Three members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and a soldier were killed on Thursday after government troops raided a suspected bomb-making factory of the bandit group in Basilan, military reports said. Navy Captain Roy Vincent Trinidad, Joint Task Group Zambasulta chief, said combined troops from the 3rd Scout Ranger…

Twenty-one of the 72 bodies retrieved from the deadly fire that gutted a Valenzuela factory on Wednesday were buried temporarily last night, GMA News reported. According to the report aired this morning, coffins containing the remains of the victims were numbered for identification and retrieval for subsequent DNA testing. After…

The Abu Sayyaf Group on Thursday freed a teacher they abducted in Zamboanga Sibugay last March, a military report said. Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Joint Task Group Sulu (AFP-JTGS) commander Col. Allan Arrojado said the victim, Reynadeth Bagonoc-Silvano, 31, was released at 7:30 a.m. in downtown Jolo. Arrojado said…

PADPAO membership is not a mandatory requirement for private security agencies (PSAs) applying for license to operate (LTO), Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA) affirmed. SecurityMatters obtained a copy of the letter addressed to Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio Abad in which SOSIA chief, PC/Supt.…

Firefighters have recovered over 70 bodies from the burnt rubber slipper factory in Valenzuela City, a Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) official confirmed. BFP regional director F/Sr. Supt. Sergio Soriano Jr. said that as of 1:40 p.m., fire officials have retrieved at least 72 bodies, most of which from the…

Four security guards have been slapped with administrative and criminal charges in relation to the Jolo Revilla shooting incident. Acting Muntinlupa police chief Senior Supt. Allan Nobleza said they have filed charges against three Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC) guards and a security guard from the Ayala Alabang Village…

The death toll in the deadly fire that razed a sandals factory in Sitio Gitna, Barangay Ugong in Valenzuela City Wednesday afternoon has reached 31, but 67 more factory workers remain unaccounted for, various reports said. Mayor Rex Gatchalian confirmed that firefighters who were able to penetrate the burnt building found…

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday expressed concern over the New People’s Army’s (NPA) recruitment of minors for combat following the surrender of an 11-year-old child-rebel from Mati City. The young rebel, who was identified as Michael Gabriel, alias Dodong, has reportedly joined the communist group when…