The Philippine Army has arrested an alleged official of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Camarines Sur.

Marilou Pascual Tan or alias Tinay is now in the custody of the Tinambac Municipal Police Station.

Authorities said Tinay is among the high-value individuals arrested for frustrated murder.

Tinay is allegedly the secretary of Komiteng Probinsya 2 of the Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC) of the CPP-NPA.

Police authorities recovered anti-personnel mines, hand grenades, .38 caliber gun, and propaganda materials.

Brigade Commander of the 902nd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, Col. Jaime Abawag Jr. said they managed to track Tinay down after receiving a tip from several residents.

“This development is a manifestation of the continuous collapse of the CTG (communist terrorist groups). Their very own people are now siding with the government and exposing their own top leaders who are supposedly well-insulated,” he said.

Abawag also encourages residents to immediately report suspicious individuals in their area. -AAC (with reports from Allan Manansala)

Naka-alerto na ang lokal na pamahalaan ng Camarines Sur sa posibleng pagkakaroon ng storm surge bunsod ng malakas na hanging dala ng bagyong Ambo.

Ayon sa Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), partikular nilang tinututukan ang coastal areas ng bayan ng Pasacao dahil sa matataas at naglalakihang along humahampas sa dalampasigan nito sa gitna ng pananalasa ng bagyong Ambo.

Una nang ibinabala ng Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) ang pagkakaroon ng hanggang apat na metrong storm surge o daluyong dahil sa bugso ng hanging dala ni Ambo.

Sa pinakahuling ulat ng PAGASA, huling namataan ang bagyo sa layong 40 kilometro sa katimugang bahagi ng Infanta, Quezon.

Taglay nito ang lakas ng hanging aabot sa 100 kilometro kada oras (kph) at pagbugsong nasa 140 kph. Kumikilos ito sa direksyon ng hilagang-kanluran sa bilis na 20 kph.

Ayon sa PAGASA, bahagyang humina ang bagyo matapos itong mag-landfall ng anim na beses.

Una itong tumama sa lupa sa San Policarpio, Eastern Samar noong Huwebes ng tanghali; sunod mga isla ng Dalupiri at Capul sa Northern Samar bandang Huwebes ng gabi; sunod sa Ticao at Burias Islands sa Masbate noong Biyernes ng madaling-araw at pang-huli sa San Andres, Quezon Biyernes ng umaga.

Inaasahang ngayong gabi, sa pagitan ng ala-singko at ala-siyete, ay muling tatama ang bagyo sa Real o Infanta, Quezon.

Ayon sa PAGASA, patuloy na makararanas ng malakas na pag-ulan ang mga lugar ng Quezon, Marinduque, Aurora, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya at Quirino.

Malakas na pag-ulan rin ang inaasahan ngayong gabi hanggang bukas, araw ng Sabado sa Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Central Luzon, Nueva Vizcaya at Quirino.

Babala ng PAGASA, maaari itong magdulot ng pagbaha at pagguho ng lupa kaya pinapayuhan ang lahat ng mga residente na mag-ingat at makinig sa abiso ng mga kinauukulan.

Malalaki rin ang mga alon sa mga lugar na may nakataas na babala ng bagyo.

Nasa ilalim ng signal number two ang mga sumusunod na lugar:

• Ilocos Norte
• Ilocos Sur
• La Union
• Apayao
• Abra
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• Benguet
• Eastern portion ng Pangasinan (San Nicolas, Natividad, San Quintin, Umingan, Balungao, Sta. Maria, Tayug, Asingan, San Manuel, Binalonan, Laoac, Urdaneta, Villasis, Rosales, Sto. Tomas, Alcala, Bautista, Bayambang, Urbiztondo, Basista, Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, Manaoag, Mapandan, San Jacinto, San Fabian, Pozorrubio, Sison, Mangaldan, Dagupan, Calasiao, Binmaley, Lingayen, Bugallon, Aguilar, San Carlos, Mangatarem)
• Tarlac
• Pampanga
• Metro Manila
• Bulacan
• Laguna
• Cavite
• Batangas
• Rizal
• Marinduque
• Northern portion ng Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta, Real, Mauban, Sampaloc. Lucban, Tayabas, Sariaya, Candelaria, Dolores, Tiaong, San Antonio, Lucena, Pagbilao, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Agdangan, Plaridel, Unisan, Gumaca, Pitogo, Macallelon, General Luna, Catanauan, Lopez, Buenavista, Guinayangan, Calauag, Tagkayawan, Perez, Alabat, Quezon)
• Polillo Islands
• Western portion ng Camarines Norte (Santa Elena, Capalonga)
• Nueva Ecija
• Nueva Vizcaya
• Aurora
• Quirino
• Western portion of Isabela (Quezon, Mallig, Roxas, Quirino, San Manuel, Burgos, Gamu, Reina Mercedes, Aurora, Luna Cabanatuan, Naguilian, Benito Soliven, Cauayan, San Guillermo, Dinapugue, San Mateo, Alicia, Angadanan, Ramon, San Isidro, Echague, Jones, San Agustin, Santiago, Cordon)

Nasa signal number 1 naman ang mga sumusunod na lugar:

• Cagayan kabilang ang Babuyan Islands
• Batanes
• Zambales
• Bataan
• Nalalabing bahagi ng Pangasinan
• Nalalabing bahagi ng Isabela
• Nalalabing bahagi ng Quezon
• Nalalabing bahagi ng Camarines Norte
• Western portion ng Camarines Sur (Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Libmanan, Cabusao), and the northeastern portion of Oriental Mindoro (Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Baco, Calapan, Naujan, Victoria, Socorro, Pola)

Dahil sa lakas ng hangin at ulang dala ni ‘Ambo’, nawalan ng kuryente ang ilang bahagi ng Camarines Sur, kabilang na ang mga bayan ng Canaman, Tinambac, at ilang parte ng Naga City.

Ayon sa PAGASA, inaasahang lalabas ng Philippine Area of Responsibility sa Lunes ng hapon. – RRD (may ulat mula kay Correspondent Allan Manansala)

CAMARINES SUR, Philippines – Police authorities in the municipality of Goa are tracking the source of fake banknotes circulating in the markets there.

This was after several sari-sari stores complained of being victimized by people paying fake P1,000 bills.

Based on initial investigation of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Goa, most of the victims were store owners in the upland area.

“Nakarecover kami ng bale apat po na P1,000 pesos na fake na magkapare-pareho ang serial number niya (We have recovered four pieces of fake P1,000 bill with the same serial number),” said PSSgt. Nestor Tuonan.

“Hanggang ngayon nagka-conduct po kami ng investigation para makuha namin kung saan po talaga galling o ang pinaka-source (We are currently conducting an investigation to identify the main source of the fake bills),” he added.

Authorities warn the public to be wary of accepting paper bills as lawless elements are taking advantage of the season to execute their modus operandi.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), meanwhile, advised the public that there are three ways to distinguish fake banknotes from the genuine ones.

One way is to feel the prints on the paper bill.

“Maliban doon sa pagiging rough niya kapag hinawakan natin ang mga salitang Republika ng Pilipinas itong number words sa baba, ang denomination, ang signature naka emboss ang prints nito,” explained BSP Bank Officer II Florinda Joson.

(Aside from the rough feel when you touch the words ‘Republika ng Pilipinas,’ these number words at the lower portion, the denomination, and the signature are embossed.)

“So kahit wala tayong machine na gagamitin napakaganda ng pakakagawa ng new generations currency. Mahirap siyang gayahin. Kailangan lang malaman ng ating mga kababayan kung ano ang mga dapat tinitingnan sa pera,” Joson said.

(So even without the machine, the features of the new generation currency are very sophisticated. It can’t be easily faked. It’s just that the public needs to know how to scrutinize a genuine paper bill.)

The BSP calls on the public to immediately notify them if they receive information on whoever is spreading such fake banknotes or inform the nearest police authority. – MNP (with details from Allan Manansala)