IN BRIEF

BFAR warns vs. red tide in Bohol, Zambo

THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has warned the public against eating shellfish and shrimps that may be contaminated with red tide in the coastal waters of Bohol and Zamboanga del Sur.

In a bulletin issued on Wednesday, the BFAR said that shellfish samples collected and tested from the coastal waters of Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol; as well as Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur were still positive for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) or red tide toxin beyond the regulatory limit.

“All types of shellfish and Acetes sp. or alamang gathered from the area shown above are not safe for human consumption,” the bulletin stated.

Villagers living in these areas were cautioned from harvesting, selling, buying and eating these kinds of seafood.

Meanwhile, the agency noted that other marine species such as fish, and squids among others were safe provided that they were cleaned thoroughly.

“Fish, squids, shrimps, and crabs are for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” it added.

Remulla on NBI snafu: Nobody is o the hook

JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday said nobody is off the hook in the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) controversy involving sexy dancers during the agency’s command conference on June 30.

Remulla issued the statement as he said Department of Justice investigators will review the videos of the dance performances that marred the summit meeting.

When asked if NBI director Medardo De Lemos was off the hook as he was already gone during the performances, Remulla said, “No,” adding that nobody was off the hook.

“We’re looking into it and we’re weighing it.

We will check how obscene all the videotapes of the performances are. If this is really bad to have happened in a gathering of NBI officials,” Remulla said at a media briefing.

Remulla previously said three women performed during the meeting with top officials of the agency in attendance, including De Lemos.

De Lima drug case ra led off anew

THE remaining drug case against former Senator Leila de Lima has been raffled off to another Muntinlupa court, her lawyer said. Filibon Tacardon, De Lima’s legal counsel, said the case went to Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 206 Presiding Judge Gener Gito.

The change of venue came after Judge Romeo Buenaventura inhibited from the case on allegations that he failed to disclose that his brother had served as a lawyer for the late Oriental Mindoro lawmaker Reynaldo Umali. Umali led a congressional inquiry in 2016 into De Lima’s alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison in exchange for election campaign funds. The case was then raffled off to Branch 204 Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara, who acquitted De Lima in another drug case. However, Alcantara also recused himself from the case after the prosecution moved for his inhibition “to ensure a just and fair administration of justice.”

SHORING UP LAPU-LAPU. A backhoe hauls soil near the monument of the national hero Lapu-lapu at Luneta Park in Manila on Wednesday. The monument is scheduled to be dismantled soon due to structural concerns both within and beneath the monument that needs to be rectified, and will soon be reassembled by its own artist, Juan Sajid Imao and his team. Danny Pata