACATUNO/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON

SUBIC, Zambales–The mayor of San Marcelino town in Zambales province was seriously injured while two others were killed when their vehicle was struck by a bus here on Wednesday, police said. The black Mitsubishi Estrada pick-up truck that carried Mayor Elvis Soria, 52, collided head-on with an approaching Daewoo passenger bus along the national highway in Barangay (village) Pamatawan here 2 a.m., said PO3 Felix Laron, investigator in Subic police station.

The south-bound bus driven by Noly Ebidag Jr., 36, crossed into the opposite lane, and was the reason for the collision, Laron said. Arlan Pascasio, the truck driver, and another passenger, Manuel Rodriguez, were killed on the spot. Soria and his security aide, Ernesto Cudia, survived. According to Soria’s relatives, the mayor was admitted to the intensive care unit of Baypointe Hospital and Medical Center in Subic Bay Freeport but is already in stable condition.

Police arrested the bus driver who admitted he was drunk. Ebidag is now facing charges of multiple homicide, serious physical injuries and damage to property. CDG

‘Floating shabu lab’ intercepted in Subic waters

SUBIC, Zambales – Authorities on Monday (July 11) night intercepted a foreign vessel suspected of being used to manufacture and ship shabu (methamphetamine hydrocloride) into the country. Agents from the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP), who led the operation, boarded the vessel off the coastline of this town at about 9 p.m. to search for shabu. Four Chinese nationals from Hong Kong on board the ship and suspected of being involved in drug smuggling were arrested. Police found a plastic bag containing suspected shabu weighing about 500 grams from one of the Chinese.

Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, chief of Philippine National Police, arrived here at around midnight to check on the operation.

 “We received an intelligence report that this vessel is being used to transport shabu coming from overseas,” Dela Rosa told reporters. He said the ship could have also been used as a laboratory to produce shabu. Police found a plastic bag containing suspected shabu weighing about 500 grams from one of the Chinese who were arrested in a foreign vessel that was suspected of being used to produce and transport shabu into the country.

According to Dela Rosa, they will check if the seized vessel is connected to the recovered 180 kilograms of suspected shabu in Claveria town in Cagayan province.

Two firms lose license to mine in Zambales

Environment Sec. Gina Lopez warns there could be more suspensions in the future for mining companies that would violate the law.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The government has suspended the licenses of two mining companies after finding several violations in their Zambales operations. Gina Lopez, the new Environment Secretary and a well-known anti mining advocate, said there could be more such suspensions in the future.

Operations of BenguetCorp Nickel Mines, Inc. and Zambales Diversified Metals Corp., were suspended in Sta. Cruz, Zambales on Friday. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said the joint suspension order was needed to "ensure that the environment, particularly the communities, farmlands and water bodies, are not in any way compromised as a result of the mining operations."
Based on its audit, the MGB said the miners had to rehabilitate the farms, fish ponds and bodies of water contaminated by the mine. Their owners must be compensated for the damage.

BenguetCorp Nickel Mines and Zambales Diversified Metals must also address issues with their tree-cutting and earth-balling operations. Moreover, their mined-out areas need to be rehabilitated and closed properly. They must set aside funds with the government as an assurance they will carry out the decommissioning of the mines as planned.

Lastly, BenguetCorp Nickel Mines and Zambales Diversified Metals were accused of leaving roads damaged and unfinished. Their mine haul road must be completed, and all other roads around their hauling operations must be fully repaired, the MGB said. The suspension order was based on a Writ of Kalakasan issued by the Supreme Court, as well as an Executive Order issued by the provincial
government of Zambales. They were prompted by repeated complaints of environmental degradation from various groups.

The parent firm of BenguetCorp Nickel Mines is listed on the stock exchange. Benguet Corp.'s share prices dove 5.47% onFriday, after the suspension was announced. The audit on BenguetCorp Nickel Mines and Zambales Diversified Metals began long before Lopez was appointed the new Environment Secretary. But the suspensions come at a time when the industry is feeling jittery
amid sweeping, anti-mining statements Lopez has made immediately upon assuming her post.

Lopez told CNN Philippines there would be more audits coming. She has signed an order to review all operating and suspended mines this month. "The audit is in line with [President Rodrigo Duterte's] pronouncement to review mining concessions, and in the interest of the common good, and to address the concerns of impoverished communities," she said in a text message on Friday. She assured, \] though, that the audits will be "done under the rule of law," following due process.

Mining shares fell another 1.7% on Friday.

Waiting for UN ruling, PH fishers turn nervous

SUBIC, Zambales—The long wait for a United Nations tribunal ruling on the maritime row between the Philippines and China over the West Philippine Sea has made local fishermen jittery.
The fishermen, who were driven away by Chinese coast guards from their traditional
fishing grounds in the past, said they were preparing for the worst should Chinese
patrols in the Scarborough Shoal turn more aggressive.
“We are worried that China will not accept the ruling. It’s going to be a scary
situation for fishermen like us,” said Efren Medrano, chair of the Lanao-Bangan
Fishermen’s Association in the capital town of Iba, on Wednesday.
He said some fishermen have been skirting the Scarborough Shoal to avoid
encounters with the Chinese coast guards. “There are fishermen who opted to stay
within the provincial waters where they could make a living through the use of
‘payaw’ (artificial reef),” he said.
Despite their fears, many fishermen have been expressing hope that the UN ruling
would help ease the tension in the West Philippine Sea, he said.
“We would like to think that winning the arbitration case would embolden us to return to the shoal. But we’re still prepared for any eventuality,” Medrano said.
Chinese intrusion in the West Philippine Sea prompted the Philippines to sue China in the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2013.
Invoking the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), the Philippines asked the
tribunal to invalidate China’s so-called nine-dash-line claim that covered 90 percent of the South China Sea, and demanded respect for the right to exploit resources within its exclusive economic zone.
The Philippine action angered China, which refused to take part in the arbitration. Fishermen from Barangay Calapandayan here have been taking advantage of the leniency of Chinese coast guards in the last two months to fish near the shoal. Based on accounts given by crew of fishing boats that frequented the shoal, the Chinese coast guards have stopped harassing Filipino fishermen in the area.
On Wednesday, a group of fishermen left for the shoal. Reynaldo Bico, 48, captain of
fishing boat “Anna Marie,” said he was doubtful that the Chinese coast guards would
leave the shoal should the Philippines win the UN case.
“We are just hoping that we would be able to freely fish around the shoal once the
UN ruling is out,” said Bico, who is among the fishermen who had been chased away
by Chinese patrols.
“While we are pleased that our government is doing something diplomatic to ease the tension, we can’t help but be frightened by the long-term effects of the UN verdict,” he said.