MANILA – A South Korean fugitive who escaped custody last March 4 has been rearrested, along with his accomplice, in Pampanga.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Sunday (09 Mar 2025) that Na Ikhyeon was located in a residential area in Barangay Pampang, Angeles City. His cohort, Kang Changbeom, was also apprehended during the operation.

In a press conference, BI Commissioner Joel Viado confirmed the arrests took place early Sunday morning.

Kang is believed to have assisted Na in his escape, as evidenced by CCTV footage and intelligence reports. Further investigation by the Korean National Police Agency revealed that Kang is also a wanted fugitive in South Korea for fraud.

Both suspects will be transferred to the BI detention facility at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. Due to their escape attempt, they will now be considered high-risk detainees, and “special arrangements” will be made for their security.

Additionally, three BI employees who assisted Na’s escape have been terminated.

ia/mnm

By Liza Soriano

MANILA — On Monday, December 9, 2024, the Senate passed on third and final reading the bill recognizing Pampanga as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines.

Senator Mark Villar, sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2797, vowed that Pampanga’s declaration as the country’s food capital is just the first of many efforts by the Senate to recognize and enrich the nation’s culinary treasures.

“This recognition of Pampanga is a way of celebrating its extraordinary influence on Filipino food, while still honoring the cultural diversity that makes our nation’s cuisine so rich and vibrant,” Villar said.

“We will continue to boost our nation’s culinary pride by recognizing Filipino destinations that are significantly contributing to the continuous enrichment and development of Filipino cuisine,” he added.

The bill directs the Department of Tourism to feature and promote Pampanga as the country’s culinary capital in all its regional and national promotion programs.

Senator Lito Lapid, author of the bill, said Pampanga has long been recognized for its exceptional culinary heritage, making it a deserving candidate for the title.

“The culinary arts of Pampanga are not only significant in preserving Filipino culture but are also integral to the country’s tourism industry. The province has become a ‘must-include’ destination in culinary tourism within the Philippines, attracting both local and international tourists who seek to experience authentic Filipino flavors,” Lapid said.

Ia/mnm

MANILA — Authorities rescued 187 foreign and Filipino workers during a raid at a Philippine Overseas Gaming Operator (POGO) center in Pampanga province on Tuesday night.

In a report on Wednesday (05 June 2024), the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) revealed that its members, along with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Special Action Force, and local police, executed a search warrant operation against the Lucky South 99 compound located along Friendship Highway in Angeles City.

The Malolos City Regional Trial Court Branch 14 issued the search warrant based on reports of human trafficking, torture, and scam activities occurring within the establishment.

“The reports we received indicated that individuals were being tortured here. They were struck with baseball bats and kicked. We also have a video allegedly showing a woman being forced to dance and abused by the bosses,” PAOCC spokesperson Winston John Casio said in a television interview.

A total of 157 foreigners, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Myanmar, and Korean workers, were rescued, along with 29 Filipinos.

PAOCC stated that all rescued foreigners are now undergoing biometric checks by the Bureau of Immigration.

(el Amigo/MNM)

The Macapagals

(Left to right, Young Gloria Macapagal, President Macapagal, EVa Macapagal)

On September 28, 1910, Diosdado Pangan Macapagal, 9th President of the Philippines serving from 1961 to 1965, was born in Lubao, Pampanga.

Known as the “Poor Boy from Lubao”, Macapagal, who finished law at the University of Santo Tomas through assistance from a friend, topped the 1936 Bar examinations with a score of 89.95 percent.

He was the father of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the 14th President of the Philippines.

President Macapagal earned his Master of Laws degree in 1941, a Doctor of Civil Law degree in 1947, and a Ph.D. in Economics in 1957.

Among his most significant career achievements was the abolition of tenancy accompanying the land reform program in the Agricultural Land Reform Code of 1963 which underscored his endeavor to fight mass poverty.

Macapagal changed the Philippine Independence Day from July 4 to June 12 which symbolized his policy of promoting and achieving true independence from foreign domination. He placed the peso on the free currency exchange market, and liberalized foreign exchange and import controls.

Macapagal also served as vice president in 1957 in the administration of President Carlos P. Garcia. He defeated Garcia in his reelection bid in the 1961 elections.

He also became representative of the first district of Pampanga in 1949 and was consistently selected by the Congressional Press Club as one of the Ten Outstanding Congressmen during his tenure. He was selected as “the Best Lawmaker” in his second term in Congress.

In 1965, Macapagal lost his reelection bid to President Ferdinand Marcos.

Macapagal was elected president of the Constitutional Convention which would later draft what became the 1973 Constitution.

Macapagal, who devoted much of his time to reading and writing books in his retirement, died of heart failure, pneumonia, and renal complications on April 21, 1997. He was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Source: Philippine News Agency archives

(By Jr Amigo/ai/mnm)