the Department of National Defense attempting to approach the area. February 4 – Makati becomes a highly urbanized city through ratification of Republic Act 7854 which was approved last January 2. March March 14 – In a highly publicized trial, the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC), in its decision dated Mar. 11, convicts former Calauan, Laguna mayor Antonio Sanchez and six of his men for the deaths of two University of the Philippines Los Baños students in 1993, sentencing them to reclusión perpetua. March 17 – Flor Contemplacion, a household worker convicted of murder by the High Court of Singapore in 1994, is executed by hanging, causing diplomatic tensions between the Philippines and Singapore. April April 4 – Some 200 heavily armed men, ASG members and Moro National Liberation Front renegades, raid Ipil town, then part of Zamboanga del Sur; set afire and rob the town center; kill 53 people, with 5 reportedly from the government. The bandits later take about 52 civilians hostage as they retreat; by mid-April, they would reportedly kill 20 of them in the municipalities of Siocon, R.T. Lim, and Tungawan; 32 would escape. April 7 – Following Ipil raid, battles between combined government forces and ASG gunmen in Siocon and R.T. Lim towns reportedly kill 12 extremists in both encounters, as well as three militiamen and 5 civilian hostages in Siocon. April 30 – President Ramos inaugurates the opening of the 722-million-peso Subic International Airport (formerly a United States military base). This indicates growth after the removal of military bases in the country. May May 8: National legislative and local elections are held. Winning the most seats in the House of Representatives is the administration party Lakas–NUCD–UMDP, in the Senate is their national coalition with the oppositionist LDP. Majority of voters in Kalinga-Apayao ratified in a plebiscite RA 7878, signed on Feb. 14, converting the sub-provinces into new provinces of Kalinga (its capital will be Tabuk) and Apayao (new capital will be Kabugao). Muntinlupa becomes a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila through ratification of RA 7926 which was approved last March 1. May 16 – Overloaded inter-island ferry M/V Viva Antipolo VII catches fire and sinks in Tayabas Bay while approaching the port of Lucena; as of May 20, seventy passengers are killed, 52 others are reported missing. May 18 – Eleven Kuratong Baleleng crime syndicate members are killed in Quezon City in