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5/25/2013
A DOUBLE LIFE ENDS

        Two days before she was killed, Rohama “Ramram” Luage received roses and a farewell. “I love you. Goodbye,” said the note. It was given at dinner in a local restaurant by the man she had tried to break off with after a five-year relationship made riskier by the fact that he was married and a government official in Cebu City. The murder of Luage, 32, who was found on Thursday with a bullet through her hear...
5/25/2013
Agnes Manila paper to cover Gwen notebooks

        Will thousands of notebooks bearing the smiling image of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia reach school kids in time for the opening of classes? Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said the school supplies will be distributed but “the notebook's front cover will be wrapped with manila paper.” Auditors earlier questioned the presence of P19 milllion worth of idle school supplies found in a bodega of the Capito...
5/25/2013
Marina wraps up probe on Yellow Submarine

  Findings may help crafting new regulations for submersible watercraft     INVESTIGATORS of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) were in Cebu this week to look into the Yellow Submarine, which was videotaped hitting a wall of corals in the municipal waters of Lapu-Lapu City in April. Two investigators from Manila, Romeo Banguis and John Guardaya, started their inquiry last May 21. They didn’t disclose their findi...
5/25/2013
Police to file estafa raps vs suspects

        Con artists who fooled several businesses in Metro Cebu into delivering over P6 million in goods before the May 13 election are still in Cebu, according to police investigators. So far, no sign of the bulk supplies or vehicles used by the swindlers have been seen being loaded onto inter-island vessels, said Insp. Jose Nilo Abello of the Theft and Robbery Section of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office. He said ...
5/25/2013
Aspin to compete in national dog show

        Who would have thought that an aspin or asong Pinoy, a mixed breed mongrel, rescued from the streets would take centerstage in dog shows? Two years ago, “Amiga” was found by Ryan Ong Cabahug outside his house in Mandaue City. He decided to rescue the female aspin puppy and train her like his other pure-bred dogs in K9 Cebu Agility Run Enthusiast (K9CARE), a dog-training facility he runs. Last year, Amiga j...
5/25/2013
Cebu City taps DOTC’s help

        Cebu City Hall has sought the help of the Department of Transportation and Comunication (DOTC) to study the feasibility of bike lanes in the city. In response, a DOTC official asked for a project brief so the proposal has a chance of being included for funding under the Special Vehicle Pollution Control Fund (SVPCF). Non-motorized transport, which would include bicycles, was not part of the Metro Cebu trans...
5/25/2013
Students, tutors make do with unsafe Busay school

        DESPITE the bad roads leading to the school and unsafe structures, more than 100 students are enrolled at the Busay Elementary School in the hills of Cebu City. They have no choice but to use the area while authorities look for a relocation site, said the principal Phamela Oliva. Oliva pointed to cracks in the walls caused by the shifting ground foundation. The comfort rooms had cracks big enough for a pen ...
5/25/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        ANIMAL DISPLAYS The Cebu City Council was asked to pass an ordinance to prohibit the display of wildlife in malls, hotels, and even establishments which have permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Dr. Alice Utlang, city veterinarian, said the display of these animals for tourists may give children the wrong idea about environment protection. “There are groups that display wild ...
5/25/2013
‘Cap’ was a good leader, husband’

        THE death of barangay captain Rey Oybenes, 39, left his family and residents of barangay Mabini in deep shock. He was finishing his last term as barangay captain this year after serving 19 years, and was described as a kind, dedicated leader who was easy to approach. Mimi Oybenes, 42, his eldest sibling said she was expecting her brother to show up for a business meeting with her in a dimsum restaurant in B...
5/24/2013
‘SORRY FOR DAMAGE’

  Korean manager apologizes for Yellow Submarine hitting corals in Lapu-Lapu city     An apology for damaging corals in the sea off Mactan finally came two weeks after a Korean-owned tourist submarine was grounded and its losses reached P8 million based on its estimates. “We would like to apologize for the trouble that the Yellow Submarine has caused,” said Jun Kim, general manager, in a May 9 letter to Lapu-Lapu City...
5/24/2013
BO-PK, Pelaez file poll protests before Comelec

        Four Cebuano candidates filed their election protests yesterday beating a deadline 10 days after the automated elections held across the country. In Cebu City, the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) sought a recount of votes cast for mayor and vice-mayor to include the 20 rejected ballots. In Lapu-Lapu City businessman Efrain Pelaez Jr. filed an election protest against Mayor Paz Radaza while mayoral can...
5/24/2013
Mayor consoles Joavan in Cebu jail visit

        AFTER being “welcomed” by inmates last Wednesday, Joavan Fernandez received some food and consolation from his visiting adopted father, Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez yesterday. The mayor, a lawyer and Joavan’s wife chatted with Joavan at the visiting area for 15 minutes. “They cannot stay long because of the time limits for visitors,” said Senior Insp. Dennis Aliño, acting warden of the Cebu provinc...
5/24/2013
More victims of P6-million scam surface Mandaue cops to join probe

        The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office yesterday continued to receive complaints from victims who said they were swindled by Aljohn Abrenica, one of the suspects in a P6 million scam involving unfunded checks. After a photo of Abrenica and his alleged cohort Anabelle Booc Igot appeared in Cebu Daily News front page, the paper also got a call from a lawyer who said her client recognized Abrenica as the one who disa...
5/24/2013
Capitol officials waiting to reopen, clean up gov’s office

        Is it time to unlock the Governor's Office now? Capitol officials have not pegged a date to break the seals and reopen the office of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia which was shut down on Jan. 30 to prevent her from continuing a four-week stay-in protest. Both sides are waiting for June 19. That's the day after her six-month suspension by the Office of the President officially ends – unless another event i...
5/24/2013
Agnes mulls over P67M payment for Suroy Suroy buses

        The payment for 26 new Suroy Suroy tourist buses from China ordered by suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia still hangs in the balance. Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale said she will consult her lawyers and decide whether to authorize payment of P67.6 million. “I want to be careful with the payment but we want this fixed as soon as possible,” said Magpale. Garcia signed the contract with ConEquip Philippines for the b...
5/24/2013
Young suspends demolition in Apas

        AFTER stopping clearing operations at the fire site in sitio Bato, barangay Ermita, acting Mayor Joy Augustus Young suspended the demolition of a stage owned by a homeowners group in sitio Mahayahay, barangay Apas in Cebu City. “The consent of the homeowners must be secured along with a permit from the Capitol,” Young said. He said there was no court order for the demolition. The stage in sitio Mahayahay...
5/24/2013
Classroom shortage, half-day classes await school opening

        Due to a shortage of classrooms, most, if not all, of the public elementary and high schools in Cebu City will continue to hold two class shifts per day when the school year opens on June 3, said Acting Mayor Joy Augustus Young. However, holding classes in morning and afternoon shifts would affect night high schools which are supposed to start classes at 4 p.m. Young, outgoing vice mayor and chair of the Ci...
5/24/2013
Another dept head ready to go 2,000 employees may face axe

        CEBU City’s chief veterinarian is ready to move out if the reelected mayor relieves her from her post. “It’s okay if I’m transferred, but I will not resign,” said Dr. Alice Utlang, head of the Department for Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF). She was one of six City Hall managers who openly disapproved of the loyalty check made by Mayor Michael Rama who asked department heads at the height of the ele...
5/24/2013
Young I'll stay as mayor unless Rama shows up

        HIS designation as acting mayor ends today but Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said he will continue his temporary role until Mayor Michael Rama shows up in City Hall. Rama is due back in the country today but is still on a 22-day post-election vacation leave which started last Monday. “He (Rama) should show his face. Unless he shows his face, I will still be acting mayor,” said Young. Rama’s memor...
5/24/2013
‘Face-to-face trial may speed up cases’

        To declog court dockets and speed up civil cases that can take three to eight years to resolve, the Supreme Court (SC) is proposing changes in the Rules of Civil Procedure. One way is to require parties to undergo two-stage mediation before actually filing a case in court. Another is to have “face-to-face” trials where witnesses from opposite camps sit around a table in court and answer questions put forth ...
5/24/2013
Cold front to bring rain, cloudy skies

        Manila—The tips of a cold front originating from China will bring cloudy skies and light rains to Northern Luzon, the state weather bureau said on Thursday. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the diffused tail-end of a cold front was affecting Northern Luzon. In its weather outlook for Friday, the bureau said the regions of Ilocos, Cordillera and Cagayan ...
5/24/2013
Village chief, woman found dead

        The woman was found with a gunshot wound near her heart. Police recovered her body yesterday down a mountain slope in Balamban town where she was tossed over a cliff by a man who turned up dead hours later, bathed in blood, sitting alone with a pistol on his lap in a parked pickup truck. The double deaths of 30-year-old Rahoma Luage and barangay captain Rey Oybenes of Mabini, Cebu City shocked those who kne...
5/23/2013
FEW CLUES

        An empty house, unfunded checks, and ID photos are all that's left of a group of con artists who disappeared after a buying spree that left several suppliers in Metro Cebu poorer by at least P6 million. A few clues are being followed by Lapu-Lapu City police, who said they believe six persons were involved, not just a man and a woman. A photo ID of one suspect, Aljohn Abrenica, who signed several of the pos...
5/23/2013
Joavan gets ‘welcome’ from Cebu inmates

        Taunts and threats greeted Joavan Fernandez when he was escorted by police to the Cebu provincial jail at 11:45 a.m. yesterday. “Joavan bayot, putlan ka namo og liog, mag star dancer naka diha, himoon ka namo og balbacua (Joavan you're gay, we'll cut your neck. We'll make you a star dancer. We'll make you into a pork dish),” some inmates shouted at him. Joavan's foster father, Talisay City Mayor Socrates F...
5/23/2013
Council overrides Rama veto on workers’ allowances

        HE'S mayor for a second term, but the majority of the Cebu City Council is still not on his side. The City Council yesterday rejected Mayor Michael Rama's decision to veto an ordinance to distribute allowances of barangay workers on a monthly basis. On a vote of 13 to three, the city council, which is dominated by the mayor's critics in the Bando Osmena- Pundok Kauswagan, mustered more than the required two...
5/23/2013
Cebu City legal chief quits post after election

        HE'S on official leave, but City Legal Officer Joseph Bernaldez isn't waiting for Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to kick him out. Bernaldez resigned effective May 15 while still on leave. Lyndon Basan heads the city's legal office in an acting capacity. “I know that my term is co-terminus and its ends on June 30 based on protocol,” Bernaldez said. Bernaldez was among those who reportedly walked out of a m...
5/23/2013
Mauling victim’s kin appeals for justice

        The family and friends of shoplifting suspect Mario Alfie Ducayag held a prayer rally yesterday to call for justice for his death allegedly at the hands of security officers of a downtown department store in Cebu City. About 10 people wearing black T-shirts gathered in front of the Gaisano Metro Colon and lighted 40 candles to mark the 40th day of the death of 23-year-old Ducayag. “Wala mi laing gipangayo k...
5/23/2013
Clearing stopped in Ermita fire site

        CLEARING operations in the fire site in sitio Bato, barangay Ermita were ordered suspended following reports of renewed tension between affected families and the team tasked to clear the area. Acting Cebu City Mayor Joy Augustus Young handed his order to City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete to suspend clearing operations after sitio Bato residents blocked the clearing team. Policemen were also fielded to m...
5/23/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        WRONG FUND FOR TEACHERS’ P10,000 ASSISTANCE P10,000 financial assistance to public school teachers given last December by the Cebu city government was apparently charged to the wrong fund. The Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) upheld the Commission on Audit's (COA) position that it can’t be taken from the Special Education Fund (SEF) of the city. Acting BGLF director Salvador del Castillo said ...
5/23/2013
Veco to move messy wires underground

        With elections over, the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) is set to implement its P50-million underground cabling system project from the Capitol to Fuente Osmeña. Overhead power lines will be transferred below street level. The project will be rolled out before the year ends, said Jaime Jose Y. Aboitiz, executive vice president of Aboitiz Equity Ventures and chief operations officer of the Power Distributio...
5/22/2013
BIG SWINDLE

      17 stores in Metro Cebu hit by con artists P6 million in goods paid with empty checks     Con artists took advantage of the long weekend before the May 13 election and purchased P6 million worth of supplies from at least 17 stores in Metro Cebu. The swindlers disappeared after leaving checks that turned out to be worthless. By then deliveries were already made to a rented house in Lapu-Lapu city for ...
5/22/2013
New lawyer hired to defend Joavan

        With new charges filed against him, Joavan Fernandez said he chose to get another lawyer to represent him in court. The adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez said long-time defense counsel George Bragat, the mayor’s close friend, would no longer represent him before the Regional Trial Court in Barili Town. Paulino Labrado was reatined as as his new counsel but Labrado told Cebu Daily News he...
5/22/2013
Revised Suroy-Suroy program to continue

        THE Suroy Suroy rural tourism program of Cebu province will continue under a repackaged format that will draw more paying participants at less cost to host local government units (LGUs). In yesterday's 888 News Forum, acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said she explained the advantages of the Suroy Suroy program to incoming Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, who was first reluctant to pursue it. Magpale said the hos...
5/22/2013
Pagasa Rainy season next week

        THE rainy season will start in the last week of May or in mid-June, the Mactan office of the state weather bureau Pagasa said yesterday. The presence of easterly winds means that the summer season is still here, said Acting Pagasa Mactan chief Alfredo Quiblat, who noted the absence of southwestern winds. The rainy season is official when the country experiences 25 mm of rainfall within five days. Almost ...
5/22/2013
P-Noy thumbs down delay in barangay polls

        While majority of the Cebu City Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) support the postponement of the barangay elections in October, President Benigno Aquino III doesn't welcome the proposal. The President pointed to an irregular situation under the Arroyo administration when barangay elections were postponed several times, casting serious doubt on the “expired mandate” of barangay officials. “The people'...
5/22/2013
Cebu execs cautious on Mactan bill

        TOP Cebu officials called for further study of the proposed Mactan province bill of Lapu-Lapu Rep.-elect Aileen Radaza, saying it would have to pass through extensive deliberations and consultations to Cebuanos and their officials. Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said the bill will take sometime to deliberate because all six Cebuano legislators will have to study it. “It is very interesting and I am listeni...
5/22/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        SUBMIT ELECTION EXPENSES, BETS TOLD CEBUANO candidates were reminded to submit their Statement of Election Contributions and Expenses (SECE) to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Cebu office within 30 days after the May 13 elections. “All candidates, either winning or losing, anybody who filed their certificate of candidacy and even those who have withdrawn their COC should pass their SECE,” Comelec ...
5/22/2013
Cebu business wants fast diplomatic resolution of PH-Taiwan conflict

        The escalation of the rift between the Philippines and Taiwan will not be good for either parties, Cebu business leaders say. In a statement sent to Cebu Daily News, Philexport Cebu Executive Director Fred Escalona said prolonged resolution of the tension would affect the country's tourism, services and foreign currency remittances. In terms of trade however, the country may enjoy an upper hand as Taiwan's ...
5/22/2013
Cebuano workers safe 3 more left for Taiwan

        THE impact of the ongoing rift between the Philippines and Taiwan may not be all bad for Overseas Filipino Workers in the breakaway province of China. Linelle Ann Lecena, 30, a native of Montaneza, Malabuyoc town in southern Cebu told Cebu Daily News she does not have problems with her employer, Microview Technologies in Hsinchu, Taiwan where she has been working for seven years. “I already signed a renewal...
5/22/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        JUN-JUN DAVIDE OPEN TO OSMEÑA’S ADVICE GOVERNOR-ELECT Hilario “Junjun” Davide III said he considers Tomas Osmena as a “mentor” and said he's willing to accept advice from the outgoing Cebu City south district representative. However, Davide said that does not necessarily require Osmeña to be part of his administration in the Cebu provincial government. He said running the Cebu province is not an easy tas...
5/21/2013
GOTCHA

Fugitive Joavan caught in Moalboal resort before he flees to Negros Oriental Police reinforcements sent to south Cebu town to secure jail Joavan Fernandez, who made a laughing stock of the Cebu police by sneaking out of a Talisay jail and eluding one dragnet after another, was finally collared yesterday morning in a beach resort in Moalboal town, south Cebu. Police said Joavan, son of outgoing Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, an...
5/21/2013
Davide braces for Capitol payables meets officials

Cebu Governor-elect Hilario Davide III said he was bracing for his first big Capitol administrative challenge – how to deal with almost P200 million in payables. This was the top concern told to him yesterday when he was introduced to Capitol department heads in their regular Monday meeting. He asked acting provincial treasurer Emmanuel Guial to prepare a detailed report. “I promised the Cebuanos that when I start taking office, I w...
5/21/2013
Vietnam rice stocks arrive in Cebu

ABOUT 370,000 bags of imported Vietnam rice will be delivered to Cebu City's port area for Central and Eastern Visayas, the regional National Food Authority (NFA) office said yesterday. The 370,000 bags of Vietnam rice were part of the 54,000 metric tons or roughly 1.8 million bags of rice bought by the national government for the two regions, regional NFA information officer Lucy Rosales said. “The shipment is lower than the 200,000...
5/21/2013
Rama on vacation as ally hits BO-PK on poll protest bid

RE-ELECTED Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama left for a 22-day vacation to an undisclosed destination last Sunday. He left Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young in charge as acting mayor. Young’s party the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) plans to pursue its election protest against Rama and Vice Mayor-elect Edgardo Labella. Basak Pardo barangay captain Dave Tumulak called on BO-PK to drop their plans to file an election protest as being ve...
5/21/2013
Plans for 23-story Mandaue City Hall make it tallest in Cebu

Mandaue City's next government center will be the tallest City Hall in Cebu province with an initial cost of P800 million. Plans for the 23-story building and details of every level will be finished this year, said Jamaal James Calipayan, executive seretary of the mayor. The building will rise on 5,000 square meters of the 8,000-square-meter lot of the old public market. The design will apply principles of green architecture so the ...
5/21/2013
Teachers gripe on stipend delays

EIGHT days after the elections, the teachers who served as Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) are complaining about the delay in the release of their honoraria. At the Mabolo Elementary School, teachers complained about the forms they have to fill up and other requirements for them to receive their allowance. “Nganong magdugay-dugay man nga naa naman kaha ang budget? Nganong mag-cash card pa man? Palinyahon nalang unta mi (Why does ...
5/21/2013
Rama open to discuss 93-1 issue resolution with Davide

THERE won't be any problem in relations between Cebu City Hall and the Capitol as far as re-elected Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is concerned. Rama said he was prepared to work with Cebu Governor-elect Hilario Davide III to resolve the status of 5,000 occupants of city lots covered by Provincial Ordinance 93-1. "Klaro na man na ang resolution sa 93-1. Daghan lang ang nag apil apil (The resolution of the problem on 93-1 is clear. The...
5/21/2013
NBI to conclude inquiry on shoplifting slay case

The National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) said it will wrap up its investigation on the death of suspected shoplifter Mario Alfie Ducayag this week. “We're almost done with our investigation. Basically, what is needed is just the statement of the mother (Fe Soledad),” NBI Regional Director Antonio Pagatpat said yesterday. Ducayag's family and their lawyer Wendell Quiban will meet with the NBI-7 this afternoon. ...
5/21/2013
Cebu police monitoring call centers for online fraud

MORE outbound call center companies will be placed under surveillance in the wake of last week's raid of a company engaged in Internet fraud in barangay Luz, Cebu City. Senior Insp. Michael Vertudazo of the Cebu police's Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) said they received reports of companies similar to Interface Techno-Phils. Inc. that are duping online customers with various money scams. “Naa tay mga gipang panin-an nga involved gihapon...
5/21/2013
Mandaue gets ready for rainy school opening

The Department of Education (DepEd) in Mandaue City has initiated the declogging of drainage canals with barangay officials to mitigate floods near public schools. According to Benjamin Tiongson, administrative officer of DepEd in Mandaue City said three of the 49 public schools campuses in the city are flood-prone, namely the Guizo Elementary School, Basak Elementary School and Tipolo National High School. “As of now, wala paman pro...
5/21/2013
Talisay schools rise from the ashes

Parents, students and community volunteers yesterday joined hands to refurbish two public schools in Talisay City that were razed last March. Armed with brooms, hammers and hand tools, they trooped to the Candulawan Elementary School and Candulawan National High School to put together what was left of classrooms that were destroyed by fire. Many parents and students were already in the campuses two hours before the 8 a.m. official star...
5/21/2013
Bayanihan spirit ushers new school year

THE Brigada Eskwela kicked off yesterday to signal the onset of school year 2013-2014. Brigada Eskwela is a nationwide volunteer effort which started in 2003, bringing together teachers, parents, and the community to do clean up and repairs in public schools to prepare the facilities for the June school opening. Undertaken in all public schools every third week of May or two weeks before classes begin, it is participated in by private ...
5/20/2013
THE FIGHT GOES ON

BO-PK to pursue electoral protest Cebu City's political fight is far from over. A dejected Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan whose figurehead, Tomas Osmeña, lost the race to former ally, Mayor Michael Rama, got its second wind from their supporters yesterday who egged on the party's leaders to pursue an election protest. “Dili nato tugutan ug dili pasayloon. Puro na lang tikas, prisohon silang tanan (We will not allow ...
5/20/2013
Alegria mayor-elect seeks apology for cancer rumor

The newly elected mayor of Alegria town took exception to reports that she was in a hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) for stage 4 cancer two days after she was proclaimed winner. “I am physically healthy and well, (spreading rumors is what) the other people do when they couldn't accept their defeat,” Alegria Mayor-elect Verna Magallon said in a phone interview. She also sought an apology from dyAB reporter June...
5/20/2013
JVR may retain Lim as chief of police

TALISAY City Mayor-elect Johnny “JVR” delos Reyes is looking for someone to appoint as City Administrator. He also wants a CPA-lawyer to serve as his city legal officer. The mayor also said he will consider retaining Supt. Elmer Lim as Talisay City police chief. Delos Reyes said he needed people he can trust and help him introduce changes in managing City Hall. "Let's observe first. But I see that he's (Lim)...
5/20/2013
Luigi to monitor Mactan province bill

AT least one Cebuano legislator has signified interest in the proposed Mactan province bill to be filed by Lapu-Lapu City Rep.-elect Aileen Radaza in the incoming 16th Congress. Re-elected Rep. Luis “Luigi” Gabriel Quisumbing of Cebu's 6th district said he will monitor the bill's progress and attend committee hearings on the measure in Congress. “I’d prefer to hold my comments until the actual bill has b...
5/20/2013
Age not a bar for youngsters to pursue their civic duty

Young members of the San Pedro Calungsod Parish Church in Toledo City reported for election duties for C-Cimpel in the last elections. A number of volunteers from the Parish Youth Coordinating Council (PYCC) of Toledo City brought Election Returns (ER) of Toledo City to the operations center of the Cebu Citizen's Involvement and Maturation in People Empowerment and Liberation (C-Cimpel) last Friday. The youngsters,...
5/20/2013
Brigada Eskwela springs to action today

JUST as the dust of the May 13 polls starts to settle, students, teachers, parents and volunteers will troop back to public schools today to help spruce up the campuses for the opening of classes on June 3. Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Director Carmelita Dulangon said the Brigada Eskwela 2013 starts today and will continue until May 25. Dulangon is inviting everyone to help prepare the classrooms and s...
5/19/2013
PINOYS UNDER FIRE

        Armed gangsters hunt down Filipinos in Taipei Nearly 3,000 Cebuano workers in Taiwan, but no alarm yet     Taiwanese gangsters armed with baseball bats and wooden clubs are on the prowl in Taipei to hunt down and physically assault Filipino workers. The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco), the country's de facto diplomatic post in Taiwan, yesterday confirmed reports that intia...
5/19/2013
Cebuano workers in Taiwan not affected yet by feud

        CEBUANO workers in Taiwan have yet to feel the repercussions of the rift between the national government and the Taiwanese government following last week's shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman. There are 2,991 Cebuano workers in Taiwan, said Maricel Regasajo, labor communications officer of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Central Visayas (OWWA). The Philippine Overseas Employmen...
5/19/2013
Results didn’t reflect BO-PK survey — Young

        If you ask Rep. Tomas Osmeña, he expected at least a 14% victory margin in the May 13 election based on an in-house survey done before the May 13 elections. He said the private survey in barangays placed him and Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young winning decisively over Mayor Michael Rama and running mate Edgar Labella. So why the surprising loss in last Monday's polls? Young has his own theory of h...
5/19/2013
‘Our survey showed Rama victory’

        CERWIN Eviota, public relations consultant of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, was not surprised by his client’s victory. He pointed out that the trend was reflected in a private pre-election poll made in late April which was released to the media on May 1. “ I reviewed the survey that a group of Manila-based investors commissioned, as conducted in the last 2 weeks of April and released and shared t...
5/19/2013
San Fernando mayor retains seat

        For the second time, San Fernando Mayor Antonio Canoy was elected in a close fight with his predecessor in the south Cebu town. Canoy, the only incumbent mayor of the Liberal Party in Cebu's 1st district, won over former mayor Lakambini Reluya by a margin of 177 votes. Acting Municipal Election Officer Neil Fuentes said Canoy received 16,187 votes while Reluya got 16,010 votes. Canoy's son Miguel...
5/19/2013
Heritage workshops usher in Kabilin festival

        VARIOUS interactive culture and heritage workshops were held yesterday to mark the 1st Kabilin Festival in Cebu City. The event was held in the West Gorordo Hotel in line with International Museum Day celebrated on May 18. A collection of paintings was also opened for public viewing in the launch of the Paulina Constancia Museum of Naive Art in the hotel’s second floor. Kabilin is the Cebuano wor...
5/19/2013
Teachers to receive honoraria for election duties

        PUBLIC school teachers who served as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) in last Monday's elections will receive their P4,000 honorarium this week. Cebu provincial election supervisor Eddie Aba said cash cards issued by Landbank and the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) were already distributed to the teachers last Friday. “They (teachers) just have to wait. Their honoraria will be sent to them ...
5/19/2013
C-CIMPEL ‘Good enough’ polls

  High 82.5% voter turnout in Cebu     It suddenly rained on election day. Many voters had to wait in line for up to three hours to cast their ballots. Despite the downpour in Metro Cebu and long lines at polling precincts, the May 13, 2013 election drew even more voters than the last presidential election. Voter turnout in Cebu province reached 82.5 percent or higher than the 77 percent record in the 2010 ...
5/19/2013
Former poll exec helping Garcia on poll defeat

        AFTER losing the gubernatorial race in Cebu, outgoing Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district wants to know how and why it happened. Garcia tapped the services of retired Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal to review the conduct of Monday's elections in Cebu. “Right now, there are some substantial questions that need to be answered. There are serious questions...
5/18/2013
‘TIME FOR CHANGE’

  New Cebu governor elected with 623,349 votes     Supporters roared in approval when the Provincial Canvassing Board finally announced the names of Hilario Davide III and Agnes Magpale as the winners in the Cebu gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial race. Davide led the count by more than 130,000 votes against his closest rival, Rep. Pablo John Garcia, whose defeat ended 18 years of control of the Capitol by the Garcia...
5/18/2013
Cebu province now LP bailiwick?

        WITH the Capitol in the hands of a new governor and vice governor, Cebu is now a Liberal Party bailiwick, said LP-Cebu spokesman Democrito Barcenas. He noted that governor-elect Hilario Davide III won in almost all of the six congressional districts. He also cited the defeat of 2nd district Rep. Pablo Garcia who was unseated by Wilfredo Caminero, a member of the Provincial Board. Caminero garnered a total ...
5/18/2013
Labella vows council unity

        Vice Mayor-elect Edgar Labella vowed to bring unity to a Cebu City Council that remains dominated by the rival Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc. “It's not important that we ask them to transfer to another party because I find it unnecessary. What's important is that we should support whatever programs the mayor has that could benefit all,” he said in Cebuano. Labella was proclaimed winner with a m...
5/18/2013
BO-PK to protest results

        DESPITE the proclamation of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and his running mate, Vice Mayor-elect Edgardo Labella, their rivals at the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan are not calling it quits. Outgoing Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said they will file an election protest, citing alleged “widespread manipulation of the PCOS machines” during the May 13 elections. “We just have to filter all these things. Our lawy...
5/18/2013
PJ reviews options

        Outgoing Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district will decide whether to pursue an election protest against incoming Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III after checking with his lawyer. He said he would meet today with former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal who is due to fly in from Manila. Larrazabal headed the steering committee that oversaw the conduct of the first automat...
5/18/2013
Samsam to tap grandpa Eddiegul as advisor

        REP. Gerald Anthony "Samsam" Gullas of Cebu's 1st district said there was a “blessing in disguise” in the failed bid of his grandfather to be elected Talisay city mayor. "He can mentor me more now as a neophyte congressman," he told reporters after his proclamation at the Capitol yesterday. "Pa, the chief of staff position is open in Manila. Pwede ba ka malibre gyud? (Are you available?) He's okay with it.....
5/18/2013
Radaza’s Mactan province bid questioned

        DEFEATED Lapu-Lapu City mayoral candidate Efrain Pelaez Jr. said he's positive that Cebuanos will oppose the plan by Rep.-elect Aileen Radaza to convert Mactan Island into a separate province. Pelaez, a businessman, said making Mactan a province is another ‘Sugbuak’ attempt in reference to previous attempts by local officials to break away from Cebu province. The creation of a Mactan province will be the fi...
5/18/2013
Team Rama bet concedes, Biaño to protest defeat

        TEAM Rama council candidate Jerry Guardo conceded defeat to re-electionist Councilor Noel Wenceslao of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) in the race for the last 8th slot in Cebu City's north district. “The people in the north district have spoken and I respect their decision,” he told reporters yesterday. Guardo, a barangay captain of Sambag II said he may run again in 2016. His wife will run for h...
5/18/2013
New mayor backs bounty for Joavan

        A BOUNTY will be put up for the capture of Joavan Fernandez, adopted son of outgoing Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez. In a phone interview, Talisay City Mayor-elect Johnny V. delos Reyes said he or other city residents can offer the reward. De los Reyes, who promised in his campaign to show that “the rule of law” will be followed, didn’t say how much he would stake for a bounty but said he doesn't wa...
5/17/2013
GWEN’S BACK

  Cebu governor wins congress post by margin of 1,984 votes     After a close election battle, suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia was proclaimed congresswoman-elect of Cebu's 3rd district yesterday along with other officials in the 3rd and 4th district. With a slim margin of 1,984 votes, she overtook Pinamungahan Mayor Geraldine Yapha of the Liberal Party who polled 103,440 votes against her 105,424 in northwest Cebu. It...
5/17/2013
‘We gave her a good fight’

        FOR a physician from a small town up against a nine-year Cebu governor, the May 2013 was a worthwhile battle. “We gave her a very good fight,” said Pinamungahan Mayor Geraldine Yapha who accepted her defeat to Gwen Garcia. “If results showed that she won, I would gladly concede to that. I was able to give her butterflies in her stomach. It's just unfortunate (that I came short of votes to defeat her),” she ...
5/17/2013
Labella is vice mayor

        Cebu City Councilor Edgar Labella stayed in the prayer room of the Metropolitan Cathedral Cathedral all afternoon to wait out the tense lull of canvassing. A phone call from Mayor-elect Michael Rama broke the good news. At 10:10 p.m. in the presence of Labella’s family and cheering supporters in the social hall of the Legislative Building, Labella was proclaimed the duly elected vice mayor of Cebu City. H...
5/17/2013
Next move for Garcias, One Cebu?

        FATHER, son and daughter met with their mayor allies of One Cebu party to discuss the impact of the May 13 elections on the Garcias and their political group. The closed-door lunch in Ching Palace restaurant in Lahug, Cebu City was attended by Gov. Gwen Garcia who is party president, Rep. Pablo John Garcia who is the secretary general and their father Deputy House Speaker Pablo Garcia. “No comment,” said De...
5/17/2013
6 senatorial winners proclaimed

        THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed the top six winners of the Senatorial race last night at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) after three days of counting. Winners were proclaimed after the Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, dismissed the bid of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) to suspend the proclamation amidst allegations of anomalies in the compute...
5/17/2013
Cordova mayor supports creation of Mactan province

        Cordova town Mayor Adelino Sitoy will support the campaign to carve out Mactan Island from the province of Cebu and make it a separate province. Sitoy told Cebu Daily News that he would rather name the proposed province Mactan Cebu province. “I agree to the creation of Mactan Cebu Province. Apil mi ana para mausa mi,” [We will join it so we can be unified], Sitoy said. He said that in the current set-up, C...
5/17/2013
Clean-up in Cebu, Mandaue cities on

        AFTER last Monday's midterm elections, what will happen to all the campaign materials strewn and posted all over Cebu? For Cebu City, the Department of Public Services (DPS) will start “Operation Kuskus” starting 5 p.m today. In Mandaue City, reelected Mayor Jonas Cortes asked all candidates, including those who lost their bids, to join hands in cleaning the city of campaign materials. DPS head Dionisio G...
5/17/2013
Losing bet asks Comelec for manual count

        THE reelection of Tudela Mayor Erwin Yu in northern Cebu is being challenged by his opponent Loret Maratas. Maratas of One Cebu emerged from a closed door party meeting yesterday and announced plans to ask the Commission on Election (Comelec) to do a manual count of at least two polling precincts in the Camotes Island town. “Open at least two PCOS machines, do a manual count to settle the score,” said Marat...
5/17/2013
PH-Taiwan row affects Cebu manpower agency

        A manpower recruitment firm in Cebu has stopped processing the deployment of workers for Taiwan. According to Alma Cutamora, Recruitment Officer of MIP International Manpower Services, they held off processing documents of 21 applicants. Taiwan has ordered a freeze on hiring Filipino workers after they rejected the apology sent by the Philippines through an emissary of the Manila Economic and Cultural Offi...
5/17/2013
Mini tornado hits Danao village

        TENSION briefly gripped residents of barangay Maslog in Danao City yesterday after a waterspout occurred in the northern Cebu village. State meteorologists in Mactan are investigating the weather phenomenon. Engr. Oscar Tabada, Pagasa Mactan station chief, said the phenomenon happens at least five times in a decade. “It’s rare. I have observed that it happens five times for the past ten years,” Tabada said....
5/16/2013
WAITING FOR VICTORY

        Close margins to watch in Day 4 of canvassing: Will Gwen keep her lead? Who wins as Cebu City vice mayor?     It's a restless wait for some Cebu candidates and their supporters whose election results hang in the balance with narrow margins. Who won the vice mayor's race in Cebu City? Will Gov. Gwen Garcia hang on and win the 3rd district congressional seat over Geraldine Yapha? When will a...
5/16/2013
Radazas to pursue bill creating Mactan province

        A bill creating a new Province of Mactan will be the first proposal filed in Congress by 28-year-old Aileen Radaza, the newly elected representative of the lone district of Lapu-Lapu City. She said this will speed up growth in Lapu-Lapu City and create two new municipalities of Olango and Opon. In a victory speech yesterday, the only daughter of Mayor Paz Radaza and Rep. Arturo Radaza thanked voters for her...
5/16/2013
Tom willing to advise Capitol, BO-PK allies

        WHEN he returns to private life after June 30, Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña will remain active in local politics and lead his group, the Bando Osmena-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK). He may even extend assistance to Hilario “Junjun” Davide III if he gets elected as governor. “I will only be there to help out Junjun, but that is if he would ask for my help. I'm just happy that he is winning and he will need a lot o...
5/16/2013
Police chief tops Mike’s chopping list

        New faces are expected to lead some offices and departments at the Cebu City Hall when the election ban on personnel transfers is lifted. Re-elected Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said he wanted to replace Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el as Cebu City police director. Rama said he preferred to replace Natu-el with Senior Supt. Noli Romana, a decision that largely depends on Camp Crame but if he could no longer ge...
5/16/2013
Sto. Niño gold jewelry stolen inside church

        About three gold necklaces and six bracelets that were placed on the Sto. Niño image housed in a glass box were stolen by still unidentified burglars at the Redemptorist Church in barangay Camputhaw, Cebu City at 6 p.m last Tuesday. Chief Insp. Renero Agustin of the Fuente police precinct, said the burglar/s destroyed the padlock of the glass box and took the jewelry. Security guard Presco Blanco said a cand...
5/16/2013
Cortes to review performance of dept heads

        AFTER garnering nearly 80,000 votes more than his closest rival, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes will review the performance of 36 department heads during his first 100 days in office. “Gamay nalang akong panahon kay last term na koni paningkamotan nako nga ma -fast track ni (I only have a little time left, it's my last term so I will fast-track this),” the mayor said. Cortes said he will fill vacant positi...
5/15/2013
BEATING GIANTS

Losses for Garcia in Cebu, Gullas in Talisay, Osmeña in Cebu City, Espinosa in Toledo     Is the Garcia dynasty over? A lead of over 150,000 votes with more than half of precincts counted in Cebu province placed Hilario “Junjun” Davide of the Liberal Party way ahead in the gubernatorial race. His surge in the official count virtually sealed the defeat of a third Garcia family member eying the Capitol's no. 1 post that h...
5/15/2013
Sonny O wins, but snubs his proclamation

        JOHN H. Osmeña, the former senator whom many thought would retire when he lost his reelection bid in 2004, is back in the saddle. The sharp-tongued 78-year-old Cebuano won the mayoralty race in Toledo City. Osmeña ended over two decades of rule by Mayor Aurelio Espinosa. He won by a margin of at least 4,000 votes. The mayor’s daughter, Vice Mayor Arlene “Daydee” Zambo also lost her reelection bid to Osmeña...
5/15/2013
‘I ran to serve public, not to beat Osmeña’

  BO-PK leader questions ‘abnormal’ results, won’t concede defeat     I haven't been thinking of running to beat an Osmeña. I ran because I want to serve the people of Cebu.” A jubilant Mayor Michael Rama made this statement after the Cebu City Board of Canvassers proclaimed him the winner over Rep. Tomas Osmeña. Th contest for political control of Cebu's capital city had both men going after each other's neck after R...
5/15/2013
Inventor wins as Talisay mayor

        LONG considered an institution in Cebu politics, Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu's 1st district was widely expected to win the mayorship of Talisay City with allies in his Alayon Party. But Gullas who has been in power as congressman, Talisay city’s first mayor, or Cebu governor since 1969, lost by a hairline margin of 730 votes to a small businessman-inventor, Johnny delos Reyes. Reyes was defeated twice befor...
5/15/2013
‘I shall return’

    ANNABELLE Rama, the feisty celebrity talent manager, conceded defeat to Raul del Mar in the race for Cebu City north congressional district yesterday. Rama thanked her supporters via Twiter and vowed to continue pursuing her political dream. She borrowed the iconic quote from Gen. Douglas MacArthur – “I shall return”. “It’s not the end of my political career. Asahan nyo mga kababayan ko sa Cebu. Di pa tapos ang pagtul...
5/15/2013
Bakud sweeps foes, delivers win for Davide

        The Duranos allied with the Liberal Party swept Monday’s elections in Danao City. The father and son tandem of Nito Durano and outgoing Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI were proclaimed as mayor and vice mayor at the Danao Session Hall yesterday. Another son, former tourism secretary Joseph Ace Durano easily reclaimed Cebu's 5th district congressional seat with more than 100,000 votes over his closest rival. Thei...
5/15/2013
Foreign observers admire voters tenacity amid harassment, cramped precincts

    SIX foreign observers who were part of a nationwide monitoring team called International Team Bantay said they were impressed with how the elections in Cebu turned out. Fil-American Cynthia Domingo said they saw firsthand how Cebuanos traveled far and endured the heat while waiting for their turn to vote in cramped schools that were converted to precincts. “Voting is the most important component in the democracy. It is...
5/15/2013
ELECTION 2013

    LIBERAL MAYORS REELECTED IN 6TH DISTRICT ALL mayors in Cebu's 6th district won re-election in last Monday's polls. They belong to the Liberal Party. Consolacion Mayor Theresa Alegado received 27,220 votes to defeat former mayor Avelino Gungob who got 23,917 votes. In Cordova town, Mayor Adelino Sitoy won a second term and was proclaimed in the town's session hall past 4 p.m. His daughter Teche Sitoy-Cho won as vic...
5/15/2013
Comelec allows ‘provisional proclamation’ of winners

        Tension between the local boards of canvassers and leading candidates in the local elections has prompted the Commission on Elections to allow "provisional proclamations" provided that the results that have not yet been transmitted would not affect the final outcome of the elections. Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr. said that the commission had received numerous reports nationwide that there was "tens...
5/14/2013
Comelec hails Cebu election ‘successful’ balloting peaceful

As voting closed at 7 p.m. in Cebu, the local Commission on Elections and law enforcers said the May 13 exercise was “successful” with no lives lost and balloting carried out in a peaceful, orderly manner. Voter turnout was estimated at more than 70 percent or a little less than the 2010 presidential election of almost 80 percent, said Comelec Regional Director Temie Lambino, although exact figures will be known today. Lambino said ...
5/14/2013
Rama leads, pulls major upset against BO-PK

REELECTIONIST Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama kept a slim lead over Rep. Tomas Osmeña based on results from 514 of 592 polling precincts past midnight. All tallies from the south district were in with only 30 precincts left unreported in the north district. The tight race for City Hall was shaping up into a major upset for the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) which has never lost a mayoralty election since Osmeña first ran for mayo...
5/14/2013
Annabelle uses wrong pen, Mike votes with ex-wife

Congressional candidate Annabelle Rama of Cebu city’s north district used the wrong pen and almost got her ballot invalidated. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama showed up in his precinct in barangay Guadalupe with his former wife Araceli and son Mikel. Yesterday’s voting in Cebu City had candidates closely followed by the media who spotted several surprises. Mayor Rama and his rival Cebu CIty Rep. Tomas Osmeña arrived with their famili...
5/14/2013
Wife helps ailing Durano cast his vote

WALKING with a limp, One Cebu vice gubernatorial candidate Ramon “Boboy” Durano IV entered the Danao Central School to cast his vote at 10:340 a.m. yesterday. With wife Lennie by his side, Boboy walked slowed to his polling precinct with Durano family members. Yesterday was only the second time Durano showed up in public after being hospitalized for a stroke in mid April and appearing on stage in a One Cebu rally in Danao City last ...
5/14/2013
At least 72 PCOS glitches in Cebu

Glitches in vote counting machines bedevilled yesterday's midterm voting in Cebu. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) however said the problems encountered by the Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS) machines were quickly addressed. Eddie Aba, provincial elections supervisor, said the number of PCOS malfunctions is relatively small for Cebu's 3,169 clustered polling precincts. In polling centers where PCOS machines malfunctioned,...
5/14/2013
Long lines for some, short wait for others

Voters waited in line to cast their ballots in rural and city precincts in Cebu. Many experienced a wait of as long as one to three hours. This was because as many as a thousand voters in a clustered precinct shared one Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine. Some voters just breezed through. Fr. Carmelo Diola of the anti-vote buying advocate Dilaab Foundation, completed the process in 15 minutes flat in barangay Luz, Cebu City. ...
5/14/2013
22 men arrested in police checkpoints

Guns, drugs, sample ballots and cash seized At least 22 people were arrested in the last two days for illegal possession of firearms and explosives and vote-buying in Cebu. Almost half of the arrests were made in the 2nd and 3rd districts in the province’s northwest and in the 4th and 5th districts in north Cebu. Police confiscated high powered guns, grenades, ammunition, homemade guns, illegal drugs, and cash worth at least P100,000 f...
5/14/2013
Joavan slips past police dragnet in Lapu

Cebu’s Public Enemy No.1, Joavan Fernandez, has once again eluded authorities. The controversial son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez managed to force his way through a checkpoint set up shortly before 7:00 p.m. last night in barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City. PO3 Ferdinand Pablo of Talisay City Police Office spotted and confirmed Joavan was staying in a resort in Barangay Suba-basbas. Pablo coordinated with Lapu-Lapu City Polic...
5/13/2013
With faster counting of ballots, results in hours

How long does it take before the PCOS machine will be ready to print the election returns? Just a few minutes after the closure of voting, the PCOS machine will be ready with the figures and the first set of election returns – eight for national positions and eight for local positions will be ready for printing by the PCOS machine. How will the public know the results of the voting in a clustered precinct if there...
5/13/2013
Strafings, 4 grenades found in Bogo city a day before polls

ANAD party list members ‘mauled’ over grenades in old Bogo City Hall Strafings, harassment and the discovery of four grenades occurred in Bogo City, one of the 18 localities in Cebu placed under the Election Watchlist Areas (EWAS) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) over the weekend. Two grenades were found along a road in barangays Pulangbato and Binabag. Two more grenades were found near the old Bogo City Ha...
5/13/2013
Oslob, Alegria residents nabbed on arms charges

ARRESTS of several men for illegal firearms possession were reported in Oslob and Alegria towns in south Cebu as the campaign period closed over the weekend. Five residents of barangay Lagundi, Oslob town were arrested on charges of possessing unlicensed firearms. Most of them were employed at the Oslob municipal government, said Supt. Clifford Gairanod, battalion commander of the Regional Public Safety Batt...
5/13/2013
Cebuano voters urged to take photos, videos of vote buyers

A CHURCH-based group yesterday called on Cebu voters to take cell phone photos and videos of persons offering them money in exchange for their votes. “Apart from moral or religious considerations, the commerce of votes does not make sense for both voters and candidates. It is not practical or 'wais' but merely 'maro (underhanded),'” said Fr. Carmelo Diola of the Dilaab Foundation. As early as last week reports of v...
5/13/2013
Watchdogs ready Comelec takes control of Cebu jails

The Cebu Citizens Involvement and Maturation in People's Empowerment and Liberation (C-CIMPEL) will receive Election Returns in behalf of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and the National Citizen’s Movement for Free Election. As an accredited election watch dog, C-Cimpel will get copies of election returns (ER) for local candidates and national candidates. The Namfrel ERs will be feed to the ...
5/13/2013
BEI stocks up on sleep, vitamins for today's duties

A grade one teacher from Casili Elementary School has been taking vitamins and rested last weekend to boost her energy comes election day. Lynette Joy Hisoler, 32, a single mother, told Cebu Daily News after getting their elections materials from Mandaue City hall that she intentionally bought the vitamins to enable her to sleep longer. And last Saturday, Hisoler said she slept most of the day, “taas-taas na jud k...
5/13/2013
BO-PK, Team Rama bets hear Mass

IT was unplanned, but supporters of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) filled the San Pedro Calungsod Chapel in the South Road Properties (SRP) to the brim for a thanksgiving mass yesterday afternoon. Led by Cebu City mayoral candidate Tomas Osmeña, the BOPK slate, attended the Mass officiated by Msgr. Vicente Tupas, chaplain of the San Pedro Calungsod chapel. Team Rama meanwhile heard Mass at 8:30 p.m. in th...
5/13/2013
Over 400 dead, 20 Pinoys abroad still in voters’ lists — Namfrel

The National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) yesterday said that more than 400 dead people have been included in the computerized voters list (CVL) while at least 20 others who have been abroad during the past two elections have not been deleted from the official list. The group reported that 467 voters in the CVL were found to be deceased. Of this number, 342 were in the five towns of Ilocos Sur, ...
5/13/2013
Religious groups infiltrate Congress via party-list

MANILA — Religious groups that wield tremendous political sway with their bloc-voting members are moving to further widen their influence in Congress through the party-list system. Based on the sample ballots distributed by the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo has asked his flock to vote for ACT-CIS (Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support) based in the Quezon City a...
5/12/2013
ARMED GOONS NEUTRALIZED

  Police thwart election terror try in Alegria, Santander towns     Police arrested 10 men believed to be out to sow terror among voters in two southern Cebu towns on the last weekend before Monday's elections. Six of those arrested were believed to be part of a larger group that were allegedly hired by a candidate for councilor in Alegria town in southwest Cebu. The rest were caught while allegedly going h...
5/12/2013
Ombud asked to stay out of plunder case

        “Stay out of the case.” This was the appeal of businessman and mayoralty candidate Efrain Pelaez Jr. to Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol a day after they exchanged heated words in Apostol's Office over alleged foot dragging in complaints filed by Pelaez. Pelaez said he hopes Apostol would inhibit in handling the plunder case Pelaez filed last Friday against Rep. Arturo Radaza and Lapu-Lapu City Ma...
5/12/2013
Bounty for Joavan, possible

        OFFERING a reward for Joavan’s capture is possible, but that will depend on how “dangerous” he can be to society. This was the reply of PNP Director-General Allan Purisima when asked if the police is considering offering a reward to anyone who could give information that will lead to the arrest of Cebu's “public enemy no. 1,” Joavan Fernandez. “We will deliberate on that in higher headquarters,” s...
5/12/2013
Foreign election observers arrive in Cebu

        SIX foreign election observers arrived in Cebu City yesterday to witness the national elections on Monday. The six observers affiliated with the Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections (Compact) are part of the 30-man “International Team Bantay” who come from 16 countries. They are accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). “We have chosen the concerned areas according to some fa...
5/12/2013
Troops, poll personnel ready for Monday polls

        Private Nova Villa Guerrero, 25, is nervous after being assigned in a potential hotspot under the Commission on Elections (Comelec) watch list. Guerrero said this is her first time to be among the more than 746 personnel to be deployed for the elections in towns and cities of Cebu province. "Let's just hope and pray that nothing serious happens in our area. Security conscious as always. Practic m...
5/12/2013
Groups endorse, remain neutral on eve of polls

        ENDORSEMENTS and non-endorsements concluded the campaign period for local candidates in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu yesterday. Councilor and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation president John Philip Po said their group won't support any local candidate in order to remain non-partisan. He said while he will vote for the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) slate, others like Basak Pardo SK ...
5/12/2013
OFW mom keeps a forgiving heart

        Bessy, 47, left her two daughters in Cebu seven years ago to work as a caregiver in Canada. When she had them follow her to Canada in 2012, she already had three children to care for. Her youngest daughter, Clara, was four months pregnant with her college boyfriend when she left Cebu and did not even know of her pregnancy until she finally gave birth in November 2012. Regret for having left her d...
5/12/2013
Bus, taxi operators seek audit of South Bus terminal income

        Bus and taxi operators called on the Capitol over the weekend to conduct an audit of the South Bus Terminal revenue since 2010 up to the present. “We want an audit of the South Bus Terminal revenue to see where the income is going since we are also taxpayers and stakeholders of the terminal,” said Julito Flores, president of the Cebu South Mini-Bus Operators Association in Cebuano. The Cebu South ...
5/12/2013
Ermita fire victims endure heat, power woes

        THREE weeks after a fire destroyed their homes, occupants of sitio Bato, barangay Ermita had to continue staying in tents as the clearing operation was postponed until after the elections tomorrow. The clearing operation started last month but was stopped last Wednesday amid confrontations between occupants and a City Hall demolition team over fears that they won't be allowed to rebuild their homes...
5/12/2013
Labor presses P95 wage increase

        AFTER the elections, labor groups will press anew their petition for a wage hike next month. In a press conference yesterday, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines--International Trade Union Confederation (TUCP-ITUC) said it will ask for a P95 across the board wage increase throughout the country. “The last increase was May last year, we would not file it within the period,” said TUCP-ITUC ...
5/11/2013
PELAEZ, OMBUD FACE OFF

        It started as a cordial handshake between two gentlemen. Then things became nasty. Visayas Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol flared up against businessman and candidate Efrain Pelaez Jr. who accused the official of foot dragging on cases he filed with the anti-graft office over the past six years. “You're destroying the Office of the Ombudsman. You're destroying the trust and confidence of the people. Baki...
5/11/2013
Where did Pelaez’s 16 cases go?

        Lapu-Lapu city businessman Efrain Pelaez Jr. filed a total of 16 cases with the Visayas Ombudsman's office since 2007, excluding the new plunder case he filed against the Radazas yesterday. The data was based on a status report released by Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol to show that action was being taken. The target of most of the cases was Arturo Radaza when he was still Lapu-Lapu city mayor and then hi...
5/11/2013
Plunder raps file vs Radaza couple P500 million ‘lost’ in ghost payrolls

        THE new complaint of plunder filed yesterday by Efrain Pelaez Jr. against the Radazas of Lapu-Lapu city alleges that ghost employees have been paid in the city government since 2001. About P500 million in government funds were lost due to “ghost payrolls and employees,” he alleged. Pelaez filed a similar complaint in 2007 with the Visayas Ombudsman's Office. This this time he submitted as evidence to boost ...
5/11/2013
‘Mayor Soc liable for use of Talisay gov’t vehicle’

        A day after his escape from the Talisay police stockade, Joavan Fernandez remains at large. Police said they believe he is still somewhere in Metro Cebu even as his adopted father Talisay mayor Socrates Fernandez remained tight-lipped on advice of his lawyer not to release any further statement. Supt. Paul Labra of the Regional Intelligence Division said more checkpoints have been set up since Wednesday nig...
5/11/2013
Tomas camp files raps against Rama, officials

        TWO days before the elections, the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) trained its guns on Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and 11 City Hall officials and employees. The BO-PK dominated Cebu City Council filed graft charges before the Ombudsman-Visayas for fasttracking approval of a road project without their approval. The P50.4 million road project was part of the clearing and enbankment of a Bus Rapid Trans...
5/11/2013
‘Show of force’ in BO-PK, Team Rama rallies

        AS the campaign draws to a close, rival parties in Cebu City mobilized followers and star power in a “show of force” two days before Election Day. Actresses Marian Rivera, Michelle Madrigal and Arci Muñoz triggered screams from the crowd at a Team Rama rally in barangay Talamban Thursday night. The Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) of Rep. Tomas Osmeña held thir rally at the Tejero sports complex before...
5/11/2013
Pablo John faces tax raps BIR probe on allies sought

        Atax evasion complaint was filed by Grecilda “Gigi” Sanchez-Zaballero, a candidate for provincial boardmember of the Liberal Party, against gubernatorial candidate Pablo John Garcia before the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) regional office. In her complaint Sanchez, who is running to represent Cebu's 3rd district in the Provincial Board, said Garcia's real properties showed a marked increase from P2 millio...
5/11/2013
For not visiting Rama, City Hall deprives Tejero barangay captain of P12M funding

        AT least P12 million worth of projects and financial assistance budgeted last year were not released to barangay Tejero in Cebu City after its barangay captain Jessielou Cadungog refused to visit Mayor Michael Rama's office at City Hall. Cadungog said Tejero has not received a garbage truck and a Toyota Innova vehicle like other barangays. Rama also refused to sign documents to authorize the conversion of ...
5/11/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        PRIVATE SECTOR AID FOR WATER PROBLEM The Cebu City government may tap the private sector to help resolve the low water pressure problem faced by mountain barangays. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the city cannot buy additional water tankers because the 2013 budget doesn't include an appropriation for the purpose. “Ipangutana na sa City Council (Why don't you ask the City Council why?),” he said. Rama...
5/11/2013
Getting to know the country’s Automated Election System

        The May 13, 2013 polls is the second nationwide automated election in the country. The Automated Election System (AES) is mandated by Republic Act 8436 of 1997 that was fully implemented only in 2010. The Philippine AES that relies on the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) is not 100 percent automated as the paper ballot has not been eliminated. The voter still has to manually fill out the ballot by shadin...
5/11/2013
Replacement PCOS delivered Friday

        CONTINGENCY units of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines were delivered yesterday to various polling precincts of town and cities in Cebu province. The extra machines will serve as replacements of any units that malfunctioned during the PCOS Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) last Wednesday. Initally, the Comelec found six PCOS machines that totally malfunctioned during the final testing. . But t...
5/11/2013
Rock the Vote Cebu

        Despite the rain, almost 2,000 people watched the Rock the Vote concert’s grand finale at Fuente Osmeña Circle the other night. Celebrities like Sharon Cuneta and Ogie Alcasid teamed up with artists and bands including Noel Cabangone Cooky Chua, Noel Cabangon, Jim Paredes of Apo Hiking Society, Chokolete, Sugarfree, Parokya ni Edgar. The concert series is a call for citizens to exercise their right to vot...
5/10/2013
‘JOAVAN PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1’

  Police to use ‘reasonable force’ to get mayor’s son     Surrender now and face the music. This was the advice of the lawyer of fugitive Joavan Fernandez as police yesterday continued its manhunt for the adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez. Joavan escaped from a police detention cell late Wednesday night, after a jail guard let him step out to meet his wife who visited the stockade in Talisay City Ha...
5/10/2013
Mayor Soc I couldn’t do anything but cry

        TALISAY City Mayor Socrates Fernandez urged his son to surrender. He denied knowledge of Joavan’s plan to bolt out of jail or having any hand in his escape. "Igo na lang kung nagpatulo sa akong luha sa dihang akong nasayran ang balita nga nipuga diay siya gumikan kay nahadlok ug nabalaka ko kung unsa ang mahitabo kaniya," Mayor Fernandez said in a phone interview. (I couldn't do anything but cry after lear...
5/10/2013
Balili land backfilling has ‘bloated’ cost, no authority

        Suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has another burden to carry. The Office of the Ombudsman has elevated to a formal investigation a complaint about the P27 million backfilling of the Balili beach property in Naga City, southern Cebu. The anti-graft office also issued a “cease and desist order” to prevent the Capitol from paying P6.9 million for a delivery of filling materials. It said no authority was given ...
5/10/2013
Woman killed in Lapu-Lapu fire

        A 46-YEAR-OLD old woman was killed and a mosque was destroyed in a fire that struck barangay Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City. The fire started at the house of Avelina Cosep Tisoro at 3:35 a.m. yesterday. Fire investigator F03 Climaco Salisid said the woman, a mother of five, was mentally unstable and refused calls of her nephews to get out of the burning building. Her charred body was later found in the ruins. ...
5/10/2013
Slower flow, drier water sources

        The drying up of Jaclupan wellfields in Talisay City and the Buhisan dam in summer is taking a toll on Cebu City. Low water pressure is being experienced in various parts of the city, although the situation doesn’t require water rationing yet. Department of Public Services (DPS) head Engr. Dionisio Gualiza told CDN the condition - an unusual low water table reported by the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) -...
5/10/2013
Polling centers are ‘no kite flying’ zones

        Kite flying, a popular summer past time, may pose a serious threat on election day. The Visayan Electric Company (Veco) urged the public, especially children, to avoid flying kites near power lines to prevent trip offs. Veco records show that kites entangled in power lines caused 87.54 hours of power outages last April and 47.9 hours in March. Theresa Gonzales Sederiosa, Veco corporate communications manag...
5/10/2013
450 cops sent off for election duty

        Police personnel on training in the Regional Training School (RTS) in Cebu got a break from their classes. A total of 450 police officers enrolled in the RTS were fielded for election duties in different parts of Central Visayas which are the Election Watchlist Areas (Ewas) of the Comelec. Most of the PNP officers were sent to Negros Oriental, Bohol and Siquijor provinces. They will reinforce policemen in ...
5/10/2013
C-Cimpel satisifed with PCOS testing

        THE watchdog group C-Cimpel was satisfied with the outcome of the final testing and sealing of PCOS machines to be used for vote counting. Rebecca delos Santos, field coordinator of C-Cimpel in Cebu’s 5th district, said that except for one PCOS machine in Compostela town that malfunctioned, everything went well in Wednesday’s exercise. She said the group, the Cebu-Citizens Involvement and Maturation in Peo...
5/10/2013
ELECTION ROUNDUP

        PELAEZ FILES CASE AGAINST VISAYAS OMBUDSMAN Businessman Efrain Pelaez Jr. filed a complaint against Visayas Deputy Ombudman Pelagio Apostol for allegedly failing to resolve cases he filed with the anti-graft office. Pelaez, who is running for Lapu-Lapu city mayor under the administration Liberal Party, said Apostol should be held liable for “gross inefficiency and gross neglect of duty.” In response, Apo...
5/10/2013
Easy steps for a first-time voter

        It’s a simple as inserting a card in the ATM of a bank. First-time voters in the May 13 polls, the country's second automated elections, shouldn’t worry about feeling clumsy or strange about casting their ballot on Monday. The steps are similar to two common experiences – shading answers in a multiple choice exam and using an automated teller machine (ATM) or vending machine for money bills. During the fin...
5/10/2013
Do’s and Don’ts for BEIs on election day

        Do: * Provide two lanes for voters:express and regular. The fast lane is for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women and the elderly. * Apologize to voters whose ballots got rejected. * Let accredited foreign election observers enter the polling precincts. Answer their questions as long as they don’t disturb operations. Don't: * Dont’ give priority numbers to voters. Let them fall in line * D...
5/9/2013
BRIDGE NO. 3?

  Proposed Cebu-Cordova link ‘will ease traffic in the south’     A third bridge across the Mactan channel is being proposed as a solution to worsening traffic in Metro Cebu. It will bypass traffic in Cebu and Mandaue cities, open up the south to progress and cost less than expected. Drawings and details of the concept were presented yesterday by architect Joseph Michael Espina in a press conference of the Movement for...
5/9/2013
Pigeon on electric wire causes one-hour brownout, water cut

        A pigeon that got snagged and electrocuted in a powerline caused a one-hour power interruption in parts of Metro Cebu yesterday. The accident also affected water supply as electric-run pumping stations of the Metro Cebu Water District in the Jaclupan river in Talisay city shut down. “Our crew had to remove the bird in order for power to be restored,” said Theresa Gonzales-Sederiosa, spokesperson of the Visa...
5/9/2013
Rama, del Mar unaffected by health rumors

        Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he sees no need to make public his medical records a day after his rival, Rep. Tomas Osmeña released his own medical checkup findings to show he no longer has bladder cancer. Rama, who is the target of campaign rumors that he suffers from prostate cancer, brushed aside Osmeña's disclosure of a CT scan of his abdomen and pelvis in the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center six months ag...
5/9/2013
Joavan bolts jail

        JOAVAN Fernandez, the controversial son of the mayor of Talisay City, last night sneak out of jail, two days after his arrest. A female caller told Radio station dySS last night reported that the adopted son of Mayor Socrates Fernandez was seen being whisked into a Mitsubishi Adventure van near the detention center of the Talisay City Police Station. A dySS reporter who went inside the detention center con...
5/9/2013
SolGen takes cudgels for 140 Apas families

        A ray of hope dawned on the 140 families who were ordered by the court to vacate a privately-owned in barangay Apas, Cebu City. The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) discovered that the lot previously owned by a certain Eustiquio Godinez was expropriated by the government in the late 1930s. The OSG through its lawyer Vernie Hernandez yesterday filed a petition seeking to cancel the reconstituted lot tit...
5/9/2013
Annabelle’s family to extend aid in projects, tourism promotion

        THE celebrity children of talent manager Annabelle Rama said they have become stronger as a family and remain united behind her bid for Cebu City's north congressional district. But while each of them have their own respective advocacies, not one of them is willing to join politics anytime soon. “We're having fun and bonding as a family as we join pulong-pulongs,” actress and beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez s...
5/9/2013
ELECTION ROUNDUP

        P4K FOR ELECTION INSPECTORS; NO FREE FOOD — COMELEC The Commission on Election said that members of the Board of Election Inspectors who will supervise the voting on Monday will not be provided free food. The BEIs who are mostly public school teachers will receive an honorarium of P3,000 for election duty and an additional allowance of P500 for the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) final testing and seal...
5/9/2013
Troops told Arms to be used to protect sanctity of ballot

        THE police forces in Cebu and Mandaue cities can provide sufficient election security. According to Senior Supt. Audie Villacin, chief of the Regional Police Community Relations Directorate, augmentation from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will be concentrated in areas that are under the Election Watchlist Areas (Ewas) and localities which are short of police personnel. Villacin said, election se...
5/9/2013
Cebu’s PCOS machines ready for Monday's vote

        “Almost 100 percent successful.” This was the assessment of Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Eddie Aba of yesterday's final testing and sealing (FTS) of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines in the province of Cebu and Cebu City. It was not perfect though as six out of the 3,169 PCOS machines tested in Cebu province malfunctioned and would have to be replaced. Bogo and Compostela each had a de...
5/9/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        FIREARMS RAPS FILED AGAINST BOHOL MAYORAL BET CHARGES were filed by yesterday by the police against a mayoral candidate for the murder of a militiaman in Buenavista town, Bohol province five days ago. In a police forum Senior Supt. Constantino Barot Jr., Bohol provincial police chief, said mayoral candidate Alfonso Del Rosario Jr. is facing charges of illegal possession of firearms before the Bohol provin...
5/8/2013
TOM’S PROOF OF LIFE

  Results of U.S.checkup ‘show I’m not dying as my critics wish’, says candidate     He's stopped smoking, but still eats “pretty much whatever I like”. With the campaign, he attends at least eight village meetings or pulong pulong a night. Almost five years ago, Tomas Osmeña was dealing with the persistent question of how long he had left to live. Today the 64-year-old cancer survivor still finds himself asked that...
5/8/2013
Tom Make SRP adjust to market’s demands

        Critics of Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña accuse him of acting like he owns the 300-hectare South Road Properties (SRP), his centerpiece project as former mayor. There’s no master plan for its development. The ideas of how it should grow “are all in his head”, said reelectionist Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. Osmeña yesterday said his approach was “demand-driven and based on what the global market wants. “You ...
5/8/2013
‘We have to help province to protect Cebu city

        REP. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City said yesterday said he’s been helping in the Liberal Party-Cebu's (LP-Cebu) campaign in the province in order to protect Cebu City's interests. “If the province is developed, there would be fewer people coming to Cebu City to avail of our seniors citizens aid and free scholarships. The city is finding it hard (to accommodate those from the towns),” he said in yesterday's 888 Ne...
5/8/2013
Joavan to stay behind bars Talisay folk relieved

        JOAVAN Fernandez will spend time in the Talisay jail following his arrest last Monday evening after charges are being readied for illegal possession of firearm and explosives and violation of the election gun ban. “He can’t post bail. I think he's better off locked in jail than harming the community,” said Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., Cebu provincial police chief. Joavan is also the subject of a ...
5/8/2013
Store CCTV operator appears before NBI

        Jeffrey Aquino got an unpleasant surprise on his 32nd birthday last Monday after he heard that he was being pinned down anew in the death of suspected shoplifter, Mario Alfie Ducayag. Aquino, a former security camera operator of Gaisano Metro Colon, yesterday appeared before the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) to clear his name. “Wala gayud akoy gibating kalipay karon. Grabeng ka...
5/8/2013
Three Cebu cities to join ‘Gabii sa Kabilin’

        ABOUT 14 heritage sites in the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay in Cebu will be open for visitors in the Gabii sa Kabilin set for the end of this month. Hosted by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) in celebration of the National Heritage Month, the event will now be on its sixth year. It was inspired by the Lange Nacht der Musee or Long Night of the Museums in Germany. Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, Rafi's ...
5/8/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        CAPITOL EXTENDS AID TO KIN OF SAN FERNANDO CAVE-IN VICTIMS THE Cebu provincial government has extended cash and food assistance to the families of a nine-year-old boy and his uncle who were buried alive last Friday in a quarry site cave-in at sitio Malta in barangay Tinudban, San Fernando town in southern Cebu. Provincial Social Welfare and Development (PSWD) chief Evelyn Sinajon said sacks of rice, box...
5/8/2013
Comelec imposes ‘money ban’

  BSP directed to cap cash withdrawals at P100K     The Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued a resolution yesterday implementing a “money ban” beginning today until Monday,  Election Day in a bid to fight vote buying. Comelec Resolution 9688 promulgated Tuesday bans cash withdrawals from banks of more than P100,000 per day, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said. “This is a formal resolution of the Come...
5/8/2013
Cebuano songwriter parodies vote buying

        A week before election, a Cebuano songwriter in his efforts to eradicate vote-buying wants to make his message across in a song entitled “Kokokoprasa” to the tune of Spanish corrido or ballad, La Cucaracha. The parody said Cesar Ditan, popularly known as Johnny Kawa is his contribution to making vote buying irrelevant. The song starts with the line: “Ko-ko-koprasa! Ko-ko-koprasa! Wa’g tu-o atong grasya. D...
5/8/2013
C-Cimpel distances from partisan lay groups

        THE C-Cimpel (Cebu – Citizens Involvement and Maturation in People's Empowerment and Liberation) is urging its volunteers to distance themselves from political candidates and even Church-based pro-life groups who are endorsing candidates for the May 13 polls. Marilu Chiongban, executive director of C-Cimpel said: “Although we are church-based like the lay organizations, but we will stand by our record as a n...
5/8/2013
ELECTION ROUNDUP

        PCOS final testing and sealing set today The final testing and sealing of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines in Cebu City will be done today. Cebu City – south district Commission in Elections (Comelec) officer Ferdinand Gujilde said the testing and sealing of the PCOS machines will be simultaneously done in all of the 592 polling precincts throughout the city from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Members o...
5/7/2013
CAPTURED

Joavan arrested in front of Talisay mayor’s house Policemen finally caught up with Joavan Fernandez on the doorstep of the house of his father, Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez. Three weeks after Joavan was the subject of a manhunt for allegedly shooting a watch man outside a car shop in Talisay, he was spotted last night sitting on a curb outside his father’s house in Southgate Subdivision, barangay Bulacao, Talisay City. The you...
5/7/2013
How to detect jammers? Check phones, voters told

Cebu voters can help detect the presence of jamming devices in their polling precincts by checking their cell phones, the regional National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said yesterday. “Check your mobile phones. If you can't call or send a message in your phone even if the signal in your area is strong, then it's possible that someone is using a jamming device,” NTC Regional Director Jesus Laureno said. Laureno showed some jam...
5/7/2013
NBI tells camera operator Show up, tell your story

WHERE is Jeffrey Aquino? That's what the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) wants to know as it invited the security camera operator to tell his account of the death of shopper Mario Alfie Ducayag. “He was eager at first (to cooperate in our investigation). I don't know what happened to Aquino. I hope he will come forward and make good on his word,” NBI-7 Agent Bernard dela Cruz told reporters yesterday. Aqu...
5/7/2013
Yellow Submarine told to submit results of in-house inquiry

PRESSED to explain a coral rock mishap with their Yellow Submarine, Korean operators wrote to Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza – but forgot to include supporting documents. The Lapu-Lapu City Legal Office ordered the management of Cebu Yellow submarine and Undersea Tour Corp. to send attachments mentioned in their written reply. Yuri Benluan of the Lapu-Lapu City Legal Office said the mayor's office found insufficient the management's...
5/7/2013
No rebuilding in Mahiga Creek, Mandaue settlers told

Fire victims of sitio Sapa-Sapa Dos, barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City won't be allowed to rebuild their homes within the three-meter easement zone along the Mahiga Creek. City Legal Officer Giovanni Tianero said the displaced families should transfer to the 6.5 hectare relocation site in barangay Paknaan because the creek is a danger zone and should be cleared of any houses or structures. The relocation site could accommodate 1,200 ...
5/7/2013
Talisay vendors pin hopes on transfer to old market

TALISAY City Hall officials have a lot of work to do to make the old Tabunok market building suitable for re-occupation by vendors and stallholders. The building lacks adequate water supply, and has a dilapidated roof and poor drainage. Its toilets are unfit for use, said .Domincos Fernandez, one of 17 workers assigned to clear the public market. The market building's walls pose a threat to vendors and shoppers. The new Lagtang mar...
5/7/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

Vietnam rice to be sold after polls THE 600,000 sacks of confiscated Vietnam rice smuggled into the country recently will be sold after the May 13 elections, the Bureau of Customs-Cebu said yesterday. Cebu City Customs collector Edward dela Cuesta said the first batch of rice has undergone inventory. “We already arranged and processed the schedule which would be after the elections since people are busy this week,” he said. Dela Cuest...
5/7/2013
Two indies, a Team Pinoy bet complete Team Rama's senate list

Rival BOPK to go 12-0 for administration bets Two independent and one Liberal Party bets complete the list of 12 senatorial bets that Team Rama is supporting in the May 13 polls. Mayor Michael Rama said his group is adopting LP candidate Alan Peter Cayetano and independent candidates Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Edward Hagedorn since the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) only has nine senatorial candidates. Rama said he will not commit to...
5/7/2013
CV police placed on full election alert

POLICE forces in Central Visayas has been placed in full alert by the Police Regional Office 7 eight days before the mid-term election on May 13, 2013. With the full alert declaration, Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, chief of PRO-7 said all members of the police force who are on leave are called to return to their assignments and all leave of absence applications will be put on hold. Garbo said this is to make sure that all policemen are ...
5/7/2013
Team Rama happy with endorsement of pro-lifers

TEAM Rama standard bearer Mayor Michael Rama welcomed the endorsement of the Unity for Life of his reelection bid. “All endorsements will always be welcome,” said Rama. Rama said the endorsement of support which he received from the Unity for Life group was mainly because of his opposition to alleged “vigilantism” in the city and his stand against the Reproductive Health Law. The Unity for Life group gathered at the Plaza Independen...
5/7/2013
PCOS delivered in Talisay City polling centers

ALL of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will be used in Talisay City arrived yesterday and were immediately brought to their respective polling centers for final testing and sealing. The 128 PCOS machines were arranged according to their designated polling precincts, in front of the City Hall around 1 p.m. yesterday. Watchers from different candidates also monitored the arrival and delivery of the machines to pol...
5/7/2013
Loren charged with 5 counts of graft

Senator Loren Legarda was yesterday charged at the Office of the Ombudsman with five counts each of graft and non-declaration of a property in the United States in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth from 2007 to 2012 as required by law. In a complaint-affidavit, businessman Louis “Barok” C. Biraogo, 52, of Biñan, Laguna accused Legarda of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019) and the Co...
5/7/2013
PCOS source code to be released within the week

MANILA — The Commission on Elections yesterday announced that the controversial source code for the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to be used in the 2013 elections would be finally released within the week. The source code is the computer program that runs the PCOS machine when it counts the votes. “Dominion is coming in anytime. We are just waiting. They have already agreed that they will open the source code,” Comelec ...
5/7/2013
2 dead in Tanzania church blast

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania — Two people died and 43 people were seriously wounded when a bomb exploded in a Roman Catholic church in northern Tanzania, a Tanzanian police official said Sunday The Vatican’s ambassador to Tanzania, Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, a Cebuano, was attending the official opening of the church when the explosion occurred. He escaped unhurt. The fatalities died in hospital as a result of the bombing in the...
5/6/2013
‘AQUINO DID IT’

Store’s CCTV operator delivered fatal blow on suspected shoplifter A solid blow to the chest snuffed out the life of Mario Alfie Ducayag. This was revealed to Cebu Daily News over the weekend by, Melvin Boyles, one of the department store security guards, who claimed that his version of the April 12 incident that led to the death of the suspected shoplifter was the real truth as the National Bureau of Investigation (NB...
5/6/2013
Cebu bets, Senate aspirants vow to back anti-RH law forces

From national to local candidates the Cebu clergy managed to secure their support to repeal the Reproductive Health (RH) law in Congress and the local level. Each senatorial candidate and his or her representative voiced their support to the Church's campaign against the RH law in a Unity for Life prayer rally attended by 1,000 people at the Plaza Independencia last night. Church groups also identified and pledg...
5/6/2013
Child victim wanted to finish school uncle needs operation

IT was nine-year-old Jecan Geraldiso's dream to finish school. “Kung muadto na sila sa among balay kuyog sa akong ubang pag-umangkon, makakita gyud na siya ug mga medal unya mangutana siya, “Nong, asa ka gikan ani? (When he comes home with his siblings and cousins, he always noticed my medals and would ask me where I got the medals),” said Gabby Lariosa, Jecan's uncle and a staffer of Cebu Daily News. But traged...
5/6/2013
Urban poor groups deny claim they back Rama

Federation criticized for including them in list“We are not supporting him (Mayor Michael Rama), but we are supporting his opponent Tomas Osmeña.” Marlyn Paracueles, Alliance of Barangay Apas Community Associations (Abaca) president, yesterday made this statement after an urban poor group included them in a list of Team Rama endorsers. “Why would they claim that we are supporting Team Rama?” Paracueles asked. Paracu...
5/6/2013
Subangdaku brgy officials seek aid for fire victims

THE BARANGAY Council of Subangdaku has approved a resolution requesting the Mandaue City government to extend financial aid to fire victims in sitio Sapa-Sapa Dos. Subangdaku barangay captain Ernie Manatad said while there were 36 homeowners displaced and 261 persons affected by last Thursday's fire, the number was not enough to place the sitio under calamity status. But Manatad said the barangay and the Mandaue Cit...
5/6/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

Salvor firm bogged down by vessel recovery THE salvor company hired to recover the capsized vessel MV Maria Angelica Grace is trying to drag the boat to a deeper portion of the Mactan channel to enable them to re-float and set it upright. Capt. Winiel Azcuna, Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu Station commander, said Uni Orient Pearl Venture Inc. tried to pull the vessel near the Cabahug wharf towards the shipya...
5/6/2013
Cebu City bets not averse to pork funds

Health and social services, infrastructure projects, jobs creation and free education for the poor were among the priorities given by five congressional aspirants who attended last week's Mega Cebu Candidates Forum. Two of them—Team Rama congressional candidate Aristotle Batuhan and independent candidate Vicente Manalac - oppose the use of pork barrel funds on new flyover projects. “We have too many flyovers and ...
5/6/2013
Mayors trade barbs

AFTER being accused of immorality including drug activities, it was Medellin Mayor Ricardo Ramirez's turn to level his own accusation against former ally turned foe re-electionist Bogo City Mayor Celestino Martinez Jr.. “I accuse him of being so corrupt that he bloated the rental of the sound system used during President Aquino’s vist to Bogo City,” he said. Ramirez said Medellin paid P38,000 for the Powerlink soun...
5/6/2013
Barangay exec files assault raps against VM supporters

A BARANGAY captain in Sogod town will file charges of direct assault against supporters of Sogod Vice Mayor Nicasio "Nick" Bacayo after he was beaten up during a rally inside the barangay gym last Saturday afternoon.  Tabunok barangay captain Crisfin Reteza Jr. said he didn't approve of the use of the gym by Bacayo and his supporters.  Reteza said he and his wife came from Danao City and only learned late...
5/6/2013
ELECTION ROUND UP

Sonny vows assistance to Cebu schools AURORA Rep. Sonny Angara pledged to help in the acquisition of new facilities and improvement of state universities in Cebu should he win in the May 13 elections. The Cebu Normal University which he referred to as one of the best state universities in the country already needed a modernized building and new facilities. State universities, he said, need the national government'...
5/5/2013
BURIED ALIVE

  Boy, 9 went quarrying to buy himself a shirt     A 9-year-old boy was killed in San Fernando town in southern Cebu late Friday afternoon when a huge chunk of sand in a quarry site caved in and buried him and his uncle alive. Jecan Geraldiso was rushed to the South General Hospital in Naga City where he was declared dead. His uncle, Ponancio Alikaway, 31 was also taken to the same hospital and was later tra...
5/5/2013
‘Blame game’ after Cebu City loses P50M anti-poverty funds

        Finger-pointing among Cebu City officials and even non-government organizations ensued after Cebu City reportedly lost a P50 million budget from the national government to fund its anti-poverty programs. Some urban poor groups urged Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to file a case of usurpation of authority against a Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan (LPRAP) facilitator picked by the Department of Int...
5/5/2013
PNP medico-legal officer facing raps from rival doc

        THE conflicting autopsy findings on a man who died after being beaten up by mall security wasn't the first time Dr. Nestor Sator crossed swords with Dr. Gil Macato. Sator, PNP medico-legal officer earlier faced a string of charges filed by Macato, former medico-legal officer of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7). Sator claimed that the charges were filed by Macato aft...
5/5/2013
DENR checks health of park trees

        REPRESENTATIVES of the Department of Natural Resources (DENR-7) and the Parks and Playground commissioners as well as researchers recently checked on the health of trees in Plaza Independencia and the Fuente Osmeña rotunda in Cebu City, and those in the President Carlos P. Garcia Park in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. The researchers and DENR representatives were participants of the Ecosystems Research an...
5/5/2013
Bato settlers resistance delaying clearing drive

      The resistance of settlers to the clearing operation in sitio Bato, barangay Ermita, Cebu City is delaying the planned re-blocking of the fire affected area. “Dili sila mo-pull-out kay naay nagpaluyo nga mga barangay officials (They won't pull-out from the area because there are barangay officials who are behind their resistance),” said Raquel Arce, head of the city's demolition team. Arce, market adminis...
5/5/2013
Chinese youth troupe wows Cebuanos with songs, martial arts numbers

        CEBUANOS were treated to a showcase of Chinese folk dances and songs as well as martial arts and acrobatics as performed by Chinese youths at the White Gold House in Cebu City last Wednesday evening. The Chinese Cultural Land-Talented Juvenile Troupe stopped by Cebu as part of their friendship tour of Asian countries that included the Philippines. The featured performers were aged 10 to 21 years ol...
5/5/2013
Security cameras installed in traffic areas, mayor’s office

        ABOUT 20 closed circuit TV cameras (CCTV) were installed in major thoroughfares in Cebu City to monitor traffic flow and other activities in these areas. Eugene Elizalde, chief of the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC), said another 10 CCTVs were installed in the mayor's office. They were fitted with motion sensors that can trigger an alarm system in case of unauthorized entry. He sa...
5/5/2013
Liquor ban starts May 9

        Foreign tourists in DOT-accredited hotels exempted The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will implement a five-day liquor ban starting this Thursday (May 9) until election day, next Monday (May 13). Cebu Provincial Comelec Supervisor Eddie Aba said yesterday that the ban would include all intoxicating substances or beverages including “tuba” or coconut wine, a common beverage in the country. Aba ...
5/5/2013
Casiño sees 9M votes in 12 partylist groups

        BAYAN Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño will be banking on the support of 12 partylist groups, who promised to deliver him nine million votes on election day. "For me, that is a very encouraging. Aside from the fact na nung pinag-aralan namin ang partylist survey nagdadala sa akin are 12 partylist groups. If we look at the surveys of these groups, these could translate into an expected around nine million vot...
5/5/2013
Pro-lifers come out with Senate bets’ list

        PRO-LIFE advocates will present to the public a list of the senatorial candidates whom they wish to support. The grand rally organized by the Lay Initiatives for Elections 2013 (Life 2013) will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Plaza Independencia in Cebu City. "Let's stand up in our fight abortion, death penalty, divorce, and same sex marriages. No Catholic is a coward," said Dr. Rene Josef ...
5/5/2013
Team Rama gets support from 4 urban poor groups

        TEAM Rama’s bid for City Hall yesterday got a boost after at least four urban poor groups and a vendor's association gave their endorsement to the party. “We strongly support Mike Rama because we see him as a person who talks with us and asks what our problems are,”,” said Maria Pino, Cebu City United Vendors Association (CCUVA) chairperson in Cebuano during the first Homeowners’ Conference at the ...
5/5/2013
Anomaly story slammed

        FORMER 6th district representative Nerissa Soon Ruiz yesterday questioned the motives of the two barangay captains who accused her of having ghost projects during her last term. Former Pakna-an barangay captain Oscar Mendoza and former Tabok barangay captain Dario Tariman showed documents from the Commission on Audit which questioned the alleged ghost projects during Soon-Ruiz’s 2007 to 2009 term. ...
5/4/2013
QUEST FOR JUSTICE BEGINS

  Suspected shoplifter’s family sues medical examiner     The family of the suspected shoplifter, who was fatally mauled by department store security guards, yesterday filed criminal and administrative complaints against a police medical examiner as their quest for justice begins to formally roll out. Accompanied by lawyer Wendell Quiban, Fe Soledad Ducayag and her daughter Marie Shantylle went to the Cebu City Prosecu...
5/4/2013
Environment dept questions hotel’s ECC in wake of coral damage

        The Coastal and Marine Management Division of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will conduct a separate assessment on the damage allegedly caused by the Cebu Yellow Submarine on Lapu-Lapu City's coral walls. William Cuñado, officer-in-charge of DENR’s Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) asked to conduct a site verification on the coral reef that was damaged by the tourist yellow ...
5/4/2013
LP-Cebu, BO-PK slate get star power for sorties

        BOTH the Liberal Party-Cebu chapter and its local ally, the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) will receive some star power in their sorties as the campaign season winds down next week. Presidential sister and talk show host Kris Aquino arrived in Cebu City to endorse the candidacies of LP-Cebu gubernatorial candidate Hilario Davide III and his running mate, acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale. Aquino is also...
5/4/2013
Kris talks Cebu tourism, political plans

        DESPITE a hectic provincial campaign schedule, presidential sister Kris Aquino took time to promote a tourism destination in Cebu, unveil her plans in 2016 and a possible joint venture for a beach front property in Saranggani province. On arriving in Cebu, Aquino lined up with other passengers at the Mactan Cebu International Airport for metered taxis with no Presidential Security Group (PSG) personnel in to...
5/4/2013
Yong’s lawyer hits BIR over tax probe

        The lawyer of Cebu-based ophthalmologist Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal yesterday complained over the manner in which the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) conducted its investigation on his client. Lawyer Cornelio Mercado said Dr. Larrazabal, who was charged with tax evasion, wasn't given due process of law before charges were filed against the latter before the Department of Justice. “We're surprised. We're con...
5/4/2013
Two Cebu hospitals for completion next month

        TWO provincial hospitals in Balamban town and Danao City are expected to be completed next month. Provincial Engr. Hector Jamora told reporters that some portions of the hospitals have already been used. He said the Danao City hospital is 90 percent complete and is already accepting patients. "Before there's a change in administration, it will be finished,” Jamora said. Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale sa...
5/4/2013
MCWD Metro Cebu water production down

        The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) is concerned over the drying up of Jaclupan River which is a major source Metro Cebu's water supply. To cope with this water supply decrease, the MCWD is advising consumers to conserve water and store water during night time as water pressure may decrease during peak hours. The water supply situation may not ease soon as the weather bureau has predicted below norm...
5/4/2013
Comelec BEIs are supreme in the polling precinct

        As “deputies” of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) were given their final briefing. The BEIs were reminded to exercise their “supreme power” inside the polling precinct and that they should know their rights and duties so as not to be easily harassed by politicians and supporters. The BEIs per precinct are composed of three persons: the chairman, po...
5/4/2013
ELECTION ROUNDUP

        BRGY COUNCILMEN SLAM RAMA FOR FISTFIGHT THREAT Officials of the Barangay Councilors League of the Philippines (BCLP) in Cebu City have condemned mayor Michael Rama's act of challenging their national president to a fist fight after he was barred from speaking on stage during the league's city chapter assembly held on Sunday. League officials described the mayor's action as “tantamount to conduct unbecomin...
5/4/2013
Cebu City deploys new garbage trucks

        Even with ten newly acquired garbage trucks, the Department of Public Services (DPS) is still having difficulty with the volume of trash in Cebu City. According to DPS head Engr. Dionisio Gualiza, some of the city's 14 garbage trucks are occasionally under repair and has affected garbage collection in the city. One of the old trucks got involved in a trouble in sitio Maracas, barangay Lahug when its brakes ...
5/4/2013
Comelec, watchdogs, security sector ready for May 13 polls

        We’re almost ready.” That was the assurance given to the voting public by government agencies, citizen election watchdogs and the religious groups that are working together for the May 13 elections. At the Command Conference organized by the Cebu Citizens Involvement and Maturation in People’s Empowerment and Liberation (C-CIMPEL) yesterday, Commission on Election Provincial Supervisor Eddie Aba promised th...
5/4/2013
Only one of 35 fire-affected families OK’d relocation

        OF the 35 families affected by the fire in sitio Sapasapa Dos, barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue last Thursday, only one family agreed to transfer to the relocation site provided by the city government in Paknaan, Basak. Tony Pet Juanico of Mandaue City Housing and Urban Development Office (HUDO) said that they are advising the fire victim not to rebuild their homes in the fire prone area and instead avail of th...
5/3/2013
30 MINUTES TOO LATE

  Gaisano store to put camera inside security room     If a customer is caught shoplifting, the suspect must be turned over to the nearest police station “within 30 minutes after his arrest.” That's the store policy of Gaisano Metro-Colon, but that's not what happened in April 12 when 23-year-old Mario Alfie Ducayag was taken to the “security room” by store personnel where he ended up beaten to death. Thirty minutes i...
5/3/2013
Lapu-Lapu to fete Japanese diver

  City government awaiting Korean tour operator’s reply to CDO     The Lapu-Lapu City government is planning to fete the Japanese diver who took a video of the yellow submarine incident in recognition of his vigilance and concern for the marine environment. “Because of his vigilance we are able to acquire proof that led me to issue a cease and desist order against the operations of the Cebu yellow submarine,” Mayor Paz...
5/3/2013
BIR files tax evasion suit against Cebu doctor for P21 million deficiency

        THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) yesterday filed a criminal complaint against a Cebu City-based ophthalmologist for evading taxes and failing to supply the BIR with correct and accurate information in his tax returns for 2009 to 2011. The criminal complaint was filed at the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Dr. Potenciano Sto. Domingo Larrazabal III, husband of singer-actress Dona Cruz. The BIR compu...
5/3/2013
Fire razes 13 houses, displaces 35 families

        Fire razed 13 houses and displaced at least 35 families and 31 renters yesterday in sitios Sapa-Sapa Dos and Marta in barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City. Arson investigator Nilo Cosido said Veronico Pepito was hurt in both legs after he stepped on nails as he escaped from his burning house. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. Cosido pegged the damage to property at P130,000. Cosido said that the ...
5/3/2013
Skills mismatch, age requirement blamed for fewer job hires

        THE lack of skills and age requirement were among of the factors why job applicants failed to get hired during the Labor Day job fair in Central Visayas. Emmanuel Ferrer, information officer of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole-7), said there were 5,602 job applicants on the Dole-initiated job fairs in five venues in Cebu and Negros Oriental. The job fairs were held in SM Cebu City, SM Consolacio...
5/3/2013
Rama order Continue Bato reblocking

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama ordered yesterday the continuation of the clearing operations at the fire site in Bato, Ermita to allow the implementation of the city's reblocking plans. Rama yesterday directed Raquel Arce, head of the city's demolition team, to charge anybody who would try to delay their clearing operations. Arce complained of delays in their clearing operations because of the opposition from...
5/3/2013
ELECTION ROUNDUP

        CFI FINANCIALLY SOUND The Cebu Court of First Instance Cooperative (CFI) maintains that its financial operations is politics-free. All transactions of the cooperative according to its chairperson, retired judge Esperanza Fiel Garcia, undergo prescribed processes and are properly accounted. Garcia made this clarification amid insinuations by Barili Mayor Teresito Mariñas that the cooperative's funds could...
5/3/2013
Cebu mayors endorse Hagedorn’s Senate bid

        Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn is banking on the support of fellow mayors including those from Cebu to win a Senate seat in the May 13 elections. Hagedorn had a closed-door breakfast meeting with 28 incumbent mayors and six mayoralty candidates from all over Cebu. Cebu has 44 towns and seven cities including Cebu and Lapu-Lapu cities which are chartered cities. After the meeting, Hagedorn told report...
5/3/2013
Pols told Don’t engage armed groups

        COMELEC Provincial Supervisor Eddie Aba said they will not hesitate to go after candidates doling out money in exchange for support or protection from private armed groups. Aba, who met with representatives of the National Grid Power Corporation of the Philippines (NGPC) and major telecom companies yesterday, said Comelec will immediately investigate candidates giving illegal contributions to armed groups. ...
5/3/2013
Proposed ordinance to safeguard water in vending machines

        A proposed ordinance has been filed in the Mandaue City Council setting sanitation standards for coin-operated water vending machines that have proliferated in the city. Councilor Emmarie Ouano-Dizon is pushing for the approval of the Mandaue Water Sanitation Standards of 2013 to regulate for sanitation purposes automated water vending along roadsides and sari-sari stores. These machines known as ATMs or aut...
5/3/2013
Vietnam rice to arrive in Cebu – NFA

        THE National Food Authority (NFA) in Cebu will start receiving 54,000 metric tons or 1,080,000 bags of imported rice from Vietnam by the second week of May. The imported rice will augment the NFA's buffer stock during the months with lean rice harvests. Aside from the imported rice, 300,000 bags of local rice are scheduled to be shipped to Cebu from Southern Tagalog. This rice buffer stock will be distribu...
5/2/2013
‘JUST SAY SORRY’

Japanese diver says he saw submarine ‘crash’ coral wall; local divers confirm reef damage He didn’t imagine it. The Japanese diver who took the video of a yellow tourist submarine cruising by a wall of live corals in Mactan surfaced yesterday, saying he witnessed the sea craft “hitting the wall” in the Kontiki Drop last April 18. “I was just taking the video as usual. I did not expect it would happen. That time I saw the submarine hi...
5/2/2013
Thousands seek jobs in Labor Day job fairs

As labor groups condemned contractual employment and low wages across the country, other people kept themselves busy doing something else on Labor Day: They applied for jobs. At two SM malls in Cebu, 5,500 jobs were offered in job fairs. About 3,000 job seekers trooped to stores in Cebu City and Consolacion town, said RJ Leduna, SM senior public relations manager. At least 92 job applicants were hired on the spot in SM Cebu City wh...
5/2/2013
Witness recants Ducayag nabbed in store counter

A new twist developed in the investigation into the violent death of 23-year-old shopper Mario Alfie Ducayag as a witness recanted her earlier statement. The female guard of Gaisano Metro Colon who first said she apprehended Ducayag recanted her statements before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Margie Gaser said Ducayag was not arrested as he was about to leave the department store last April 12, as her earlier testimony r...
5/2/2013
Better wages, partisan politics mark Labor Day

PARTISAN politics and calling for better wages mixed in yesterday's Labor Day mass actions. The Nagkaisa march of moderate labor unions from downtown P. Del Rosario to Fuente Osmeña gathered 4,000 workers yesterday. The Nagkaisa is composed of the Associated Labor Union – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (Alu-TUCP), Partido Manggagawa, Bukloran ng Maggagawang Pilipino and Association of Progressive Labor. Among their demands ...
5/2/2013
Broken corals in path of Yellow Submarine

BROKEN pieces of corals, some as large as 12 to 24 inches, were noticed yesterday in the Kontiki Drop by a group of local divers who traced the spot where the Cebu Yellow Submarine cruised last month. The group went underwater to a depth of 20 meters based on directions by Japanese diver Toyoda Sitoshi, who took the controversial video of the submarine that appeared to hit a coral reef last April 18. The team led by Andy Berame, head...
5/2/2013
Tomas O not keen on 3rd Mactan bridge

Building a third bridge connecting Cebu City to Mactan Island will relieve traffic congestion but Rep. Tomas Osmeña said it won't be feasible because it would result in the destruction of some landmarks including Cebu City Hall. He said a third bridge would need space for its approaches, entailing large cost for road right of way. A third “access” between Cebu mainland and Mactan is being pushed by the Regional Development Council (...
5/2/2013
SC orders dismissal of Danao court clerk

A CLERK of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) in Danao City was ordered dismissed from service by the Supreme Court (SC) for dishonesty. Merle Ramoneda-Pita was held liable for making it appear that she took the civil service eligibility examination when another person took the exam in her behalf 26 years ago. The specimen signatures in various Personnel Data Sheet (PDS) and the photos that Pita submitted to the court didn't ...
5/2/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

Mayor, Pablo John clash over coop A COOPERATIVE identified with the Garcias may be caught in the political crossfire of the May 13 election. Barili Mayor Teresito Marinas submitted an open letter to the Cebu Court of First Instance (Cebu-CFI) Cooperative calling on management to “refrain from using the funds of its members for political ends.” The letter from some coop members alleged that suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and h...
5/2/2013
Church volunteers given sendoff ahead of polls

With less than two weeks to go before the elections, about 750 church volunteers for poll watch duty were given a sendoff by Cebu’s Catholic Church leaders in a Mass held at the Blessed John XXIII covered court yesterday. “These volunteers are a symbol of non-partisan involvement in the political exercise. Their involvement is a guarantee, that with God's grace, the elections would be peaceful, honest and clean,” Cebu Archbishop Jose ...
5/2/2013
Magsaysay awardee back as consultant

ACTING Gov. Agnes Magpale hired Ramon Magsaysay awardee Dr. Romulo Davide as one of her Capitol consultants. In an interview last Tuesday, Magpale said she hired Davide on a P1 consultancy fee per year. In wanting to pursue organic farming, Magpale said she tapped Davide in hopes of reviving his Farmer Scientist Program (FSTP). The FSTP would team farmers with scientists who would teach about modern agriculture techniques. Through...
5/1/2013
‘I SAW IT ALL’

  CCTV operator says shopper was beaten up by mall security officer     He was almost charged as the lone “fall guy” in the violent death of a young man mistaken for being a shoplifter in a mall. Jeffrey Aquino, the operator of the closed-circuit TV camera in the store, is ready to tell investigators what really happened on April 12 when 23-year-old Mario Alfie Ducayag was brought into the security office of Ga...
5/1/2013
Submarine owner No corals hit independent probe called

    The operator of the Cebu Yellow Submarine yesterday denied that the underwater vessel had hit corals in Mactan. The “cloud of dust” seen in a YouTube video giving the impression of impact was caused by the motion of the submarine’s propellers, they said in a press conference. “There are two stabilizer propellers in front of the craft and a main propeller at the rear end of the submarine. Dust seen on the clif...
5/1/2013
Sanchez family laments dad, son’s condition

        As she and her family marked the second death anniversary of her husband the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. last Monday, Leonarda Sanchez bewailed her son Greco's recent arrest for alleged possession of illegal drugs. Leonarda, 77, said she and her eldest daughter, Grecilda “Gigi” Sanchez-Zaballero could only stand by and hope that 39-year-old Greco learns the errors of his ways and recov...
5/1/2013
Unity rally by Cebu labor groups today

        A wage hike and job security are on top of the demands of organized labor in Cebu as the world observes the 110th International Labor Day. Various labor groups will join today’s rally under the new broad alliance called “Nagkaisa” uniting some 40 major trade unions and labor federations across the country. The Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) is calling for a P90 increase in the daily minimum wage of C...
5/1/2013
Annabelle challenges del Mar to public debate

        Despite being absent in last Monday's Mega Cebu Candidates Forum, talent manager and congressional candidate Annabelle Rama said she's ready to face her rival Raul del Mar in a public debate. “He's a lawyer and Deputy House Speaker but he's afraid of Annabelle Rama. I'm waiting for him so we can debate,” she said during the 888 News Forum held yesterday. Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) where...
5/1/2013
Team Rama supporter files plaint against Margot

        COUNCILOR Margot Osmeña faces a complaint before the Commission on Elections after her campaign materials were posted on a fence of a Team Rama supporter in barangay Guadalupe. Zacarias Hermosisima filed a complaint affidavit before Ferdinand Gujilde, Cebu City south district election officer, after discovering Osmeña's posters on his fence in 885, Andres Abellana St. in Guadalupe. He also attache...
5/1/2013
ELECTION ROUNDUP

        RAMA CAN SPEAK IN GATHERINGS—COMELEC WHILE every candidate is allowed to speak in public gatherings, they can only do so if the organizers agree to it. Ferdinand Gujilde, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Cebu City-south district officer, said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama isn't prohibited to give speeches in events like the Barangay Councilor's League of the Philippines' (BCLP) general assembly....
5/1/2013
Independent bets explain priorities

        Low profile candidates with few resources to campaign got equal stage exposure as incumbent Cebu city and province officials in last Monday's Mega Cebu Candidates Forum held at the Cebu Cultural Center. Of the 10 who showed up, four were independents. Pablo Doronio Jr., Vicente Mañalac and Florence Villarin running for Cebu City's north congressional district while Hermilito Bulala is running for g...
5/1/2013
Police eye ‘inside job’ in chapel robbery

        Police investigation into the robbery of the San Perdo Calungsod Chapel in the South Road Properties (SRP) may point to a possible inside job, said Insp. William Alicaba, chief of the Theft and Robbery Section of the Cebu City Police Office. The he three security guards of the chapel gave statements yesterday to the Theft and Robbery Section (TRS). Lemuel Verano Cuesta’s duty is from 8 a.m. to 4 ...
5/1/2013
Magpale bats for more agri fund

        ACTING Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale vowed to increase the budget allocation on agriculture in the province if she gets elected as vice governor. She said this during the launching of the Rice Year 2013 at the Capitol's Social Hall with the Department of Agriculture (DA). Magpale said that based on last year’s budget, there was only P22 million allocated for the Capitol’s agriculture department. The p...
4/30/2013
MAYOR STOPS TOUR SUB

Lapu-Lapu city suspends business permit; tour operator’s Marina permit also expires Dead in the water. The country's first and only tour submarine will not be going anywhere after Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz C. Radaza yesterday issued a cease and desist order against its operation. The mayor also suspended the business permit of its operator, the Cebu Yellow Submarine Undersea Tour Corp, after the underwater craft “sideswiped” a coral ree...
4/30/2013
Same tune for Balili lots PJ vows a ‘different style’

What do you intend to do with the Balili lots? Asked yesterday about his plans for the controversial 25-hectare land purchase in Naga City, gubernatorial candidate Rep.Pablo John Garcia said he wanted to use it to generate jobs and “stimulate the economy” since it was already declared an “economic zone”. Garcia said there were “serious investors” looking at it for a waste-to-energy project but got stuck after his sister Gov. Gwendoly...
4/30/2013
Gwen to present 46 witnesses in Balili graft trial

AT least 46 witnesses will be presented by lawyers of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia for her defense in the criminal charges she is facing before the Sandiganbayan. A pre-trial brief submitted by her counsel to the anti-graft court's Second Division showed Garcia herself would be the first defense witness. The list included acting Governor Agnes Magpale. Magpale was identified as a member of the Balili Properties Review Comm...
4/30/2013
Unity among Metro Cebu leaders urged

IS it possible for Cebu's elected leaders to set aside partisan politics and work for a common vision of growth for Metro Cebu? Some of the 10 candidates in Cebu City and the province who attended yesterday's last round of the Mega Cebu Candidates Fora said yes. Cebu City Councilor and vice mayoral candidate Edgardo Labella said the “more important question to ask” at this point is “are we ready to work together” and ‘not quarrel to ...
4/30/2013
Rama threatens cases against re-blocking foes

Those who tried to stop the re-blocking of the fire scene in sitio Bato, barangay Ermita will face legal action, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama warned yesterday. Rama said he will ask the City Legal Office to study what legal action the city may take against persons including city officials who tried to oppose the re-blocking. Clearing operations at the fire site in Ermita was supposed to start last Friday morning.  But it was po...
4/30/2013
Mandaue fiesta off limits to political activities

WITH two weeks to go before the midterm elections, Mandaue City officials called on candidates not to wear campaign T-shirts and refrain from campaigning during the city's on May 8. “The fiesta is a city celebration and not a campaign or religious activity (for anyone),” Mandaue City Hall Executive Secretary James Calipayan Jamaal said. About P10 million sourced from the cultural activities and events item of Mandaue City's budget ...
4/30/2013
No officials mean less festive Suroy for repeat tourists

SINCE local officials were discouraged from campaigning during the Suroy Suroy tours, only one mayor was on hand to welcome the participants of the three-day Suroy tour in Camotes Island. “Some of the participants especially the second timers, asked where they were. It was their (local government officials) personal choice not to attend. We didn’t give any instructions,” Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Paulino said. During the stopo...
4/30/2013
Family stops filing of ‘weak case’

The family of the man who was allegedly mauled to death after guards mistook him for a shoplifter yesterday tried to stop the police from filing a murder case before the court. But before the case was docketed by a staffer of the Cebu City Prosecutors' Office, the family of the late Mario Alfie Ducayag came to prevent the police from filing the charges against Jeffrey Aquino, a security guard of Metro Gaisano Colon assigned to monitor...
4/30/2013
Denied the mic, Mayor Mike irked at brgy kagawad

AN irate Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has reportedly challenged the national president of the Barangay Councilors League of the Philippines (BCLP), Franklyn Ong to a fist fight Sunday night after he was not allowed to speak during the league’s general assembly. While he did not categorically admit having made the challenge, Rama said, “Well inside (the SM Trade Hall)? No, not inside. Not inside,” he said when asked about the matter. ...
4/30/2013
Calungsod chapel in SRP looted

THE newly-built San Pedro Calungsod Chapel in the South Road Properties (SRP) was looted. Acting Cebu City Police Office chief, Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el Jr. said robbers took away P100,000 cash and an undetermined amount of bank checks from a drawer in the living quarter of nuns and other workers serving the religious facility. The robbery was discovered last Sunday morning, he said. Police investigators found the doors leading ...
4/29/2013
CORAL CRUSHER

Video of Cebu tour sub hitting reef wall gone viral Barely a month after it's formal launch, the country's first tourist submarine faces the prospect of getting torpedoed after environmentalists raised a howl over a video posted online that showed the underwater craft brushing against a coral reef in the waters off Lapu-Lapu City. The one-minute video uploaded to the video sharing site YouTube showed the yellow-colo...
4/29/2013
Family to file charges vs PNP medico-legal officer

The family of 23-year-old Mario Alfie Ducayag said they will file charges against the medico-legal officer of the Philippine National Police over his findings on the young man's death. Ducayag's elder sister Marie Shantylle said Dr. Nestor Sator has to be held answerable for an alleged “malicious” report he gave on what caused her brother's death. She said Sator's autopsy report is “not factual and truthful.” ...
4/29/2013
Cebu is venue for Int'l Eucharistic Congress

CEBU will be the official venue of the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) that will gather Catholic pilgrims and leaders around the world. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said the IEC will be held from May 23 to 29, 2016. The big event to be hosted by the Cebu Archdiocese carries the theme “Christ in You: Our Hope of Glory.” Palma, also the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said th...
4/29/2013
Labor groups press new wage hike

TWO days before the annual Labor Day observance, labor groups said they will push for a P90 across the board wage increase for workers in Cebu and lower power rates in Central Visayas. Art Barrit, representative of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), said the existing P327 daily minimum wage is insufficient to cover living expenses in Cebu. The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB...
4/29/2013
‘I am Mandaue’ movement launched ahead of city fiesta

Mandaue City officials kicked off the city’s two-week fiesta celebration last Saturday with the launching of the “I am Mandaue” movement at the Mandaue City Hall grounds. “This is geared towards building a ‘character city’ starting with ourselves,” City Administrator James Abadia said. City Information Officer Roger Paller said this is achieved by building participatory governance. Paller said the program is par...
4/29/2013
SC asked Why exclude Econg in marriage scam?

In submitting her motion for reconsideration, Judge Rosabella Tormis of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 4 said she questioned the “unlawful process” that led to her dismissal along with three Cebu City judges. She also questioned why former RTC Judge Geraldine Faith Econg was cleared of involvement in the alleged marriage scam case despite committing irregularities in solemnizing marriages. Econg...
4/29/2013
Less stops, longer Suroy tour in Camotes trail

LESS stopovers meant more time for participants of the Suroy Suroy Camotes trail to savor the sights, sounds and food of the towns covered in their itineraries. Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Paulino said the three days and two nights they spent in the towns of San Francisco, Tudela and Poro in Camotes Island mean additional income for local resorts. "We gave more time to the participants to really explore the to...
4/29/2013
Fire victims cope with loss, uncertainty

UNCERTAINTY hangs over the fire victims in sitio Bato barangay Ermita, Cebu City concerning their chances of rebuilding their homes as the city government proceeds with reblocking the fire site. But for most of them, like 46-year-old Pedro Kangkee, life goes on despite their current misfortune. Kangkee, who suffers from partial paralysis due to diabetes, is still upbeat as he helps his wife sell cigarettes in th...
4/29/2013
Rama, Osmeña compete for 'Likes' in FB

Aside from scrambling to press hands and cover as much campaign space, the two main mayoralty contenders of Cebu City are also battling it out in cyberspace. Reelectionist Mayor Mayor Michael Rama and incumbent south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña, mayoralty bet of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan and Liberal Party (BOPK-LP) have made their presence felt in the top social networking site Facebook. Rama's social media c...
4/29/2013
Padaca shows up in Cebu for anti-vote buying drive

The ‘I Vote Good' campaign spearheaded by the Dilaab Foundation got the support of election Comm. Grace Padaca. The community-based campaign went to sitio Mabolo in barangay Basak, Mandaue City to call on voters not to sell their votes and vote based on what candidates' “Lifestyle, Action, Supporters, Election conduct and Reputation or the Laser test. "We have been spending a lot of money preparing for a one-day e...
4/29/2013
Agnes won't pay for Gwen medals

THE Cebu Capitol will only pay for the redesigned medals of its student scholars that now bears the logo of the provincial government, the Lapu-Lapu monument and the Magellan’s cross. Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale said the Capitol will not pay for the medals that bore the image of suspended Gov. Gwen Garcia. Magpale awarded the newly minted medal last Friday to scholars of the provincial government in the Capit...
4/29/2013
Revillame endorses Mike, Anabelle Says no politics in show prizes

POPULAR TV show host Willie Revillame gave assurances that politics was not involved in the handing of prizes in the show he organized at the Plaza Independencia last Saturday evening. Revillame, is supporting Team Rama. Thousands of people flocked to the variety show in Plaza Independencia last Saturday evening hoping to get freebies from the celebrity like what he does in the noontime TV show Wowowillie that airs o...
4/29/2013
Gov’t to end peace talks with communist rebels

THE chairman of the government negotiating panel with the Communist Party of the Philippines – National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF) announced yesterday that the Aquino government will no longer push peace talks. Chief government negotiator Alexander Padilla said the peace process which has been stalled for 22 months is going nowhere. “We cannot wait forever for the other side if they continually refuse to go back to...
4/28/2013
HERO’S BATTLE THRILLS

  Victory of Lapu-Lapu chief draws 10,000 spectators     About 10,000 spectators came to watch the mock battle but had to wait for the tide to rise. By 9:30 a.m., the drama on the beach of Mactan began. Native warriors engaged in hand-to-hand combat with other actors playing the role of Spanish soldiers in yesterday's reenactment of the 1521 Battle of Mactan, an annual event that is Lapu-Lapu city's biggest ...
4/28/2013
Controversial diaper ad still on air Radaza to seek answers

        The controversial diaper ad which used the Battle of Mactan as theme and which was ordered pulled out by the National Historical Commission is still on air. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, who was at the forefront of the campaign against the TV commercial, yesterday expressed disbelief when told that the offensive advertisement can still be seen on television. “I heard it's still being shown, tha...
4/28/2013
Confusion reigns in ‘Wowowillie’ show

        CONFUSION swirled around Plaza Independencia as tens of thousands of people, including children and the elderly, jammed the venue of a popular television variety show which was staged yesterday to prop up the candidacy of talent manager Annabelle Rama. With word getting around town that the “Wowowillie” show is in town, the noontime show's local followers trooped to Plaza Independencia – with some ...
4/28/2013
Festive air marked Inquirer Senate forum

        EACH of the candidates brought their own cheering squads. Chants and shouts of the supporters filled the Cebu Cultural Center where the 3rd Inquirer Senate forum was held on Friday. Some supporters could even be seen dancing to the tune of their candidates’ campaign jingles. The loudest cheers were for the candidates with organized political backing: Bayan Muna party-list Teddy Casiño, Aurora Rep...
4/28/2013
Pre-Kadaugan drama draws actors, audience

        She was the oldest performer at 70 but Adelina Abellanosa Talampo was as enthusiastic as anyone participating in last Friday evening's reenactment of the pre-battle ritual of Mactan. “Though our practices end up at 12 midnight I am still happy performing because it has been six years that I am part of this pre-battle ritual,” she said. Kadaugan performers like her are given only snacks after late...
4/28/2013
No guns, no problem for Kadaugan play

        EXCEPT for the confiscation of a replica of an ancient Spanish pistol by police, everything went as planned for yesterday’s reenactment of the annual Kadaugan sa Mactan (Victory at Mactan). Director Xavier Palanca said 180 production crew members, including arnis or eskrima practitioners who acted as warriors for Datu Lapu-Lapu participated in the event. “We did research on the history of native ...
4/28/2013
‘Value for money’ Suroy Camotes trail tour

        PARTICIPANTS in this year's Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Camotes trail enjoyed the island attractions at a slightly lower price. Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Paulino said they saved expenses using five of the province’s Suroy-Suroy mini-buses from the cities of Naga, Talisay and Carcar and the towns of Sibonga and San Francisco instead of hiring Ceres buses. The participants and the mini-buses also boar...
4/28/2013
Rediscovering Christ through the Kaplag

        A fluvial procession, portrayals of history, cultural dances and a Holy Mass were held yesterday to mark the 448th celebration of the rediscovery of the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu. In celebrating the annual event called Kaplag, Msgr. Trinidad Silva reminded the faithful to rediscover Christ in their lives the way the wooden icon was refound over four centuries ago in the site of the present Bas...
4/28/2013
Rama, Bimbo clash over clearing

        A bulldozer from Cebu City Hall cleared last Friday afternoon what remained of the shanties in sitio Bato, barangay Ermita that was razed in a fire last April 20. The clearing operation was part of the re-blocking ordered by Mayor Michael Rama, but the occupants tried to block the team headed by market administrator Raquel Arce for fear that they won't be allowed to rebuild their homes. Occupants ...
4/27/2013
FAMILY AFFAIR

  The good, the bad and reality     Cebu's prominent political families – the Duranos, Osmeñas, Garcias and Duranos – were cited as examples of good and bad features of political dynasties during yesterday's third Inquirer Senate Forum held in Cebu City. While all eight Senate candidates called for a level playing field to avoid concentrating power in the hands of a few clans, they differed on how to go about doing it....
4/27/2013
Vietnam rice consignees nowhere to be found

        Three of the eight trading companies listed as consignees of the biggest seizure of misdeclared rice shipments in Cebu can’t be found at the addresses given in their shipping documents. Cebu Daily News yesterday visited their offices and discovered that the three companies were no longer holding office in the addresses they declared with the Bureau of Customs. Neon Gateway Trading which was listed as locate...
4/27/2013
Weekend at the park Wowowillie + Annabelle Rama’s ‘birthday’

        TELEVISION host Willie Revillame will bring his variety show “Wowowillie” to Cebu City today. It may also serve to shore up the candidacy of talent manager Annabelle Rama two weeks before the May 13 polls. “Tuloy na tuloy po si Willie Revillame at ang “Wowowillie” sa Cebu! Magkita kita po tayo bukas, April 27, sa Plaza Independencia at 6pm!” actress Ruffa Gutierrez posted on her Twitter account “iloveruffag...
4/27/2013
Capitol told to present contracts of advisors

        State auditors called on the Capitol to furnish them copies of Provincial Board resolutions and contracts of 19 consultants hired by suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia within five working days. Commission on Auditor (COA) official Eva Cabrera said their request was part of their ongoing post auditing of local government units (LGUs). The staff of acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said these appointments we...
4/27/2013
Four guards summoned by NBI for questioning

        The four security guards accused of beating up a man they suspected of being a shoplifter inside Gaisano Metro in downtown, Cebu City two weeks ago were requested to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7). “We are giving them the opportunity to answer the allegations,” said NBI-7 Agent Bernard dela Cruz, lead investigator in the death of Mario Alfie Ducayag. Dela Cruz ...
4/27/2013
Capitol scholars receive new medals on graduation

        ABOUT 21 scholars of the Cebu provincial government received new medals in a ceremony yesterday afternoon at the Capitol's social hall.  The medal designs which bore the logo of the provincial government, the Lapu-Lapu monument and the Magellan's cross were distributed to the scholars under the Capitol's valedictorian scholarship program. The awards were different from the “Governor's Excellence Award”...
4/27/2013
Gullas now wants to reopen Tabunok market

        Cebu 1st district Rep. Eduardo Gullas is now pushing for the reopening of the old Tabunok public market. The change of heart, according to the congressman who is now running for mayor of Talisay City, came after consulting vendors in barangay Lagtang, where the city public market was transferred two years ago. But before the transfer could be made, Gullas said the old market needs to undergo improvements. ...
4/27/2013
Alegria bet sued for vote-buying

        A mayoral candidate in Alegria town is facing a vote-buying case before the Provincial Prosecutor's Offce. Councilor Raul Guisadio and other town officials have allegedly committed the election offense by providing free electric connection “in exchange for votes.” The candidate “In one time or another illegally connected for free electric power connections or called flying connections from houses to houses ...
4/27/2013
Urban poor group endorses BOPK

        BANDO Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) candidates received a commitment of support from an urban poor group called Alliance of Peoples Organization Working for the Empowerment and Resettlement (All power). Group president Floro Enricoso said that the 2,300 families under 22 community-based chapters will be voting for all the BOPK candidates “whom we believe to have a heart for the poor and (will be) able to ca...
4/27/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        BRIDGE LANES CLOSED FOR KADAUGAN SA MACTAN STARTING at 7 a.m yesterday, the lanes of the Mandaue-Mactan bridge to the Fernan bridge at M.L. Quezon Highway were closed to motorists to give room to stallholders and entertainment shows for Lapu-Lapu City's Kadaugan sa Mactan. A two-way lane will be open to motorists until 5 p.m only after which it will be closed until 12 midnight. An alternate route will...
4/26/2013
BIGGEST CATCH

P1.2 billion Vietnam rice seized at Cebu port, bigger than Subic haul “We hit the mother lode of rice smuggling.” Deputy Customs Commissioner Danilo Lim yesterday made this statement as he flew in from Manila to lead the formal seizure of what the Bureau of Customs considers its biggest haul of smuggled rice. Cebu port authorities uncovered a total of 1,169 container vans of misdeclared rice shipments worth P1.2 billion from Vietnam....
4/26/2013
What Cebu needs Water, aid for rural poor, new Mactan airport

When other Asian cities have overtaken the country, what does Cebu need to get back on track as a competitive city? The answers varied for eight local candidates in yesterday's second leg of the Mega Cebu Candidates for a held at the Cebu Cultural Center. To fight poverty, vice gubernatorial bet Agnes Magpale of the Liberal Party said she would increase, even double , the Capitol's budget for scholarships for public school students. ...
4/26/2013
Inquirer Senate forum

Anti-dynasty bets go head on with political scions FORMER Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) is the latest to sign up for the 3rd Inquirer Senate Forum in Cebu today, which will center on the issue of political dynasties. He will join other candidates with relatives in government office: Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, whose father is outgoing Sen. Edgardo Angara, and Bro. Eddie Villanueva, whose son Joel, a forme...
4/26/2013
Garbo orders probe on mall death

Police Regional Office 7 director, Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo ordered a special section to investigate the security guards involved in the death of a man who was falsely accused of shoplifting in a Cebu City mall. “I have directed Senior Supt. Derilo (Supt. Rex Derilo) to look into the matter,” said Garbo. Derilo is the chief of Firearms Explosives Security and Guards Supervisory Section (Fesags) that regulates security guard agencies....
4/26/2013
Ms. Mandaue bets face the media

TWELVE ladies competing for the Miss Mandaue 2013 title faced the Cebu media yesterday. The candidates who are competing for this year’s Miss Mandaue crown also answered queries on current events. Awarded as the media’s choice was candidate number 11 Steffi Rose Aberasturi. She is the sister of Miss Mandaue 2011, Crystalstar Aberasturi. “I am pressured since my sister is the former Miss Mandaue. But she’s personally training me rig...
4/26/2013
Political contribution mar festival

IT is now the turn of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to call on the Commission on Election (Comelec) to investigate his opponent, south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña for an election offense. Rama said that the admission of San Nicolas Proper barangay captain Boy Desamparado that Osmeña gave financial help for the hosting of their Buwad Festival on Saturday should already be enough to warrant an investigation. The Buwad Festival promotes ...
4/26/2013
Calungsod off to Panay, Romblon for Duaw Nasud II

ALMOST five months since its last sojourn, the image of the second Filipino saint will be brought to Ilo-ilo City by sea for the second leg of the Duaw Nasud. A send off Mass will be celebrated at the San Pedro Calungsod Shrine along D. Jakosalem Street in Cebu City at 4 p.m. today. After the Eucharistic celebration, a motorcade will bring Calungsod's image to a Cebu City pier where the vessel that would carry the sacred icon to Ilo-...
4/26/2013
Big prizes in Lapu’s Rampada 2013

Over a million pesos worth of prizes is set to be given to winners of this year's Rampada Street Dancing during the Kadaugan Street Party on Saturday night. Starting today, Lapu-Lapu City stages the annual Kadaugan Festival in celebration of the 1521 Battle of Mactan. The Rampada Street Dancing is a mardi gras -themed competition. The streets will be alive this weekend with live bands, dance parties, games, and sports events. One ...
4/26/2013
Ermita fire victims fear politics to affect relocation

A number of fire victims in sitio Bato, barangay Ermita, Cebu City expressed fears they may not be allowed to rebuild their burnt homes because of their allegiance to Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK). They visited the office of Councilor Alvin Dizon yesterday morning to complain about threats that they will no longer be allowed to rebuild their shanties. Dizon, chairperson of the council's housing committee, said that politics sh...
4/26/2013
PJ to Ace what have you done for Camotes

ONE Cebu gubernatorial candidate Pablo John “PJ” Garcia struck back at former Tourism secretary and 5th district congressional bet Ace Durano who earlier said they regret supporting the Garcias in the 2010 elections. Garcia's spokesperson Joel Garganera asked Durano what has he done to boost tourism in Camotes Island when he was still secretary of Tourism during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “Gwen (Garcia) ...
4/26/2013
PCOS machines arrive in Cebu

All Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to be used for the May 13 election in Cebu have arrived last Wednesday. Cebu Provincial election supervisor Eddie Aba said the machines are now stored in a secured area prior to its delivery to the polling precincts. The machines will be moved to the different towns and cities in the province on May 7 and 8 for final testing and sealing, said Aba. Arthur Patiga, election assistant of t...
4/26/2013
Parks commission halts stage construction

Organizers fail to secure endorsement for Plaza Independencia use as required by ordinance The Cebu City Parks and Playgrounds Commission has stopped the construction of a stage at the Plaza Independencia reportedly for this Saturday’s remote broadcast of the variety show, Wowowillie, as its producers and organizers failed to secure a permit from the agency. Commissioners led by Dr. Ado Macaraya agreed during their meeting held yesterda...
4/25/2013
‘INTENSE POLITICAL CONTEST’

  Gwen vs Gaye race in 3rd district places Pinamungahan town in PNP Cebu watch list     The western town of Pinamungajan, Cebu was added to the watch list of the police and the Commission on Elections because of “intense political rivalry” in the fight for the 3rd district congressional seat between Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Pinamungahan Mayor Geraldine Yapha of the Liberal Party. This brings to 18 the total ...
4/25/2013
Cebu, 4th, 6th district bets in forum today

        The Mega Cebu Candidates Fora resumes today with contenders for the post of governor, vice governor and mayors in Cebu's 5th district, 6th district and Lapu-Lapu City. The forum seeks to draw the candidates' response to the question, “What is your vision of growth for Cebu?” The morning is the turn of six Liberal Party candidates. The afternoon is the turn of five candidates of One Cebu and the...
4/25/2013
LP bloc hits Gullas claims on old market

        IF Rep. Eduardo Gullas seems to be distancing himself from the controversial transfer of the Tabunok public market to Lagtang, his opponents won’t let him off easily. The Liberal Party (LP) bloc in Talisay City branded as “lies” Gullas's claims that he had little to do with the transfer and left the decision mainly to local officials. Romeo Villarente, LP vice mayoral candidate, said he saw Gullas...
4/25/2013
Mauling victim’s family to pursue complaint

        THE family of a man mistakenly accused of shoplifting in a mall in Cebu City will pursue charges against those responsible for his death. “Our priority now is to bury my son (on Sunday) and then we will make our next move afterwards. All is planned,” said 50-year-old Fe Soledad, mother of Mario Alfie Ducayag. Ducayag died a few days after being reportedly mauled by security officers inside Gaisano...
4/25/2013
Create own roadmap, Davide urges UP grads

        Despite adversity, one must forge his or her own destiny, This was the challenge posed by 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Dr. Romulo Davide to UP Cebu graduates in their commencement exercises yesterday. Davide challenged the graduates to create their own “road map” to success. As a UP Los Baños student, Davide said he worked as a dormitory janitor and earned P50 a month for extra money. "We hav...
4/25/2013
Pharmacy grad receives Cabahug award

        A NEWLY graduated pharmacist of the University of San Carlos bested 50 nominees to win the Justice Sotero Cabahug Gold Medal of Academic Excellence from the Mandaue City government. Anne Mae Camingao Sarra, a resident of barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City also graduated valedictorian during her high school and elementary days. She was accompanied by parents in receiving the medal from Mayor Jona...
4/25/2013
Probe sought on market project

        Both the Ombudsman-Visayas and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) were asked to investigate a contract for the rehabilitation of Cebu City's Carbon Market Unit II entered into by Mayor Michael Rama. “It appears now that it is becoming a practice of Mayor Rama’s administration to bypass the City Council,” Councilor Margot Osmeña said in a privilege speech during yesterday morning...
4/25/2013
‘Kaplag festival more about Cebu’s history, religious ties’

        WITHOUT the Kaplag Festival, there would be no Sinulog, organizers said following the opening of the annual event yesterday. Msgr. Trinidad “Danny” Silva, overall chairman of the Kaplag executive committee, said the Kaplag Festival was celebrated more for its history and religious ties due to the commercialization of Cebu City's Sinulog Festival. About 12 contingents in barangay San Nicolas will b...
4/25/2013
Food festival ushers in Battle of Mactan anniversary

        The 492nd anniversary of the Battle of Mactan is ushered in by a week-long food festival featuring menus of Lapu-Lapu City's posh hotels and resorts. Staged in the Liberty Shrine, diners are feted with restaurant dishes at affordable prices in open air stalls. The annual food festival opened Friday last week as part of the celebration of the re-enactment of the Battle of Mactan that saw Datu Lapu-...
4/25/2013
Barangay tanod marks 12th year as Mactan 's ‘warrior’

        A 63-year-old barangay tanod will mark his 12th year as a warrior of Datu Lapu-Lapu in Saturday’s reenactment dubbed Kadaugan sa Mactan. Ingrid Casio of barangay Buaya has been a member of an Arnis group in their village even before the term of then mayor now Lapu-Lapu City Rep. Arturo Radaza. As members of the “Doce Pares”, they were e enlisted to take part in the re-enactment of the Battle of Ma...
4/25/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        CASH AID FOR KIN OF NURSE KILLED IN FIRE THE Cebu provincial government will extend assistance to the family of Estrella Panuncia, the retired nurse who died in the fire that hit her house in Minglanilla town last Tuesday afternoon. In a text message sent to Cebu Daily News, acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said they will send cash assistance along with canned goods, noodles and rice to Panuncia's family. ...
4/24/2013
WHY IS JOAVAN FREE?

  Gullas: Mayor’s son needs help; Reyes: Will people still believe in you?     Still missing 11 days after he was seen shooting a car shop watchman, Joavan Fernandez is becoming an election issue in Talisay City. Rep. Eduardo Gullas, who is running for city mayor, admitted that the repeated shenanigans of the adopted son of Talisay Mayor Socrates Fernandez, his close ally, was affecting the Alayon party and his own can...
4/24/2013
Shoplifting suspect did not die of natural causes

        The 23-year-old man who was suspected of shoplifting in a mall in downtown, Cebu City two weeks ago and died while in the custody of mall security did not die a natural death. Based on the autopsy report of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI), Mario Alfie Ducayag died last April 12 due to “traumatic neck injuries.” The young father of two also had a collapsed left lung, as well as...
4/24/2013
Mall management to cooperate with probers

        THE management of Metro Gaisano has committed full cooperation with the authorities in the investigation into the death of Mario Alfie Ducayag. Metro Gaisano spokesperson Cerwin Eviota said they believe further investigation must be done following the results of the autopsy done by the National Bureau of Investigation on Ducayag's remains. "Prior to that, the family has requested for an autopsy done by the ...
4/24/2013
Teacher in hot water for P50K overtime, honoraria claims

        A STATE university professor is facing trial on two charges of estafa after she was allegedly found to have falsified school documents to claim more than P50,000 in honoraria and overtime pay. Charges were filed against Nena Calunsag, then an associate professor of Cebu Technological University (CTU) in court last Monday. Documents obtained by the Ombudsman-Visayas from the Commission on Audit (COA) showed ...
4/24/2013
National Museum, wildlife experts open for inspection this month

        EXPERTS from the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) will be available anytime this month onwards to inspect the collection of religious images from Msgr. Cristobal Garcia of which some were suspected to be made of ivory. Special agent Gregorio Algoso Jr. of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said they haven't filed a case against Garcia yet because any complaint filed won't prosper without evid...
4/24/2013
Courting voters online Will it work?

        About 30 million Filipinos have Facebook accounts, with the biggest group aged 18 to 24 years old. With a reach like that, social media is an attractive tool for candidates to gain exposure with potential voters. There’s no hard evidence that “followers turn into voters“ but with figures like that “why not take a chance and use social media?” asked lawyer Ethelbert Ouano. Ouano, legal counsel of the Cebu B...
4/24/2013
Ermita fire victims relocated as reblocking of site begins

        As the flames quickly ate up her family’s shanty in sitio Bato, barangay Ermita in Cebu City, Julie Mae Ando kept her composure and grabbed the anti-asthma medicines of her 3-year-old son Leord Nathaniel before scrambling for safety. The Ando family are cramped in a makeshift tent they set up on the rubble of their shanty but Leord's aunt Valerie Makibulan was thankful that he still has his medicines. “My s...
4/24/2013
Lapu-Lapu mosaic, food festival usher in Kadaugan festivities

        A FOUR foot mosaic of Datu Lapu-Lapu made of shells and wood was unveiled in last Friday's food festival at the Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City in the days leading to this Saturday's Kadaugan sa Mactan celebration. Lapu-Lapu city Mayor Paz Radaza unveiled the artwork of Lhee Isabel Taneo, a 20-year-old Fine Arts student of UP-Cebu who hails from barangay Tingo, Olango Island. "We will commemorate Datu Lapu...
4/24/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

      DENR INTENSIFIES DRIVE AGAINST PAWIKAN MEAT SALE WILDLIFE enforcement personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were deployed at the port area of Cebu to stop the delivery of turtle or pawikan meat. Regional DENR spokesperson Eddie Llamedo said the Pawikan Task Force will monitor the ports for any shipment of turtle meat. Last Monday, DENR Regional Executive Director Isabelo Mo...
4/24/2013
Rama leads Tom O says fabricated

        A survey purportedly commissioned by the ruling Liberal Party which sees Mayor Michael Rama on top was released yesterday. Copies of the survey called “Preference Tracking Poll Cebu Mayoralty Race” and which had a logo of the Liberal Party (LP) on the four-page copy were furnished to city hall reporters yesterday. The poll conducted among 6,476 respondents showed that Osmeña trailing Rama by 481 points or v...
4/24/2013
Ace laments Bakud's support to Garcia in 2010

        FORMER Tourism secretary and now 5th district congressional bet Joseph “Ace” Durano expressed regrets about his party's working to get votes for Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in the 2010 election. The four-minute, 36 seconds speech of Durano in San Francisco town, Camotes Island which was uploaded in the Facebook account of Liberal Party-Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (LP-Bakud) gubernatorial candidate Hila...
4/23/2013
‘MA MADE ME DO IT'

Girl, 13 sold for sex by mother For P200 to P500, 13-year-old Christine (not her real name) was forced by her mother to have sex with male customers in her native place in Tabogon town, north Cebu. In the privacy of their home, her mother purportedly watched Christine who was helplessly exploited by a customer. Her mother, at one time, held Christine at knifepoint as she was being sexually abused. Christine had no other options but t...
4/23/2013
Diaper ad taken off the air

History commission issues cease and desist order against ‘disrespectful’ TV commercial The Advertising Board of the Philippines (AdBoard) has pulled the plug on the controversial diaper advertisement which got the ire of Cebuanos for allegedly distorting history and for being disrespectful of the memory of Datu Lapu-Lapu. Mila Marquez, executive of the Advertising Standards Council (ASC) wrote the AdBoard informing them of the issuance ...
4/23/2013
Party-list nominates retired Cebuano boxer

PUWERSA ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Rep. Mark Aeron Sambar has announced the selection of a retired Cebuano professional boxer Z. Gorres as their third nominee. Gorres, a resident of Mandaue City, retired from boxing after he was seriously injured in a fight in the United States in November 2009. Sambar said they want Gorres, who is now a trainer at the Ala gym in barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City, to represent retired and incapacitated...
4/23/2013
Barge could have made a difference – Rama

FIREFIGHTERS would not have had a difficult time fighting the blaze that killed an 11-month-old baby girl and almost wiped out an entire community in barangay Ermita had the Cebu City Council approved the proposed acquisition of a barge which could have been used as a fireboat. Mayor Michael Rama made this assessment as City Hall mobilized its agencies to provide aid to over 400 families who were rendered homeless by a fire that struc...
4/23/2013
Heed people’s voice, flyover foes urge bets

A civil society group known for their anti-flyover stance kicked off their nine-day series of novena Masses for the “enlightenment of local leaders” at the Asilo de la Milagrosa Shrine at Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City at 6 a.m yesterday. “This is just an ordinary usual mass in which the intention is for credible and clean election. Those who will win would have to listen to the voice of the people,” said Louella Alix, a convenor of the Mo...
4/23/2013
Cabahug commitment to education cited

CEBUANO youth were urged to follow justice Sotero Cabahug's commitment to education by finishing school with or without honors during the annual observance of his 122th birth anniversary in Mandaue City yesterday. “More than the buildings [he helped structure], his perspective on academic excellence is something which the youth must follow,” said Guadalupe Cabahug-Latonio, Cabahug's youngest daughter. Among the activities lined up fo...
4/23/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

Refloating vessel tough on salvor firm REFLOATING the passenger vessel M/V Maria Angelica Grace that capsized off Cabahug wharf nearly two months ago has posed several problems for the salvor company contracted for the job. Uni Orient Pearl Venture Inc. tried to refloat the vessel last week but broke several metal chains in doing so, said Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu chief Winiel Azcuna. The company then dredged the site in order to ...
4/23/2013
Close fight in Cebu City

Surveys conducted by the University of San Carlos (USC) in November 2012 and March this year revealed a neck-to-neck battle for the mayoralty between Mayor Michael Rama and Cebu south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña. For the vice mayoralty and the north and south congressional races however, Bando Osmeña Pundok Kagawasan – Liberal Party (BOPK-LP) bets have started to pull away from their Team Rama rivals. The March survey result has seen ...
4/23/2013
Comelec Tuburan shooting isolated

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) says the shooting incident in Tuburan town is isolated and may not be enough as basis to place the 3rd district town under its control. Provincial elections officer Ferdinand Gujilde said they are still making an assessment of the shooting was election related or nor. The Comelec can only place an area under its control if there is verified presence of armed threat and violence. "Dili pa ta sig...
4/23/2013
SURVEYS COULD LEAD TO CONDITIONING

Cebu City mayor Michael Rama yesterday laughed at the election survey of the University of San Carlos. He said that as far as he is concerned, he remains to ahead in the mayoralty race against Rep. Tomas Osmeña of the south district. “Dili na lang ta mag storya anang pildi.,” he said. (Let's not even talk about defeat.) Rama said claimed that the crowd showing during the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party Cebu proclama...
4/23/2013
Pawikan stew ‘loses flavor’ in Pasil amid crackdown

Eatery owner Crisly Tulod inherited her grandmother's business of serving “pawikan (turtle)” stew for sometime, the first eatery to do so in barangay Pasil, Cebu City. People come frequently to her family's makeshift eatery in front of their house along the crowded Flores street in barangay Pasil, Cebu City to look for their best selling green sea turtle stew. “Daghan mangita kay pampa-init daw sa ilang lawas. Ang mga Insik kay muing...
4/23/2013
Groups press for clean energy use

URBAN poor groups and the Sanlakas partylist group held a rally in front of the Department of Energy (DOE) regional office in Cebu to ventilate their demand for government to use renewable energy instead of coal in yesterday's Earth Day observance. “The government should use renewable energy instead of coal because it is sustainable. Coal use affects the health and livelihood of the people,” said Teody Navea, secretary general of the ...
4/23/2013
Cebu City hotel cited for best green practices

A CEBU City hotel was recently added to the roster of Zero Carbon Resorts (ZCR) of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) yesterday. The ZCR, an initiative funded by the European Union to encourage tourism stakeholders to help reduce energy and resource use, cited West Gorordo Hotel (WGH) for using light emitting diode (LED) bulbs and fixtures. “Our hotel doesn't look like a conventional hotel but there is a...
4/23/2013
Youth, lawyers warn gov’t of lawsuit to enforce road sharing

Saying enough talk about climate change and environmental destruction, a group of young people backed by environmental lawyers served notice to the Philippine government to take concrete actions. Among the things they want the government to do is to transform the road and transportation system from the present car-based system to one that is fairer and more people-friendly. Using a little known law on people’s initiative, young Filipin...
4/22/2013
FIRE KILLS BABY

Ermita fire leaves 400 families homeless; infant killed I tried kicking the door, but the door wouldn't budge. When I realized that my sister was no longer crying, I just ran out of the house.” This was how 13-year-old Zoren Flores recalled Saturday night when he lost his 11-month-old sister, Mary Claire, in a fire that wiped out a big chunk of an urban poor community sitio Bato-Carbon in barangay Ermita in Ceb...
4/22/2013
What’s a ‘liveable city’ for Cebu?

A “liveable city” is a safe community with jobs, clean air, good schools low crime and pollution. Food is affordable, and infrastructure and health care is good. This picture of an ideal city emerged in a survey of 870 respondents in 20 urban barangays in Cebu City. The biggest factor that makes life “unlivable” in Metro Cebu, they said, is that its “crowded.” Initial results of the survey conducted by s...
4/22/2013
Flyover foes miffed at PNoy, start Masses ‘for enlightenment’

Movement for Livable Cebu shows survey results of Metro Cebu: What’s a livable city? Flyover opponents said they would continue to push for less-costly alternatives to flyovers such as “flared intersections” and said President Benigno Aquino appears misinformed about the issue. “It is disappointing to hear him speak of flyovers as the solution to traffic woes afflicting Cebu. The main reason is that no one ...
4/22/2013
Cebuano siblings’ cremated remains arrive in Cebu

THE cremated remains of the two Cebuanos killed in a car crash in Florida, USA last April 2 were brought home to Cebu yesterday. The urn containing ashes of 31-year-old Albertson Anthony Almase and his 26-year-old sister Kristina Angela Almase were taken to the St. Peter's Funeral Homes in New Imus St., Cebu city at 7:40 a.m. yesterday. The Almase siblings were among four people killed when their minivan...
4/22/2013
Traffickers trapped through credit card use

By using someone else's credit cards, two women face jail time on charges of qualified trafficking, a non-bailable offense. Princess Irish Bacalla and Rheafe Saplad were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) and the airport police minutes before they boarded a plane with two of their victims last March 20. The testimonies of one woman and a minor who Bacalla and Saplad allegedl...
4/22/2013
Another case filed against Abellanosa

WITH barely a month before the midterm elections, congressional candidate Rodrigo Abellanosa of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) is facing yet another complaint from his Team Rama rival Aristotle Batuhan. Batuhan filed a tax-evasion complaint with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) against Abellanosa, owner of the Asian College of Technology (ACT), and ACT International Educational Foundation Inc. last Fr...
4/22/2013
Tuburan mayoralty bet claims harassment

THE One Cebu mayoralty candidate in Tuburan town asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to place the area under its control after two of her supporters were allegedly harassed by people identified with Mayor Democrito Diamante Jr. In a press conference yesterday Dr. Rose Marie Suezo presented two of her supporters, one of whom was reportedly shot by unidentified men in one of Tuburan's barangays. Another was cl...
4/22/2013
Mayor vows LP support despite debts to Garcias

His town may owe a lot to the Garcia administration but Carmen town Mayor Martin Gerard Villamor said he will deliver votes to Liberal Party-Cebu (LP-Cebu) candidate Hilario “Junjun” Davide III. "I had no plans on changing parties this time," he told Cebu Daily News in an interview during the pipe-laying for the bulk water project yesterday. Villamor clarified reports that he took the microphone from acting...
4/22/2013
Bikers bat for bigger, safer use of roads

Once again road sharing advocates took to the streets to call for the establishment of bike lanes and walkable sidewalks. As part of this year's Earth Day Green Festival Cebu, around 250 bikers, long boarders and uni-cyclers joined the Bike and Board Green Lungs Tour yesterday morning. The 15-km ride started outside the West Gorordo Hotel around 6:30 in the morning. There were stops at the Cebu Business Park...
4/22/2013
Bike lane, trees to make pedaling cool

DESPITE exhaustion and body pain, participating in the Bike and Board Green Lungs Tour was a fun and fulfilling experience. I felt an excitement rush excitement as I started to pedal my bicycle. I was among the 250 individuals who took part to a very important activity pushing towards a livable Cebu. The overcast sky made the summertime bike traversing 15 kilometers a less exhausting ride. Even with so man...
4/22/2013
‘Ecogovernance’ focus of Earth Day

It’s Earth Day today, when the world focuses on the state of the global environment and what should be done about it. Environment UnderDemetrio Ignacio Jr., who will deliver the State of the Philippine Environment Address at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. Paje is in the United States to attend two international conferences in Washington D.C.—the World Bank’s ministerial meeting on Wealth A...
4/22/2013
Why Earth Day?

THE idea of an Earth Day was first thought by Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Sen. Nelson inspired by the student anti-war movement realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the nati...
4/22/2013
Don’t eat endangered animals – Legarda

TEAM Pinoy senatorial candidate Loren Legarda will continue to fund the conservation efforts of whale sharks including the one's in Oslob, southern town of Cebu. Legarda also urged fellow countrymen to avoid eating endangered animals like sea turtles (pawikan) and Manta Rays. “Kung merong conservation project for the protection of the whale sharks. I will support it just like the butanding in Sorsogon and Oslob,” Leg...
4/21/2013
UP IN SMOKE

  Businessmen in Cebu City, Mandaue lose properties in fire     Two Cebu businessmen had the misfortune of being hit by fires, one at home and the other at a factory early yesterday morning. In barangay San Nicolas proper in Cebu City, about P375,000 worth of properties were destroyed in a fire that hit a two-storey building owned by businessman John Go in the corner of B. Arañas and Figueroa Streets at 7:55 ...
4/21/2013
Capitol comes to waterless CICC’s rescue

        A TANKER from the Cebu provincial government has been providing water to the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) after the Mandaue Realty Corp. (Mareco) cut off the facility's water supply last Friday. Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale said she ordered the immediate deployment of the Capitol's tanker to ensure that the CICC will not be inconvenienced by the water service interruption. “Maybe they ...
4/21/2013
Former judges seek new roles in May polls

        With no political machinery nor funding to back them up, two retired Cebu judges threw their hats into the political ring, vying for a seat in Congress and a municipal council in the May elections. Former Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Judge Donato Sotero Navarro said he chose to run for the congressional seat of Cebu City's north district to put an end to political dynasties. “We seek o...
4/21/2013
Soco No deals between my firm, Capitol

        HE has no plans to enter into a contract for manpower services with the Capitol again. Businessman and vice gubernatorial candidate Glenn Soco emphasized this in response to claims by acting Gov. Agnes Magpale that he's running for office because of “vested interests.” “In her sorties she would say that our company has lousy service," Soco said in a press conference. He showed a copy of an invi...
4/21/2013
ELECTION 2013

        COMELEC: TROPHIES, PRIZES ARE ALSO VOTE-BUYING CANDIDATES were warned anew not to give prizes and trophies for sports tournaments lest they be charged for “prohibited solicitation”, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office said yesterday. “Anything of value that would be given to the candidate is is prohibited because that is vote-buying in the guise of donations,” Comelec provi...
4/21/2013
Curious in Cebu, Aquino goes for dimsum

  President checks out Terraces restaurant for Chinese buffet served on all-you-can-eat conveyor belt     Guess who came to dine at one of Cebu City’s malls? Shoppers and diners were surprised to see President Aquino on Thursday night, checking out a restaurant, renowned for its eat-all-you-can dimsum buffet on a conveyor belt, at The Terraces of the Ayala Center Cebu. No, he didn’t bring a date when he dined at Tsim...
4/20/2013
AQUINO’S FAVORITES

  President endorses BO-PK , Cebu Liberal allies and flyovers; 65,000 at Capitol rally     President Aquino last night endorsed the election bids of his local allies in Cebu and hinted of support for a controversial project that depends on his approval - flyovers. In a speech in front of the Capitol where police estimated 65,000 gathered, the President raised the urban problem of traffic congestion. “Sa totoo lang po ...
4/20/2013
BRT scheme for Cebu city ‘needs more study’

        PROPONENTS of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system will have to work harder to convince President Aquino that this is the right solution to Cebu City's worsening traffic. Aquino was asked in a news conference in Lapu-Lapu City whether he would restore the BRT in his list of priority projects since a mass transit system was a priority of both Rep. Tomas Osmena and Rep. Eduardo Gullas, who favors a Light Rail T...
4/20/2013
Airport terminal, Mactan road widening projects up for Cebu

        An international airport terminal project and a widened circumferential road are among the big ticket projects lined up by the Aquino administration for Cebu. President Benigno Aquino III and his Cabinet officials attended the groundbreaking of the 26-km Mactan Island circumferential road in barangay Ibo, Lapu-Lapu City that will extend to neighboring Cordova town. "It will be cheaper to set up businesses i...
4/20/2013
‘Type O’ crowd floods Capitol grounds for rally

        A SEA of “Type O” streamers, posters and campaign materials filled the Cebu Capitol grounds for the joint proclamation rally of Team PNoy and Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) candidates at 5 p.m yesterday. Last minute changes of road closures affected the entire stretch of Escario Street and a portion of Osmeña Boulevard from Fuente Osmeña to the Capitol grounds used by BO-PK supporters. Escario Street...
4/20/2013
Tomas O walks to Capitol show of fitness, BO-PK party strength

        HE wanted to show critics he was physically fit as a cancer survivor and that his party was just as resilient. Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district and his allies in the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) walked the 1.7 kilometer stretch from his home in Quijada Street, barangay Guadalupe to the Capitol grounds after 3 p.m. yesterday. "My opponents wish that I get sick. That's the only way tha...
4/20/2013
Tom mulls case vs Rama for loyalty check on execs

        For allegedly soliciting support to his reelection bid from 22 City Hall department and division chiefs, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama may be charged with violating election laws. Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district said yesterday he will ask his lawyers to study what laws the mayor has violated . “Imagine what will happen if Rama also starts asking the police are you supporting me?,” he said. ...
4/20/2013
PNoy hits Gwen, urges Cebuanos to vote LP bets

        ELECTING the Liberal Party-Cebu's (LP-Cebu) candidates to the Capitol would mean better services and projects for the province, President Benigno Aquino III told Bogo City residents. In a speech before 15,000 residents at the Don Celestino Martinez Sr. Sports and Cultural Center in Bogo City, the President criticized Governor Garcia for failing to improve the city's Verallo Memorial Hospital. As a result, ...
4/20/2013
Griffiths I’m free, not under arrest

        He may be implicated in a kidnap-murder case in Cebu but British national Ian Charles Griffiths is very much “liberated” in his home in Great Britian. “I am not at large, my movements are not being monitored, nor do I report to police at regular intervals,” Griffiths said in a press statement given by his lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo yesterday. Griffiths and Cebuana partner Bella Ruby Santos face kidnap-mu...
4/20/2013
Central Visayas schools ask for 8-40 tuition hike

        PARENTS who send their children to private schools will have to brace for steeper tuition this school year. Dr. Marcial Degamo, Chief of the Quality Assurance and Accoutability Division in Department of Education (DepEd), said 40 private schools in Central Visayas are applying for tuition increase ranging from eight to 15 percent. “The number of schools is expected to rise because our deadline for the appli...
4/20/2013
Lapu tourism goes digital

        The Lapu-Lapu City government yesterday launched the Digital Tourism program which would allow smartphone users to access the historical information of the city's historical sites through QR code markers. Key historical sites in the city have been tagged with QR markers. These are the Liberty Shrine, Virgen de Regla Church and the old Lapu-Lapu statue in the old Opon town square. The markers will give touri...
4/20/2013
Legarda supports Quisumbing’s move for Consolacion cityhood

        CEBU 6th district Rep. Luigi Quisumbing has found an ally in reelectionist Sen. Loren Legarda in his bid to convert Consolacion town in northern Cebu into a city. But first he has to seek a new term in the May 13 polls and pass before the 16th Congress the Consolacion cityhood bill. Legarda who visited Consolacion yesterday said she is willing to sponsor the Senate version of the Consolacion cityhood law. ...
4/20/2013
Aussie faces trafficking, child pornography charges

        CHARGES were filed yesterday against the Australian national who was accused of operating a cybersex den in barangay Labangon, Cebu City. After inquest proceedings yesterday, Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Gandhi Truya found probable cause to file criminal charges for human trafficking and child pornography against Drew Frederick Shobbrook, an Australian national. Shobbrook will face trial for violating Rep...
4/19/2013
TUITION RISING

  5-10 percent increase for Cebu private universities in June     Some private universities and colleges in Cebu will be implementing tuition increases from 5 percent to 10 percent for the coming school year this June. School officials told Cebu Daily News the new rates will take effect in all year levels for the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) at 10 percent, Cebu Institute of Technology University (CIT-U) at ...
4/19/2013
Aquino to push Cebu bets today

  Roads leading to Capitol to be closed by 1pm     President Aquino will have a busy day in Cebu today, his third visit to the province this year. The President is scheduled to arrive in the morning and go straight to Mactan where he will break ground for the construction of the new Mactan Circumferential Road in barangay Ibo. Aquino and his party will then proceed to Bogo City in north Cebu for the first of three pol...
4/19/2013
Cebuano PWD places 10th in teacher exams

        ANGIELO Labajo Pahamutang has proven that having a disability is not a bar to reach his dream of becoming a teacher. The 21-year-old from Talisay City, who can only see with one eye, was one of four Cebuanos who topped the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), the results of which were released yesterday. Pahamutang of Talisay City College got 90.20 percent which is good for 10th place in the examinatio...
4/19/2013
Women received P5,000 a month from Australian

        THE 46-year-old Australian who was arrested Wednesday in barangay Labangon in Cebu City for his alleged involvement in cyberpornography and human trafficking will have to present convincing evidence that he did not sexually exploit women and minors. Based on the deposition or written testimony submitted to the Cebu City Regional Trial Court in the application for a search warrant, the National Bureau of Inve...
4/19/2013
Underwater biodiversity to bring in more tourists

  Diving makes 25% of total tour revenues     The Department of Tourism (DOT) is planning to makediving as one of the major drivers in promoting the Philippines. “If you come to the Philippines and you don't like what you see on land, just stick your head under water and you will be okay,” said Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. during yesterday's World Deep (Diving Expo and Exhibition Philippines) in Shangri-La Macta...
4/19/2013
Contractor to city Stop SRP-BRT road clearing project

        THE winning contractor of the SRP-BRT route clearing and embankment project yesterday requested that the project implementation be suspended. Engineer Bernabe Gilbor of the Supreme ABF Construction said he found out that the documents of the P50 million project awarded to his company last March 25, were not in order. “I will wait for the documents to be in order before I start with the project. I will respe...
4/19/2013
New medals set for distribution

        ACTING Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale is set to distribute the medals with newly approved designs from the provincial government. In an interview yesterday, Magpale said the medals would be distributed by the end of the month. The medals carry the logos of the provincial government, the Lapu-Lapu monument, and the Magellan's cross. Magpale said that the supplier presented to them the design and she approved it....
4/19/2013
Businessman posts bail for bouncing check rap

        BUSINESSMAN Jonathan “Atan” Guardo surrendered to police yesterday after a warrant of arrest was issued by the court against him. Guardo, however, stayed out of jail after he posted a cash bail bond on charges of violating the Bouncing Check Law, which was filed before the trial court in Cavite. The RTC cashier didn't reveal how much Guardo paid in order to secure temporary liberty pending resolution of the...
4/19/2013
Pols given 3 days to remove illegal posters

        The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has sent notices to at least 36 candidates in Cebu province to take down their llegal campaign materials. Cebu provincial election supervisor Eddie Aba said the candidates were given three days from receipt of the notices to remove their illegal campaign materials or face legal action by the Comelec. Aba ordered all election officers in the province to take photographs ...
4/19/2013
Rama to City Hall execs Are you with me or not?

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama admitted that he called to his office last Wednesday City Hall managers to ask who are supporting his reelection bid. But he denied reports that some department heads walked out of the meeting. Rama said that with the “political temperature now high,” he wanted to be certain who among the City Hall department and division heads are willing to work with him. He said he called f...
4/19/2013
Councilor says Durano threw a rock at him

        DANAO City Councilor Jose Thaddeus Roble III said he would file charges against former Mayor Jesus "Don" Durano for allegedly throwing a rock at him last Wednesday. Roble, who is seeking reelection under the Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) party, had the stoning incident reported at the Danao City police station. He said he was driving his motorcycle about 4:30 p.m. last Tuesday from a camp...
4/18/2013
CYBERSEX DEN BUSTED

  NBI agents nab Aussie, rescue 15 women,girls     The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday rescued about 15 females, including four suspected minors, in a house believed used as a cybersex den in barangay Labangon, Cebu City. The victims were purportedly paid to perform lewd acts in front of web cameras and to have sex with their employer. The late afternoon raid resulted in the arrest of 46-year-old Dr...
4/18/2013
Joavan pals nabbed, charged

        Policemen looking for Joavan Fernandez yesterday arrested two armed men they said were his cohorts. A tipster called in to report that the suspect's car was parked in barangay Bulacao in Talisay City but he wasn't around when police arrived. It wasn't his car either. Fernandez, adopted son of the Talisay city mayor, is still at large five days after he was accused of shooting a car shop watcher at midnight ...
4/18/2013
Former mayor pleads for return of wife’s remains

        HE may have lost her forever, but former mayor Chary Mangacop of Placer town, Surigao del Norte still wants to bring home his estranged wife's remains, along with their children and three luxury cars. In a press conference, Mangacop appealed to Mayor Hermigildo Betonio III of Pio V. Corpus town, Masbate province to turn over remains of his estranged wife Crisanta Lauro, as well as his four children with her ...
4/18/2013
Non-working holiday for Lapu’s Kadaugan sa Mactan

        MALACAÑANG declared this Saturday, April 27, as a special non-working day for Lapu-Lapu City. Proclamation No. 563 dated last March 13 declared that April 27 marks the celebration of the Kadaugan sa Mactan (Victory in Mactan) as a cultural and historical event in Lapu-Lapu City. Private companies that require their employees to work on that day will receive double pay and additional pay after regular workin...
4/18/2013
1st Green Festival to mark Earth Day in Cebu

        Cebu City will be celebrating this year's Earth Day with practical solutions to problems besetting the planet. The 1st Green Festival on April 21 and 22 “will bundle a set of events and workshops that provide practical sustainable solutions to address personal and community needs,” said Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC) spokesman and event head Joel Lee. There will be a “Bike and Board Green Lungs Tour” on ...
4/18/2013
Raid yields no unlicensed guns

  Policemen search businessman’s house     Police yesterday raided the house owned by a friend of the son of suspended Gov. Gwen Garcia. Police searched the residence of Jose Maria Primitivo “Joey” Cal in barangay Punta Princesa, Cebu City for unlicensed firearms. Cal, however, was not around since he reportedly transferred residence to Lapu-Lapu City. Supt. Rex Derilo, chief of the Firearms, Explosives, Security Age...
4/18/2013
Pardo blaze razes 2 houses

        AN AFTERNOON fire destroyed two houses in barangay Pardo, Cebu City yesterday. Chief Insp. William Tacaldo, Cebu City Fire marshall, pegged the damage to property at P24,000. Tacaldo said the fire started in Jovito Tagacanao's house in sitio Upper Lusimba and spread to a neighbor's house. Tacaldo said no one was inside the house when the fire started. No one was also hurt in the fire. Fire investigators ...
4/18/2013
Roads to Capitol closed 1 to 9 PM

        With President Aquino expected to attend tomorrow’s 5 p.m. political rally outside the Provincial Capitol, the event will tie up heavy, going-home Friday traffic. Roads leading to the Capitol will be closed from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the proclamation rally of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK). A permit was approved yesterday by traffic managers, including road closures in parts of Osmeña Boulevard, M...
4/18/2013
‘Why no council approval for SRP road project?’

        A P50.5 million road clearing and embankment project leading to the South Road Properties (SRP) was awarded to a bidder without approval of the Cebu City Council. The discovery was cited yesterday in a privilege speech of Councilor Margot Osmeña. She asked why. The road project which covers a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route at the SRP will be charged to the P100 million lump sum in the 2013 budget outlay for...
4/18/2013
New wage hike eyed

        THE Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) plans to file another wage hike petition of P70 to P 80 for workers in Central Visayas, an official said. The Associated Labor Unions- TUCP marked its 59th founding anniversary yesterday. Eva Arcos, executive director of the TUCP Workers’ College, said the daily minimum wage of P327 in Metro Cebu had a buying capacity of only P246.24. The take home pay for ...
4/18/2013
LP in Lapu split over party funds, supporters

        Disagreement over how their supporters will get appointed in City Hall, if they win, and how to disburse campaign funds has resulted in the split of the Liberal Party in Lapu-Lapu City. Yesterday, LP mayoral candidate Efrain “Jun” Pelaez announced the “expulsion” of LP's congressional bet Angel Rodriguez and six candidates for city councilor from the party. Pelaez said he disagreed with the proposal Rodrigu...
4/18/2013
Comelec tells Soco We cannot stop Suroy-Suroy Why not join instead

        THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) told vice gubernatorial candidate Glenn Soco that they cannot stop the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program. In response to Soco’s letter asking the Comelec to stop the tourism program in Camotes Island on April 27-29 is premature according to Cebu Comelec Supervisor Eddie Aba. “Whether or not the activity might be using public funds for the campaigning of the candidates under Mag...
4/18/2013
DENR to politicians Clean up your own mess

        THE environment department warned yesterday that mismanaged election trash could aggravate flooding. “It should be remembered that after the elections, wet season comes and flooding in urban areas occurs more aggressively because of garbage that are trapped in narrow and clogged waterways such as rivers and creeks,” said Dr. Isabelo Montejo, regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Na...
4/18/2013
ELECTION ROUNDUP

        HAGEDORN COURTS CEBUANO POLS Independent senatorial candidate Edward Hagedorn meet with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Rep. Tomas Osmeña in his Cebu campaign sortie. The Puerto Princesa City mayor acknowledged that Cebuano voters are very important because it has one of biggest voting population in the country. He paid Rama a courtesy call in City last Tuesday morning. He also meet Rama’s rival, south...
4/17/2013
3 dead, 140 hurt in Boston bomb attack

        The FBI’s investigation into the bombings at the Boston Marathon was in full swing Tuesday, with authorities serving a warrant on a suburban Boston home and appealing for any private video, audio and still images of the blasts that killed three and wounded 140. Officials said no one had claimed responsibility for the bombings on one of the city’s most famous civic holidays, Patriots Day. But the blasts th...
4/17/2013
No Filipino runners, residents hurt in blasts

        NO Filipinos were hurt in the twin explosions that marred the Boston Marathon in Massachusetts on Monday afternoon (early Tuesday in Manila), said the Philippine Consulate in New York. Philippine Consul-General Mario de Leon, in a statement posted on the embassy’s website, said 10 Filipino-American runners were not hurt in the blasts and there were no known Filipino casualties following checks with hospitals...
4/17/2013
‘I just wanted my wife back’

        The former mayor of Placer, Surigao del Norte will be included in the investigation into the murder of his estranged wife in Pier 3, Cebu City last Monday morning. Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el, Cebu City police chief, said they are waiting for former Placer mayor Chary T. Mangacop's arrival to Cebu City after he voiced willingness to cooperate with police in the inquiry. “Yes,…we will get the side of Mangac...
4/17/2013
Bella says jail ‘turned her life around’

        BELLA Ruby Santos said being holed up in jail for one year and a half brought her closer to God. “To me, the jail is a very lonely place. But you are never alone. I was able to have a personal encounter with the Lord here. I found inner peace which I never experienced outside,” she told reporters. The primary suspect in the kidnap-murder of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique was released from the Naga City Jail ...
4/17/2013
Two Cebu bets face plaints

        Two more candidates in Cebu City face complaints for posting campaign posters in non-designated areas in the city. The Philippine Earth Justice Center Inc. requested the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to investigate council candidates Edwin Jagmoc of Team Rama and Sisinio Andales of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK). In her affidavit-complaint, ecology lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos said Jagmoc has...
4/17/2013
PB dads warned against absences

        PROVINCIAL Board (PB) members who continue to be absent in their weekly board sessions could be reprimanded or worse face suspension, the Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) said yesterday. DILG legal officer Ayessa Nogra said PB members who commit four consecutive and unexcused absences will be held administratively liable for their actions. “They have leave credits so i...
4/17/2013
Celebrities, prizes add color to ‘ Kadaugan sa Mactan’

        OVER P1 million in prizes plus celebrities galore will grace Lapu-Lapu City's annual celebration of the Kadaugan sa Mactan and the Kadaugan Street Party from April 26 to 27. Lapu-Lapu City Councilor Harry Radaza said the city government has mapped out the programs for the annual observance which they expect to draw more foreign visitors for this year. For the Apr. 27 reenactment of the Battle of Mactan, ac...
4/17/2013
Kite flying risks cited

        Don't fly kites near electric posts. Chief Insp. Ronaldo Orbeta, Mandaue City Fire Station chief, made this call to parents yesterday as part of the Bureau of Fire Protection’s information drive on the dangers of kite flying in the city. Orbeta said kites entangled in electric lines could start a fire or electrocute the children trying to free their kites from the electric lines. Orbeta said parents should...
4/17/2013
Choose leaders who push for disaster risk reduction management

        CHOOSE a leader who puts Disaster Risk Reduction Management on top of his or her list. San Francisco, Camotes Mayor Al Arquillano gave this advice to voters in the upcoming election especially since climate change had become a hot topic these days. Arquillano asked if leaders wouldn't put disaster reduction management on their list then how could we sustain development without mitigation? Arquillano was re...
4/17/2013
BOPK files cases, against Rama, City Hall employees

        The Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan has filed cases against Mayor Michael Rama and several City Hall staffers for a radio program hosted by employees and for a banner thought to have unduly promoted the mayor's reelection bid. But Mayor Rama is undaunted: “Mao ra na ilang ikiha? Pildi na sila. Hasta kana? Surrender na lang mo. Pildi na mo.” (Is that their only basis for the complaint? They already lost. Even ...
4/17/2013
Cops go hot vs private armed groups

        LOCAL police units in Cebu can pursue private armed groups even outside the jurisdictions of their police stations. This is how serious the Philippine National Police is in going after illegal firearms which may fall into the hands of goons this election season. “We already have the consent from our Police Regional Office director Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, Jr. for any police unit to go after private armed ...
4/17/2013
Soco asks Comelec to stop ‘Suroy Suroy’

        VICE gubernatorial candidate Glenn Soco is asking the Commission on Election to order Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale to postpone the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo this election season. Soco also appealed to Magpale to observe 'delicadeza' and not use the provincial government's tourism program to promote her vice gubernatorial bid. “Why hold it in the middle of the heat of election. And this activity has been perceived by t...
4/17/2013
PNoy to grace BOPK's Friday rally in Capitol

        IT is now the turn of the Bando Osmena Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) lead Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña to show force. BOPK will be holding its proclamation rally at the capitol grounds on Friday afternoon to introduce their new candidates and campaign for the Team Pinoy senatorial bets. The BOPK rally will bring to Cebu City President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and top officials of the Liberal Party ...
4/16/2013
MAYOR’ WIFE SHOT DEAD

Gunmen attack as Masbate mayor’s live-in partner, sister move out of Cebu pier The violence that usually punctuate politics in Masbate province spilled over to Cebu City yesterday after motorcycle-riding assailants fatally shot the reported common-law wife of a town mayor and wounded a town councilor. Crisanta Lauro, who is said to be from Danao City, was pronounced dead by doctors at Chong Hua Hospital. She was shot in the nape wit...
4/16/2013
Bella raises P500K for bail

With no job or visible source of income, kidnap slay suspect Bella Ruby Santos managed to raise half a million pesos to post as bail to the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City yesterday. But the 37-year-old Santos remains at the Naga City Jail as of 6 p.m. yesterday. No schedule was relayed by her lawyers on the schedule of Santos' release from detention. In an interview yesterday morning, Santos's lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo said her fam...
4/16/2013
Greco, friend charged in court

ILLEGAL drug possession charges were filed against Leodegreco “Greco” Sanchez, son of the late Cebu vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. and his companion yesterday, three days after they were arrested in an alleged drug den in Cebu City. Sanchez and Edward Teves, who wore a black shirt bearing the Superman icon and sunglasses, arrived at the Palace of Justice for inquest proceedings at 3 p.m. They were accompanied by SPO3 Roy Veloso of t...
4/16/2013
Cop chief calls Mayor Soc a ‘liar’

CHARGES of frustrated murder were filed by police against Joavan Fernandez before the Talisay City Prosecutor's Office yesterday afternoon, three days after he was linked to the shooting of a watchman in a car shop in Talisay City. The charges were filed amid a verbal exchange between Supt. Elmer Lim, Talisay City police chief and Joavan's father, Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez whom Lim called “a liar” for reneging on his promi...
4/16/2013
Cebu courts face dilemma in wake of marriage scam

A lawyer went to the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) to ask whether the marriage of his 32-year-old son six years ago is valid. He said his son was married before Judge Rosabella Tormis of Branch 4 in 2007. Tormis was one of four judges dismissed by the Supreme Court for involvement in a marriage racket. The others were MTCC Judges Anatalio Necessario of Branch 2, Gil Acosta of Branch 3, and Edgemelo Rosales of Branch 8. Only ...
4/16/2013
Oil spill halted capsized vessel to be salvaged

WITH the capsized MV Maria Angelica Grace scheduled to be salvaged this week, the Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu station said any threat of an oil spill posed by the vessel had been contained. “There's no threat anymore to the waters since the oil leaking from the vessel had been siphoned already,” Coast Guard-Cebu chief Winiel Azcuna said yesterday. Azcuna said they siphoned 4,000 out of 8,000 liters of fuel from the capsized vessel. He ...
4/16/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

Fernan bridge rehab to start before polls THE rehabilitation of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge will be done two days before next month's elections, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assured yesterday. “Manguli pud baya ni ang mga empleyado sa ilang mga probinsiya kay mamutar pud ni sila (The employees will have to go back to their provinces to vote),” Asst. District Engr. Renult Ricardo said. The asphalting of two lanes from...
4/16/2013
Hagedorn seen to champion environment agenda in Senate

Senatorial candidate Edward Hagedorn is in Cebu for a two-day campaign sortie and to re-establish his ties with allies in the environmental movement and the Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC). Eduardo “Danding” Conjuangco, NPC chairman emeritus, according to Hagedorn, has assured him that local NPC allies will be supporting his bid for a Senate seat. The Puerto Princesa City mayor was met by local supporters as his caravan arrived from ...
4/16/2013
Eco-lawyer sues PJ, two others over illegal posters

ENVIRONMENTALIST Gloria Estenzo-Ramos has lodged complaints against three local candidates for alleged violation of election laws. Ramos, a lawyer connected with the Philippine Earth Justice Center Inc. has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct a probe on One Cebu gubernatorial bet and 3rd district Rep. Pablo John Garcia, Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco, and Liloan town council candidate Gideon Cabatingan. Another environmental...
4/16/2013
Consolacion mayoral bets disagree on P144M project

Even as work on the P144 million town hall building of Consolacion town has already started, rivals in the mayoral race still disagree on the project’s use. Mayoral candidate Avelino Gungob said that if he wins, he will not use the building as the seat of the municipal government but use it for commercial purposes. Incumbent Mayor Teresa Alegado says whoever wins in the May 13 polls will not have a choice but to use the 6-storey building...
4/16/2013
Complicated trail

HERMIGILDO Betonio III became the mayor of Pio V. Corpus town in Masbate after Mayor Diomedes Amaroto resigned in December 2011 citing health reasons. Betonio was the town's vice mayor. He is now the local Liberal Party standard bearer. Betonio was unsuccessful when he ran for vice mayor of Pio V Corpus town in 2007. He won in 2010 after he teamed up with Amaroto in 2010. Betonio’s rise to the top was considered a setback to Masbate Gov....
4/15/2013
BUSTED FLASH

Rigondeaux unanimously outpoints Donaire in unification title fight When it rains, it pours. Still reeling from the recent losses of Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Brian “The Hawaian Punch” Viloria, Filipino boxing fans yesterday once again saw the defeat of one of the country's prominent boxers after Nonito “The Flash” Donaire bowed to Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux via a unanimous decision in their unification title fight ...
4/15/2013
‘The Flash’ will bounce back

Filipinos still behind Nonito, says Palace Albay gov calls for program to develop new generation of boxing champs MALACAÑANG yesterday said Filipinos would continue to root for fallen champion Nonito Donaire Jr. and that his return to glory would be a source of motivation. "Nonito Donaire Jr. might have failed in his quest to unite the WBO and WBA super bantamweight titles but the support of our...
4/15/2013
No bail eyed for Greco

The son of the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. may languish in jail for sometime once the Cebu police file charges of illegal drug possession before the Cebu City Prosecutor's Office today. Supt. Paul Labra II, head of the Regional Intelligence Division of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said Leodegreco “Greco” Sanchez was in possession of more than five grams of shabu when collared by...
4/15/2013
Warmer days ahead for Cebu

CEBU can expect warmer days ahead as temperatures at their highest will hover between 33 to 35 degrees Celsius starting today until Thursday this week. The state weather bureau Pagasa said today's temperature will measure 24 degrees and rise to 34 degrees Celsius with partly cloudy to cloudy skies, light to moderate northeasterly winds and slight to moderate coastal waters. Tomorrow's temperate is expected...
4/15/2013
No campaigning, but local bets can join Suroy tour this month

THERE won't be any campaigning in the next Suroy-Suroy tour this month, acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said yesterday. Magpale's aide Dara Acusar said there won't be any arrangements for local candidates to join the activity. "Of course there is no prohibition if they join the Suroy-Suroy as participants only," she said. A second Suroy-Suroy Sugbo is slated on April 27 to 29 in Camotes Island. Provinci...
4/15/2013
Alternate Lapu road opened to decongest traffic

TRAFFIC at the Basak road in Lapu-Lapu City eased up after a Pakpakan diversionary road was opened to motorists last Friday. Work on the two lane concreted road that measured nearly a kilometer started last January and cost the city P9.2 million. “The Pakpakan road will decongest the traffic along Basak area, there are now over one dozen subdivisions in sitio Sudtunggan and Suba-Masulog,” Lapu-Lapu City M...
4/15/2013
Villar to Agnes Give me list of properties for sale

A wealthy Senate bet with businesses in real estate development is offering to buy properties of the provincial government to help raise funds to pay its obligations that is now close to P1 billion. Senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP)/ Team Pinoy has asked Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale for a list of properties that the Capitol is selling. Villar said, “we can look at that, b...
4/15/2013
Bro. Eddie Innate goodness of voters to propel him to Senate

BANGON Pilipinas senatorial candidate Eddie Villanueva enjoyed support from candidates of rival Team Rama and Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK). “I believe in the innate goodness of the Filipino voter who can distinguish candidates who have no personal agenda,” Villanueva said. Villanueva said his platform revolves around good governance and massive agriculture modernization. Although not performing well in survey...
4/15/2013
Candidates remove illegal posters after complaint

SAMBAG I barangay captain and City Council candidate Jerry Guardo personally removed his campaign materials that were illegally posted in the gate and fence of a businessman in barangay Carreta. Guardo's action was in response to the letter to the Commission on Election (Comelec) of businessman Dennis Maravillas. The businessman complained that his fence and gate have been covered by Guardo's posters without his...
4/15/2013
UNA ladies endure heat, hectic sked, cat bite

OZAMIZ — One of the loudest voices in the United Nationalist Alliance’s (UNA) senatorial ticket fell silent shortly after the plane’s cabin door closed. Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and her entourage were on a 5:25 a.m. flight to Misamis Occidental last Thursday in yet another backbreaking schedule that would take them to at least five more provinces up north this week. Magsaysay, her voice occasionally failing in th...
4/15/2013
Jack Enrile Climate change threatens 23 million urban poor with hunger

“FOOD insecurity is aggravated by climate change. While it affects both urban and rural poor, those in urban areas may be worse off than their rural counter parts,” United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) candidate for senator and incumbent Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile. According to the report made by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) on “Urban Poverty, Food Security and Climate Change,” climate...
4/15/2013
Legarda bats for ‘bibingka economics’

MANILA – Reelectionist Senator Loren Legarda has urged full implementation of laws that will spur economic growth from the grassroots through the development of small and medium enterprises. During the Inquirer Senate Forum held at the UP Film Center last week, Legarda said a job-creation revolution in the provinces, especially in poor municipalities, has long been possible under existing laws that significantl...
4/15/2013
Escudero calls for systemic changes in Bureau of Customs

MANILA — Instead of abolishing the Bureau of Customs, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero suggested that the government try reforms that would not only rehabilitate the image of the agency but also change the culture of its officials and employees. Escudero, for instance, suggested that customs officials and police have uniforms without pockets to discourage quick on-site doles and transparent glass-top tables with no dra...
4/14/2013
GRECO BEHIND BARS

  Police collar late vice governor's son in Mabolo drug den     Police on Friday arrested the son of the late Cebu vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. after he was allegedly caught sniffing shabu in a suspected drug den in Cebu City. Leodegreco “Greco” Sanchez and his friend Edward Teves were collared by police in a house along Tres Borces St. in sitio Sindulan, barangay Mabolo at around 9:30 p.m. Police sai...
4/14/2013
Mayor Soc vows to turn over Joavan to police tomorrow

        Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez promised to turn over his adopted son Joavan to the police on Monday or three days after the suspect shot and wounded a watchman in barangay San Isidro, Talisay City. Supt. Elmer Lim, Talisay City police chief, said the mayor assured him he would surface his son even as police continue a manhunt for the Joavan. “I don't doubt that the mayor will do it, but i...
4/14/2013
Cebu courts face backlog with dismissal of four judges

        WITH four judges in Cebu City’s Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) dismissed, sitting judges may be burdened with a backlog of cases, Cebu Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Meinrado Paredes said yesterday. Paredes said the dismissal order from the Supreme Court was not commensurate to the alleged offense committed by the four judges due to their involvement in a marriage scam. Judges Anatalio N...
4/14/2013
Street workers finding ways to cope with summer heat

        Nihangyo ra ko sa ginoo ‘kung imo kong kuhaon, paabta ra’g buntag’ (I asked God ‘if you’ll take me, let me extend till morning’).” So said 51-year-old Florida Cometa, a Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) aide who recounted her episode of hypertension while on duty at the Fuente Osmeña Circle on March 15 last year. “I didn’t feel any pain that time. My neck and back didn’t hurt. It wa...
4/14/2013
Cebuanos urged Drink water, avoid heat

        AVOID prolonged exposure from heat from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Wear light colored clothes. Drink plenty of water and eat fruits and vegetables. These were some of the tips given by health officials as they warned the public to use every precaution to protect themselves from heat strokes. “Water intake of the regular eight to ten glasses daily should be increased to prevent the body from dehydration,” sa...
4/14/2013
Minglanilla hospital docs to be probed

        Physician on duty allegedly declares Naga shooting victim died of a heart attack The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) will investigate a report involving an alleged medical malpractice committed by an attending physician in the Minglanilla District Hospital. Dr. Cristina Gianggo, IPHO chief, said he ordered an investigation after receiving the April 5, 2013 report of Minglanilla hospital...
4/14/2013
Prosecution lawyers contest Santos’ bail ruling

        PROSECUTION lawyers in the Ellah Joy Pique kidnap-slay case will try to stop suspect Bella Ruby Santos from getting out of jail. Lawyers Inocencio dela Cerna and Noemi Truya-Abarientos, last Thursday, filed a motion for reconsideration of the ruling of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Ester Veloso allowing Santos to post a half-million bail. Dela Cerna reiterated to the court that there were eye w...
4/14/2013
One Cebu candidate Tuburan sortie draws thousands of people

        AT LEAST 10,000 people attended the One Cebu sortie in Tuburan town yesterday. Dr. Rose Marie Suezo, One Cebu mayoralty candidate for Tuburan, gave this estimate together with Vice Mayoralty runningmate, Daphne Lagon, started the sortie at 1 p.m. with a caravan around town. They converged at near a technical school of the town where she claimed the thousands who attended their rally. Suezo was a...
4/14/2013
Overseas voting off to good start—Comelec

        Overseas absentee voting (OAV) for Filipinos abroad opened smoothly on Saturday, except in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where voting will commence on Tuesday, the Commission on Elections said. No major snafu occurred as the month-long voting began for more than 700,000 registered Filipino voters overseas, said Jane Valeza, acting head of the Comelec’s election contests and adjudication department and a m...
4/13/2013
JOAVAN ‘SHOOTS’ AGAIN

        Joavan Fernandez, Talisay City's “bad boy”, has the police on his trail again, this time for allegedly shooting a car shop watchman past midnight on Friday in SRP road, San Isidro, Talisay City. The adopted son of Talisay Mayor Socrates Fernandez was identified by the victim, Eduardo Largo Jr., 36, who suffered two gunshot wounds in both arms. Like past complaints about Joavan's outbursts, the victim was un...
4/13/2013
Mayor Soc defends son

        MAYOR Socrates Fernandez said he was willing to bring Joavan to the Talisay police station clear up matters but insisted he was innocent. His allies in the Alayon party called on him to surrender his son to authorities. Vice Mayor Alan Bucao said Fernandez shouldn't help Joavan post bail as he's done in past skirmishes. “He should surrender Joavan instead of let him stay outside and cause trouble. If I wer...
4/13/2013
Bella allowed to post bail

        After a year and a half in jail, kidnap-slay suspect Bella Ruby Santos will taste freedom anew, even if only it's only temporary. In her April 10 order, Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Ester Veloso of Branch 6 allowed Santos to post a half a million peso bail since there is weak evidence in the case filed against her. While there is one witness who saw Santos invite 6-year-old Ellah Joy Pique into her car...
4/13/2013
Four Cebu judges sacked over marriage racket

        THE Supreme Court (SC) dismissed four Cebu City judges and several court administrative personnel charged of involvement in civil marriage solemnization rackets and irregularities. Ordered dismissed from the service for “gross efficiency or neglect of duty and of gross ignorance of law” were presiding judges Anatalio Necessario and Gil Acosta, Rosabella Tormis and Edgemelo Rosales of the Municipal Trial Cour...
4/13/2013
Sanchez siblings dispute worsens

        THE feud between the children of the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez has taken a turn for the worse. Grecylda "Gigi" Sanchez-Zaballero called on government agencies concerned to help her and the Sanchez family re-commit her brother Greco to a rehabilitation center. In a phone interview last night, Gigi said Greco recently stole items from their factory in barangay Catarman in Liloan town yesterday after...
4/13/2013
Flyovers in Lahug, Gorordo still eyed

        Flyovers will still be on top of the agenda of Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City if he gets elected mayor in May. In a press conference yesterday, Osmeña said he will see to it that the two flyover projects in Gorordo Avenue and near Sudlon, Lahug will be built to ease traffic congestion in the area. Osmeña said traffic is already congested in Gorordo Avenue because of the presence of Business Process Outsour...
4/13/2013
Comelec chief takes photos, files cases

        Another set of candidates will face complaints filed before the Commission on Elections in Central Visayas (Comelec-7) for posting illegally-sized posters in non-designated areas in Cebu City. This time the complainant is Regional Comelec-7 Director Temie Lambino, who said he took photos of three national and local candidates on V. Rama and P. del Rosario Street. The senatorial candidates were Sonny Angara,...
4/13/2013
BO-PK, PNoy to attend Capitol rally Tomas to campaign against UNA

        THE Bando Osmena-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) will hold a rally to introduce their lineup along with the Liberal Party (LP) slate at the Capitol grounds on April 18. The rally will start at 4:30 p.m and will be graced by President Benigno Aquino III. “With President Aquino we can expect a full attendance of the LP Senate slate,” Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district said. In a press conference yest...
4/13/2013
LGUs told to crack down on noisy campaign jingles

        WHILE the regional Commission on Elections (Comelec) office is cracking down on illegal campaign materials, its provincial counterpart is delegating the task of going after campaign volunteers playing campaign jingles even at night. Provincial Comelec officer Ferdinand Gujilde said it is the local government that's directly responsible for shutting down and penalizing campaign volunteers who indiscriminately...
4/13/2013
Fernan bridge work to stop during Kadaugan fest

        Repair work on the Marcelo Fernan Bridge will stop during the celebration of the 492nd anniversary of the Battle of Mactan. Paul Dy, operations manager of the PLD Construction, told reporters that they heeded the request of the Lapu-Lapu City government to temporarily cease operations on April 26 and 27. On April 27, Lapu-Lapu City is scheduled to hold its annual commemoration of the "Kadaugan sa Mactan," ...
4/12/2013
‘ABUSIVE’ POSTERS SLAMMED

  Businessman files plaint vs two rival city candidates     Fed up with campaign posters covering his fence, a businessman in Cebu City filed a complaint against two candidates from rival camps whose smiling faces invited legal action. Dennis Maravillas of barangay Carreta said the posters were “irresponsible, abusive and shameless.” “There was no consent from me or any of my personnel authorizing them to place the po...
4/12/2013
Want to complain? Comelec has easy-to-use forms

        DO you see an illegal election poster on a tree or a wall? Ready-made complaint forms are avilable for citizens who want to take action. The forms are available at the Comelec regional office at Osmeña Boulevard near the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City. Standard formats are ready for election offenses, which are criminal violations, as well as petitions seeking to disqualify a candidate, which i...
4/12/2013
Honest cab drivers return lost items

        Not just one, but two taxi drivers returned valuables left behind by their passengers in Cebu City. Julito Quiro of barangay Mambaling, Cebu City found a wallet containing P26,500 cash, bank cards and documents while and Mario Darandan of Consolacion town found a Canon EOS 7D digital camera. Quiro turned over the wallet to his operator, Jose Mellomida, who in turn surrendered the same to the Cebu City Polic...
4/12/2013
Trial of MNLF members moved to Cebu City

        THE trial of at least 30 members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) over the roadside bombing that killed two US Navy personnel and a Philippine Marine soldier in Indanan town in Sulu four years ago will be moved to Cebu City for security reasons. The Supreme Court (SC) ordered the transfer of the trial venue Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 4 in Parang, Sulu to the Cebu City RTC. Security concer...
4/12/2013
PJ Garcia calls critic’s attempt to visit his house ‘uncivilized’

        Cebu 3rd district representative and One Cebu gubernatorial bet Pablo John Garcia lambasted the attempt of a critic to enter his village to see his residence up close in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City. Garcia said this was tantamound to trespassing. In a text message to Cebu Daily News, Garcia said the attempt last Wednesday was 'uncivilized behavior'. Security guards at the entrance of the village stopped ...
4/12/2013
PNP assures ‘no guns, goons’

        Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo Jr. , Central Visayas police director, yesterday said the police are serious about ensuring a May 13 election with “no guns, no goons”. This drive also contributes to the safety of members of the press covering the election, he said. Garbo yesterday spoke at a PNP-Comelec dialog with the Cebu Citizens-Press Council aimed at improving relations between police and the working press f...
4/12/2013
2013 polls to be more peaceful than 2007, 2010 — Garbo

        The top official of the Philippine National Police in Central Visayas said he expects the May 2013 election in Cebu to be more peaceful than the 2007 and 2010 polls. Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo credited this to strong partnership between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Commission of Election (Comelec) that started in the 2010; and the present government administration. Garbo commended Comelec 7 ...
4/12/2013
NBI agents confiscate P1M ukay ukay

  Mabolo raid yields 52 bundles of imported used clothing     Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) yesterday seized 52 bundles of used clothing imported into the country. The value of the assorted used clothings was pegged at P1 million. NBI regional director Antonio Pagatpat said the importation of used clothing is prohibited under Republic Act (RA) 4653, the law which “prohibits ...
4/12/2013
Smuggling case filed against Cebu trader, broker

        MANILA — The Bureau of Customs yesterday filed a smuggling case against a Cebu based trader and his broker for illegally importing rice from Taiwan worth P6 million. In a complaint filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ), facing a case for violation of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) include JBD Trading owner Cecilio Durano, the consignee of 10 20-footer container vans of illegally...
4/12/2013
Three city engineers suspended

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday ordered three city government engineers to stop reporting for work starting yesterday to comply with the Visayas Ombudsman's suspension order against them. City engineers June Nadine Sison, Juanito Pua Jr., and Joel Pasatiempo are under investigation for accusations of anti-graft and corrupt practices, grave abuse of authority, gross misconduct and conduct unbecoming of...
4/12/2013
Sacked Capitol execs turn to CA

        FOUR of the Capitol officials who were ordered dismissed from service sought the intervention of the Court of Appeals (CA) to overturn the penalty imposed against them over the 2008 purchase of the Balili beach property in Naga City. Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre, Provincial Engineer Eulogio Pelayre, Provincial Budget Officer Emme Gingoyon, and retired Provincial Assessor Anthony Sususco requested the app...
4/12/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        DRIVERS’ PROTEST Some 100 drivers yesterday protested the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC)- Dept. Order /D.O – 2008-39, which would give a longer suspension period of drivers’ licenses as penalty for drivers violating traffic rules. Several of their drivers’ licenses were suspended for 15 days and even up to 180 days, said Gregory Perez, coordinator of drivers’ group, Piston, and coun...
4/11/2013
MEGA GOALS FOR CEBU

  Gullas seeks 3rd Mactan-Cebu link, Light Rail Transit; Issues: dynasty, killing trees, traffic     After “suffering for the past 40 years” amid rising poverty in Cebu, “we need new leaders with vision,” said businessman Gordon Alan Joseph who opened the first leg of the Mega Cebu Candidates' fora yesterday. Four mayoral candidates from Tal isay and Carcar cities and the town of San Fernando gave it their best shot. ...
4/11/2013
Sanchez siblings feud over drug use, money

        Tension is brewing between two children of the late Cebu vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. Leodegreco Sanchez, who’s been in and out of drug rehabilitation, said his elder sister, Gricelda “Gigi” Sanchez-Zaballero, wants him arrested and has stripped him of his post in the family’s company. He didn’t give details but said she’s been “harassing him.” “Daghan kaayo siyag gibuhat nako nga nakalapas sa akong...
4/11/2013
Gullas,82, to run Talisay ‘without Soc’ as proxy

        AT 82, Rep. Eduardo Gullas said he has the stamina to lead because of the “mystical” quality of doing public service. He was asked in the Mega Cebu Candidate’s Fora yesterday by moderator Malou Guanzon-Apalisok about talk in Talisay that Gullas would “lean more” on Mayor Socrates Fernandez to run the city if he gets elected in May because of his advanced age and the complexity of the tasks of a chief executi...
4/11/2013
Extra security for home of ‘weeping image’ owner

        Tanods were sent by barangays Tisa and Labangon to secure the house where crowds have flocked to view an image of the Our Lady of Fatima believed to have shed tears of blood last Tuesday. Hundreds of visitors from neighboring barangays continue to come to the Rayla household which is hosting rosary prayers and a Mass called the “Kasaulugan sa Pulong” by the San Lorenzo Parish for two nights. Rayla’s house i...
4/11/2013
Comelec to police Arrest violators

        The Commission on Election (Comelec) has ordered the police to arrest people pasting posters and campaign paraphernalia on areas not designated common poster areas. Lawyer Timie Lambino, regional director of the Comelec in Central Visayas, made this statement during the second to the last conference of of the Regional Joint Security Control Center yesterday morning at the AFP Central Command (Centcom). Lamb...
4/11/2013
Guard stops Davide supporter from inspecting PJ mansion

        SECURITY guards yesterday stopped members of the Volunteers for Jun-jun Davide from entering a village where the mansion of Rep. Pablo John Garcia, which is the subject of a complaint before the Office of Ombudsman, is located. The group led by Roberto Letaba, said they went to Garcia's house in Guadalupe Heights to conduct a “lifestyle check” after the congressman, who is running for governor under the One ...
4/11/2013
Snub of BOPK bets spark fight

        A dried fish vendor from sitio Alaska in barangay Mambaling has accused a Bando Osmena Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) supporter of harassment after she refused to shake the hands of their candidates last Tuesday morning. Salvacion Bueno, who is in her 60s, alleged that BOPK supporter Liza Boltron tossed the fish that she was trying to dry after she refused BOPK candidates. “I did not shake their hands because beca...
4/11/2013
Diaper ad spoofing Battle of Mactan irks Lapu-Lapu mayor

        Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza yesterday called the EQ diaper company to stop airing its TV advertisement that makes fun of the Battle of Mactan. She said it the advertisement makes a mockery of Filipino heroism, pointing out that the Araw ng Kagitingan was just celebrated last Tuesday and the Battle of Mactan to be remembered on April 27. Instead of making fun of the heroic defense by Datu Lapu-Lapu of Ma...
4/11/2013
Muslim families ask City Hall to defer eviction

        Muslim occupants of a residential structure fearing dislocation in barangay Ermita are appealing for the delay of the implementation of a school building project. The 67 families renting the Mandatan Building will have to vacate the area to give way to the planned construction of a public elementary school there. The city is buying the private lot where the Mandatan Building stands add to the nearby city go...
4/10/2013
WEEPING VIRGIN?

Priest says claims that image in Tisa sheds tears of blood needs careful study first People are flocking to a house in Cebu City where an image of the Virgin Mary of Fatima has reportedly shed tears of blood. Joy Rayla said she was praying the rosary before their altar past midnight yesterday when she noticed “dirt” in the eyes of the one-and-a-half foot statue. “Tig-rosaryo man gyud ko kada gabii, pero ang perming rosaryohan nako katon...
4/10/2013
Campaign target or champ?

PJ Garcia twits rival for ‘Laban Papa’; Davide takes pride in father's ‘Mr. Clean’ image In the battle for Cebu governor, Rep. Pablo John Garcia paints his rival as a non-performer who is too dependent on big sponsors, including his prestigious father. In a Toledo City rally on Monday, Garcia mocked the initials of the Liberal Party and its candidate Hilario “Junjun” Davide III using Cebuano wordplay. LP, said Garcia, stands for “Laban ...
4/10/2013
Traffic personnel get breaks to avoid stroke

TRAFFIC agencies in the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu will allow their personnel to take breaks and shift those suffering from hypertension to easier schedules to avoid heat strokes. Edwin Ermac, head of the Traffic Enforcement Agency in Mandaue (TEAM) said personnel with high blood pressure will be transferred to the second shift between 2 to 10 pm. "We understand that they need to take a break because of the heat but they shou...
4/10/2013
Elder Davide hits JV, Maceda for smearing name

FORMER Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. accused former president Joseph Estrada and senatorial candidate Ernesto Maceda of deceiving Cebuanos and defended his son Hilario “Junjun” Davide III for using his photo in his campaign banners. “He is not hiding behind (me); He is, in fact, assuring the Cebuanos that his father would be his role model in public service,” the former chief justice said in a press statement. Davide also dismisse...
4/10/2013
Rama No fast way to scrap cedula

A national government plan to scrap the community tax certificates or cedula cannot be done overnight because of its historical significance, said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. Rama said plans to scrap the cedula may even reach the National Historical Commission (NHC) since it originated from a Spanish era law. Bureau of International Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares proposed the scrapping of the cedula, saying it has become us...
4/10/2013
Comelec shifts canvas venue in nine Cebu local govt units

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) approved the change of venues for the canvassing of votes in Cebu and 81 others around the country last March 19. In a statement, the Comelec said the change of venue was approved due to security, space and power supply concerns. Some also wanted a change in venue for better transmission of votes to the central office. In Cebu City's south district, the canvassing venue was changed from the sess...
4/10/2013
Three bets recall 2010 PCOS ‘flaws’

At least three Cebu candidates are having doubts on the Precinct Count Optical Scan machine which will be utilized for the second time in the country’s political history. And these candidates -- Ritchie Wagas, former Compostela mayor; Neneth Reluya, former San Fernando mayor; and vice gubernatorial candidate Glenn Soco -- blamed their defeats in the 2010 election on the PCOS machines. Soco renewed his concerns over the reliability o...
4/10/2013
Gwen tells voters Suspension is ‘Sugbuak II’

SUSPENDED Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia stoked memories of the move to split Cebu province in 2007 as she courted voters of the province's 3rd district where she is running for congresswoman. In her campaign speech in Toledo City last Sunday evening, she likened the six-month suspension meted by the Office of the President for usurping the authority of the vice governor's office as “Sugbuak part II.” "Kining atong nakitang panggukod, kung ki...
4/10/2013
Mall demo educates voters

A Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine set up for demonstration in SM Cebu City has attracted at least 150 persons since it was set up on April 5. The PCOS machine displayed in the lower ground floor of the mall is open for anyone who wants to learn how automated voting is done. “The objective of the demo is to educate the voters especially our first time voters on how to shade properly and how to feed their ballot into the PCO...
4/10/2013
Mega Cebu candidates forum on today

Five mayoral candidates of the three cities in Cebu’s 1st congressional district will present their vision of growth in the first round of the Mega Cebu Candidates Fora at 8 a.m. today. The are reelectionist Nicepuro Apura and Mariano Alegarbes of Carcar City; Lakambini Reluya of San Fernando; Mayor Val Chiong of Naga City; and 1st District Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Talisay City. The five confirmed attendance in today’s forum in the Ce...
4/10/2013
P3.2M lab equipment purchase pushed at PB

Action deferred pending resolution of ban issues The Cebu provincial government wants to get the approval for the purchase of medical, dental, and laboratory equipment worth P3.2 million. Provincial Board Member Arleigh Sitoy presented during last Monday's session of the Provincial Board a resolution authorizing Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale to execute and sign for and in behalf of the province a contract with three suppliers for the deliv...
4/10/2013
DENR Fewer illegal logs seized in first quarter

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) has reported a decline in apprehension of undocumented forest products for the first quarter of the year. Dr. Isabelo R. Montejo, DENR-7 regional executive director, said yesterday that only 46.6498 cubic meters of forest products were confiscated as compared to 94.2094 cubic meters in the same period last year or a 50.49 percent drop as compared to the sa...
4/10/2013
Aquino promises benefits to war veterans

Acknowledging that the annual wreath-laying wasn't enough, President Aquino promised on Tuewsday to deliver benefits to thousands of World War II veterans. Leading the observance of Araw ng Kagitingan on Mt. Samat in Bataan, the President said the government was working on the full payment of total administrative disability pension, including a monthly P1,700 for veterans who have reached 70. When a veteran reaches 70, he is deemed ...
4/9/2013
P50M GONE IF CEDULA GOES

Cebu City will have to scrounge for funds if BIR chief’s proposal pushes through The Cebu City government will lose at least P50 million if a proposal to scrap the collection of community taxes, popularly known as cedula, gets approved and implemented. Emma Villarete, OIC city treasurer, said collections made from the payment of community taxes and the issuance of community tax certificates (CTC) go to the city’s gener...
4/9/2013
Close to a national ID

A COMMUNITY tax or residence certificate (CTC), popularly known as the cédula, is a legal identity document issued by cities and municipalities to persons who have reached the age of majority. Upon payment of a community tax, it is considered as a primary form of identification in the Philippines and is one of the closest single documents the Philippines has to a national ID system. The history of the CTC dat...
4/9/2013
Garcias confident of keeping hold on Cebu’s third district

Suspended Gov. Gwen made her opening salvo yesterday for a congressinal bid in the 3rd district while riding a truck with loud speakers playing her jingle. The caravan started with a Mass at Sta. Ana parish church in Barili town, where brother Marlon is vice mayor. She won as governor in the district three years ago, a feat her brother Rep. Pablo John Garcia said he was confident of repeating in his own bid ...
4/9/2013
Magsaysay, UNA bets banking on Garcia allies for win

UNITED Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial candidates like Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay are banking on the clout of the Garcias and their allies in order to win votes in next month's elections. Magsaysay, who held meetings in Cebu City yesterday morning, pointed to the turnout in the UNA proclamation rally held in Cebu which gathered 25,000 people as proof of the influence of the Garcias among the Cebuano voters....
4/9/2013
Online sympathies for crash victim

An outpouring of sympathy for the Cebu-based family of car crash victim Kristina Angela Almase came from online friends and the local university where she studied in two years ago. In a statement posted on its Facebook account, the University of Southern Philippines Foundation Inc. (USPF) Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) said it was saddened to learn of the April 3 death of Almase, one of its students. Almase,...
4/9/2013
Koreans in Cebu calm amid tension back home

THERE won't be any Koreans arriving or leaving the country due to fear of the rising tension between North and South Korea, a top official of the Cebu Korean Association said yesterday. Charlie Shin said he remains positive that North Korea won't push through with its threats to attack South Korea despite that country's joint military exercises with the US. “They have long been threatening South Korea with attacks ...
4/9/2013
Mandaue police search for grenade owner

MANDAUE City police are in dark about who left behind the three grenades that were found by children in a vacant lot in barangay Looc, Mandaue City last Saturday afternoon. The owner may have left the grenades for fear of being caught in police checkpoints in the city, said Senior Supt. Petronelli Baldebrin, Mandaue City police chief. He ordered the intelligence branch to look into the matter. The boys found the ...
4/9/2013
Comelec BEIs have power of judges during election

The Commission on Election will train members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) to withstand pressures from candidates and their lawyers. According to Ferdinand Gujildi, Cebu provincial election officer, the BEIs, a group composed of public school teachers, act like trial court judges during the election. “I want to empower the BEIs. They actually have the power to control the conduct of the elections,” ...
4/9/2013
Pro-life bets bank on 'Catholic' votes

UNITED Nationalist Alliance senatorial bet and Zambales 1st district Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and Buhay party-list nominee Lito Atienza believe their stand against the controversial Reproductive Health law may have won them the “catholic vote.” “The One Catholic Vote will be announced soon, I’m praying na kasama ako diyan. Malaking bagay iyan kapag na endorse ka ng lay groups,” Magsaysay said. (I’m praying I will be ...
4/9/2013
Incumbents told Don't forget your duties

Mandaue City election officer reminded incumbent officials seeking re-election not to forget to discharge their regular functions at City Hall. “Candidates should not compromise their duties as incumbent government officials. said Anna Fleur Gujilde,” Mandaue City election officer. Mayor Jonas Cortes assured that his function as mayor is not affected as he still reports for work even if he campaigns every day. Cort...
4/8/2013
VIOLENT VIDEO GAME SAVED KIDS

Grenades found in vacant lot in MandauePlaying violent video games saved the life of three children in Mandaue City yesterday afternoon. Police yesterday rushed to barangay Looc to defuse and recover three grenades that were accidently found by three children who were scavenging for scrap in a vacant lot. Jose Darwin Garciano, 12 admonished his friends and warned them not to touch the grenade as it could detonate and i...
4/8/2013
Sonny O gets Magpale support in mayoralty bid

Former senator and mayoralty candidate John “Sonny” H. Osmeña received an endorsement from acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale in yesterday’s proclamation rally in Rafols Street, Toledo City. With TV actor DJ Durano and former Viva Hot Babes starlet JC Parker regaling the crowd, Osmeña had a ready audience to air his criticism against Mayor Aurelio Espinosa and Vice Mayor Arlene “Daydee” Zambo. Osmena, who is runni...
4/8/2013
Battle on for Cebu’s biggest district

With its almost 300,000 voters, the biggest congressional district in Cebu has Talisay as a hefty anchor, the biggest component city with 94,000 voters. Will the 1st district still favor a President Aquino candidate as it did in the 2010 election? The Gullas-led Alayon Party has vowed to deliver the votes for One Cebu gubernatorial candidate Rep. Pablo John Garcia. “We are campaigning heavily for him. We will make ...
4/8/2013
Pagasa says isolated rains to persist in Cebu

THE brief rainshower experienced early morning yesterday resulted from a natural formation of clouds and not because of a low pressure area (LPA) or an inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Weather analyst Boy Artiaga of the Mactan office of the state weather bureau Pagasa said cloudy skies brought rains to the the eastern part of the country including Cebu. Even if it's summer season, Artiaga said there wo...
4/8/2013
LGUs urged Make seniors productive, not dependent

Local government units (LGUs) in the country should create more programs to make their senior citizens more productive rather than being dependent on aid alone, delegates to a social science conference said over the weekend. Amaryllis Tiglao-Torres, executive director of the Philippine Social Science Council, said LGUs are more directly involved than the national government in addressing concerns of their senior cit...
4/8/2013
No campaigning in Mandaue City fiesta

ORGANIZERS of the Mandaue City fiesta celebration on May 8 said candidates are welcome to attend the festivities on the condition that they don't campaign and wear T-shirts and post campaign materials. Sarah Cortes, wife of re-electionist Mayor Jonas Cortes, said they will observe the Commission on Elections (Comelec) campaign rules during the fiesta celebration of their patron St. Joseph. Among the programs lin...
4/8/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

Two days campaign notice needed for Mandaue market CANDIDATES wishing to hold a meet-and-greet or a rally in Mandaue City's public market should notify management two days in advance, market chief Musoline Sulliva said yesterday. Suliva said candidates are welcome to campaign in the new market anytime. But if they are not informed two days before their activity, he said they may not be given assistance. “It wou...
4/8/2013
Driver faces homicide raps

Officer who chased SUV may have violated police department rules The driver of the SUV who rammed a minivan in Florida state in the US last week that resulted in the tragic death of four people, including two siblings from Cebu, is facing four counts of vehicular homicide, media reports said According to a report by the Miami New Times, Willie Dumel, the driver of the Chevrolet Suburban, survived the crash and was...
4/8/2013
Boboy Durano to resume campaign trail next week

SORTIES of One Cebu gubernatorial bet Rep. Pablo Garcia have started but his runningmate and former Danao City vice mayor Boboy Durano has been noticeably absent. Durano was hospitalized for over a week in late March after suffering a stroke but was discharged just before Easter Sunday. Garcia said One Cebu’s vice gubernatorial bet was still resting at home but would join the campaign trail after next week. Garc...
4/7/2013
CEBUANO SIBLINGS KILLED

  Their minivan rammed head-on by SUV driven by man fleeing from police     Two Cebuanos were among four people killed in a car crash when their minivan collided with a another vehicle that was eluding a high-speed police chase in Florida, USA on Tuesday night. The freak accident resulted in the death of 31-year-old Albertson Anthony Almase and his 26-year-old sister Kristina Angela Almase. The siblings were...
4/7/2013
Fiesta atmosphere in BO-PK, Team Rama campaign rallies

        A fiesta atmosphere pervaded the campaign sorties of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) and Team Rama in Cebu City yesterday. While the BO-PK held a three-hour caravan through north district barangays, Team Rama had a longer program with a “panag-abot” or gathering and stage show of entertainment talents in congressional candidate Annabelle Rama's stable. BO-PK's caravan of 100 motorcycles,...
4/7/2013
Gullas to continue guiding grandson in finishing Naga-Carcar road project

        IN officially passing the torch to his 27-year-old grandson Samsam, outgoing Rep. Eduardo Gullas said he's banking on him to finish the projects he started in Cebu's 1st district. During yesterday's proclamation rally in Naga City, the congressman cited the P1.2 billion road road widening project from Naga City to Carcar City which he said he will help Samsam secure more funding for once he's elect...
4/7/2013
Summer will end in May Pagasa

        THE scattered rainshowers and cloudy skies experienced in Cebu in the past two days doesn't signal the end of summer, the Mactan office of the state weather bureau Pagasa said yesterday. “That's just natural. Those were caused by local cloud formation,” Pagasa Mactan weather analyst Boy Artiaga said. Artiaga said there is also no low pressure area in the country's area of responsibility. He said su...
4/7/2013
Bets urged Use social media to reach youth

        Compromising 43 percent of the country's voting population, the youth remain a crucial sector for candidates aiming to win in this year's midterm elections. For participants in the Youth Forum for Elections held at the Capitol Social Hall yesterday, candidates should empathize with their concerns and must be social media savvy in order to connect with them. “We want someone who can relate to us; a...
4/7/2013
Contractors support suspended engineers

        THREE Cebu City engineers who were meted preventive suspension by the Ombudsman-Visayas received support from 15 City Hall contractors. In a March 5 letter addressed to Mayor Michael Rama, the 15 contractors expressed their full support for Engrs. June Nadine Sison, Juanito Pua Jr. and Joel Pasatiempo. The three are facing an investigation for anti-graft and corrupt practices, grave abuse of autho...
4/7/2013
Camotes folks offer homes to tourists

  Home stay program: Alternative livelihood for residents, comfortable rooms for tourists     For backpackers and budget-conscious individuals, who want to enjoy summer in Camotes Island, residents of San Francisco town now offers a home stay program for them to avail. With the boom in its tourism, the town mayor has opted to encourage locals to offer the comfort of their homes to tourists. A 30-minute driv...
4/7/2013
Cash aid for elderly to be given each month, says council

        THE distribution of senior citizen’s cash assistance in Cebu City will be done on a monthly basis starting May. Voting 14 against 1, the members of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK)-dominated City Council managed to override a veto which Mayor Michael Rama issued on an approved ordinance, which sets the distribution of senior citizens’ assistance every first Monday of the month. Rama wante...
4/7/2013
‘Report cybersex activities’

        REPORT to authorities parents who use their children for cyber pornography or any cybersex-related activities that they know about. Joan Saniel-Amit, Children's Legal Bureau executive director, made this call to women during the culmination of the celebration of the Women's Month held at Mandaue City Sports Complex last month. About 2,000 women attended the activity. “It's important to protect ou...
4/6/2013
NO DEBATES FOR BO-PK

  We are always out-talked. Rama makes claims about everything     No debates, please. Cebu city mayoralty challenger Rep. Tomas Osmeña yesterday said he and his teammates will not appear in political debates during the campaign to avoid giving rivals any “attention” that could help boost their stock. The Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) will only accept speaking engagements and prefer pulong-pulong or neighborhood...
4/6/2013
Gullas to attend 1st round of Mega Cebu Candidates Fora

        REP. Eduardo Gullas, who is seeking the Talisay city mayorship, has agreed to join the first round of a Mega Cebu Candidates' Fora which starts on Wednesday, April 10. He and Carcar Mayor Nice Apura were among the first to accept the invitation of organizers led by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. to present their platforms in a non-debate format at the Cebu Cultural Center of the UP Cebu campus in Lahug. ...
4/6/2013
Tom, Mike argue over P389M in city’s scholarship payables

        The Cebu City government has yet to settle last year's obligations of P389.7 million to contractors, service and goods providers and schools participating in its scholarship program. Of that amount, the City Accounting Office said P100.7 million is owed to 15 schools, colleges and universities. The biggest amount of P36.5 million is payable to to three campuses of the University of Cebu (UC). “The city is...
4/6/2013
Dance troupe not covered by Pagcor fund

        CULTURAL activities are not part of the list of programs that can be funded by Cebu City's share of the Pagcor funds under its new rules, said Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district. He defended his wife, Councilor Margot Osmeña, from Mayor Michael Rama's criticism that she blocked the release of P3 million request of the Lumad Basakanon troupe for their participaton in the Aliwan Festival next wee...
4/6/2013
Disqualification awaits poll violators

  Environmentalists tapped to watch over trees illegally tacked with posters     Candidates who violate the Fair Elections Act will be disqualified from continuing with their electoral bid. If they get elected, they won’t be allowed to take office. This was the stern warning of Regional Director Temie Lambino of the Commission on Elections which opened a public demonstration of how the Precinct Count Optical Scanner (P...
4/6/2013
PCOS of you, the rules have changed

        DO you know how to use the vote count machines? A live demonstration of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines is being held at SM City Cebu by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Two sessions for the public will be held in the morning and another two in the afternoon, said Comelec Regional Director Temie Lambino. ”The PCOS are here for voters to get a feel of how to vote with the mahcine. Eve...
4/6/2013
Raps filed against men suspected as ‘guns for hire’

        Charges of illegal possession of firearms, bladed weapons and high explosives were filed yesterday at the Cebu City Prosecutor's Office against five armed men arrested in Dumanjug town, south Cebu. One had a pending warrant of arrest for murder. Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia aired his suspicion that they were guns for hire of his opponent, Cesar Baricuatro of the Liberal Party. Police are looking into the r...
4/6/2013
Cordova town candidates ink peace covenant

        LOCAL candidates of Cordova town signed a peace covenant at the San Roque Parish Hall in Barangay Poblacion, Cordova last Wednesday afternoon. The event initiated by Chief Insp. Alvin Balio, Cordova police chief and Fr. Roman Alaan, parish priest of the San Roque Parish Church, was attended by Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy and Vice Mayor Rodrigo Jumao-as. Sitoy is running under the Liberal Party-Cebu (LP-Cebu...
4/6/2013
Joavan marked by police as security threat

        FOR threatening a woman with a firearm Joavan Fernandez, adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez is considered a security threat. Senior Supt. Elmer Lim, Talisay City police chief, said the woman identified as Florita Echavez Rosas sought their assistance after she was allegedly threatened by Joavan. She said she admonished the mayor’s son for posting campaign materials at her home. Rosas said ...
4/6/2013
Police major shoots boy dead

        A police official in Bogo City, northern Cebu surrendered to fellow policemen after he fatally shot the 17-year-old boyfriend of his daughter. Chief Insp. Ceferino Tabay Jr., deputy police chief of a Bogo City police station, said he thought the boy was trying to shoot him that’s why he fired at him. Supt. Anthony Bagarinao, chief of police of Bogo City, said Tabay left his police station around 3 p.m. yest...
4/6/2013
JV suspicious of report Villar says not irregular

        The United Nationalist Alliance yesterday assailed what it claimed was a "clumsy demolition job" against its three senatorial candidates. Rep. JV Ejercito was particularly suspicious about the timing of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report that he had an offshore account, which was not declared in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN). PCIJ also reported that...
4/6/2013
Defiant Gingoyon holds on to position

        PROVINCIAL Budget Officer Emme Gingoyon is insisting he is has not been dismissed from service despite the order from Ombudsman dismissing him and two others for their role on the controversial Balili lot case. In his memorandum to acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, Gingoyon said that he has not personally received the copy of the order. He also said that DILG provincial chief Jerome Gonzales merely left the order ...
4/6/2013
Manila ready to evac Pinoys in Korea

        THE Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration (OWWA) is prepared to facilitate the repatriation of Filipinos should the conflict between North Korea and South Korea escalate. OWWA -Central Visayas Regional Director Wilfreda Misterio said that they are ready since this is not the first time that a war happened between countries where there are overseas Filipino workers. OWWA has already prepared itself f...
4/5/2013
FREE OF POLITICS

  John-John O: New life in the US, Sandiganbayan “cleared my name”     With a new life in the United States, the only son of former senator John H. Osmeña said he was happy to leave behind a political career and has “moved on” with few regrets. John Gregory H. Osmeña Jr., 42, former Cebu vice governor, no longer has a sword hanging over his head after the Sandiganbayan last January dismissed a graft charge against hi...
4/5/2013
Sonny welcomes son’s ‘realization’

        LOOKING back ten years after the Perdido Lex scam, there are few regrets for John-John Osmeña. Except one he admits in his e-mail interview with Cebu Daily News: a broken relationship with his 78-year-old father, former senator John “Sonny” H. Osmeña. “In retrospect, when looking at all that could have been and what was lost or missed, the damage that was done to my relationship with my father was the most ...
4/5/2013
‘My conscience is clear’

  Dismissed judge asks Supreme Court to reverse decision     Embattled Cebu judge Rosabella Tormis remains calm despite the burden of a Supreme Court decision to dismiss her for failing to resolve a chronic backlog of cases. “Before God and man, I am doing my job. I have a clean conscience,” she told reporters yesterday. “My family and my staff members know how I work. They could never charge me for sleeping on my job...
4/5/2013
Disapproved consultants to remain with City Hall

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama intends to retain the services of two of his consultants despite the City Council’s refusal to renew their contracts. Lawyer Jade Ponce will continue to function as chairman of the Solid Waste Management Board while Ester Cubero will remain with the Local School Board. Rama said he will hire Cubero as an executive assistant under the Office of the Mayor to make sure that she wil...
4/5/2013
Rama threatens to remove flyover barriers

        EXTENDING the concrete barriers on the approaches of Cebu City flyovers is not enough to prevent accidents from happening. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said it would have been more effective if the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) install reflectorized barriers to improve its visibility and lessen the risk of drivers ramming into them. “They (DPWH) have to remove those barriers. Ug dili sila m...
4/5/2013
Anti-RH, pro-RH come up with list of candidates

        Groups supporting and opposing the Reproductive Health (RH) law are coming up with their list of candidates to support in the May 13 polls. A group called Lay Initiative for Election (Life) 2013 already has a list of six senatorial candidates to support in the election. Not to be outdone, supporters of the RH law are also rolling out a campaign supporting candidates who supported the passage of the law. Dr...
4/5/2013
Lapu, Mandaue continue drive vs illegal campaign posters

        LAPU-LAPU City Mayor Paz Radaza has ordered the local environment office to remove all illegally posted election campaign materials in the city. Last Tuesday, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) started removing the illegally posted election campaign materials around the city. In Mandaue City, the clean-up of illegal campaign posters continued for the second day yesterday. Mayor Radaz...
4/5/2013
ELECTION 2013

        STARS TO SHINE IN TEAM RAMA PROCLAMATION RALLY Eat early dinner at home and take a PUJ ride or walk to the Plaza Independencia. This was Cebu City mayor Michael Rama's advise to their supporters who will be joining the Team Rama proclamation rally on Saturday night in the Plaza Independencia. Rama said that the Team Rama proclamation rally will be more of gathering of their supporters and a night of ente...
4/5/2013
DENR to poll bets Spare the trees

        The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Visayas yesterday “strongly urged” candidates in the May elections to refrain from nailing their campaign materials on trees. “This is to remind all election candidates that putting up of streamers and tarpaulins on trees especially when using iron nails could stress out and damage its health condition,” Regional Executive Director Dr. Is...
4/5/2013
No P3M aid Basakanons back out from Aliwan

  Competing in festival not qualified for Pagcor fund use     The Lumad Basakanons of barangay Basak San Nicolas in Cebu City will not be able to compete in this year's Aliwan Festival in Manila because of money problems. Barangay captain George Rama said they failed to raise the P3 million they would need for their April 10 trip. “Sakit pero unsaon ta man. Ato na lang ni ikatawa (It hurts but there's nothing I can do...
4/5/2013
Legacy fund pushed to address education woes

        SEN. Edgardo Angara said there is a need to create a legacy fund to support the upgrade of the country's education system. Angara, who is in Cebu, said he was pushing for this proposal to address the expensive cost of education in government universities and colleges. Angara suggested part of the funding for the fund would be taken from the use of the country's natural resources, which could be spent to sub...
4/5/2013
PNP mum on mayor's charge

        Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, chief of Police Regional Office 7 denied the allegation of Dumanjug mayor Nelson Garcia and will not investigate his claims regarding the use of police personnel unless a formal complaint is filed. “We will check, maybe they are not used to getting checked, because before, the Garcias may be used to lording over there,” Garbo said. He also denied ordering stricter checks on suppor...
4/4/2013
TORN DOWN

  Mandaue politicians scrape off illegal posters     A day after local Commission on Elections officials threatened to crack the whip on election propaganda rule violators, politicians in Mandaue City yesterday rolled up their sleeves and personally tore down their posters that were deemed illegal under the Fair Elections Act. Candidates affiliated with the Liberal Party (LP) led by reelectionist Mayor Jonas Cortes wen...
4/4/2013
Cobbler's son graduates at top of Science High

        At 17, high school scholar Jireh Bautista made it to the top of his graduating class. For four years, he walked daily to school in Labangon, Cebu City and sometimes had to make do with meals of rice and soy sauce. "I trust that the Lord will provide," he told the audience. The cobbler's son delivered the valedictory address of the Cebu City National Science High School (CCNSHS), a state-run school known f...
4/4/2013
No need to send more police to Daanbantayan— official

        The Cebu provincial police offices sees no need to assign more police personnel in barangay Bakhawan, Daanbantayan town following the confrontation between Mayor Luisa Loot and a barangay captain last Tuesday morning. “If the local police cannot handle it, we have a public safety company in between Medellin and Daanbantayan towns and Bogo City. The incident already happened, so it's unnecessary to send more...
4/4/2013
Two Rama advisors dropped from list of approved consultants

        ONLY two out of 45 consultants for both the Mayor's Office and the City Council were approved for renewal in yesterday's Cebu City Council session. Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said he personally opposed the renewal of contracts of lawyer Jade Ponce and Ester Concha as consultants on environment concerns and the Local School Board respectively. He said the two “committed mortal sin” by bad-mouthing him and...
4/4/2013
Warm weather to last until end of April

        CEBUANOS were advised to drink more water and use umbrellas to beat the summer heat which is expected to last until the end of this month. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) said too much sun exposure can cause skin cancer and strokes among hypertensive people in extreme cases. “One should drink cold water in particular to avoid stroke. There are thos...
4/4/2013
Blocktimer cried tsunami, motorcycle driver says

        A MOTORCYCLE-for-hire driver positively identified a radio blocktimer as being responsible for causing the Feb. 6 tsunami scare in Cebu City last year. The 29-year-old driver Ryan Pedrosa, who earlier recanted his testimony, appeared yesterday in court and identified Danilo Cogtas as the same person on board a motorcycle who shouted to passersby that a tsunami will hit Cebu City. Pedrosa affirmed the veraci...
4/4/2013
Talisay execs hit over slow reef rehab

        Four years after a Chinese vessel named M/V Majuro ran aground on Lagundi Reef near the shores of Talisay City, the city government has shown little interest to repair the damage and have not gone after the vessel’s owner. "They have only 40 percent interest in preserving the nature of the sea," said Bong Nator of the Talisay City Aquanaut, a group tasked by the Talisay City government to rehabilitate the La...
4/4/2013
Dumanjug mayor cries harassment, scores PNP

        Dumanjug town Mayor Nelson Garcia cried ’political harassment’ after alleged 'goons' of his opponent threatened some of his supporters. The One Cebu candidate is criticizing the Philippine National Police (PNP) for not doing anything against the alleged movement of armed men in their town. In a phone interview, Mayor Garcia said his supporters reported to him that four armed men have been conducting check ...
4/4/2013
Consolacion mayor defends plan to build new townhall

        THE need for a new town hall is taking centerstage in the political scene of Consolacion town. Mayor Teresa Alegado yesterday justified her administration's plan to demolish the Consolacion Sports Complex where she plans to build a new town hall. Alegado said the old municipal building is already congested. She said they even have to rent the adjacent old cooperative building owned by the San Narciso Parish...
4/3/2013
MAYOR DRUMS TENSION

  Loot and armed escorts pass by Liberal Party’s ‘anti-corruption’ sortie     A “corruption-free” Capitol was the key promise of Liberal Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate Hilario Davide III and his team midway in a four-day caravan that was briefly marred yesterday by a commotion in Daanbantayan town, north Cebu. The LP convoy yesterday passed through Daanbantayan, where armed escorts of Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot waved the...
4/3/2013
Lady mayor flares up at barangay captain

        WHO'S afraid of Daanbantayan Mayor Maria Luisa Loot? Town police were nowhere in sight when the mayor angrily confronted a suspended barangay captain in the village hall a few meters from the highway yesterday. PO3 Ryan Castro said they were tasked to monitor road safety while the Liberal Party caravan was passing by. Mayor Loot, known for her feisty ways, raised her voice, made a dirty finger sign, and fa...
4/3/2013
Lawyer claims ‘Type O’ name

        Is “Type O” a brand name or a political symbol? As far as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provincial office is concerned, there is no registered product or business bearing the “Type O” trademark on their list. Not so, said one of the lawyers of Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district, who claimed to have registered the “Type O” trademark as the name of a retail brand. Still, the Commiss...
4/3/2013
Crack down on vote-buying, Cebu police officials told

        POLICE officials in Central Visayas were told to strengthen their presence at the barangay level to prevent vote-buying during the election period. “Kayo dapat bumaba rin kayo sa (You should go down to the) barangay (level). It’s all about intelligence. You want to stop vote buying, it’s all about intelligence and it’s all about assertiveness,” Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo told pollce officials. Garbo, Police ...
4/3/2013
Victims vow to pursue civil cases vs Sulpicio

        Families representing the victims of the 2008 sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars expressed dismay over the dismissal of the criminal charges against an official of the Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp., formerly known as Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI). Although only 29 individuals pursued the criminal complaint, they are worried since trial on various civil cases for damages they filed against SLI has not ...
4/3/2013
Surviving crew of Princess of Stars jobless, seeks help

        A crewmember who survived the sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars has yet to rebuild his life, five years after the tragic incident. For Roel Libut, 37, although he had survived the accident, his dreams for his family especially for his three children aged 13, 9 and 5 years old seemed to have sunk with the vessel. Libut, who worked for four years as assistant cook of MV Princess of the Stars, is appeali...
4/3/2013
Comelec welcomes law schools help in poll drive

        A partnership with law schools to monitor violations of election laws is welcome, but the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office said it has yet to receive any invitation for this arrangement. Cebu provincial election supervisor Eddie Aba said the poll agency will not initiate the move. “We're open to working with the law schools. But they should partner with us,” he said in an interview yesterday. The ...
4/3/2013
‘Consolacion raid a warning against criminals’

        THE recent police raid in a slum area in barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion town that resulted in the death of three suspected drug pushers has become a cause for concern for residents, Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado said. “In barangay Pulpogan, the people there are so mixed, one can hardly know who is engaged in criminality,” she said. The raid was a joint operation of the Regional Intelligence Division (RI...
4/3/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        COMELEC PERSONNEL ON FIELD AMID POWER PROBLEMS THE Cebu City staffers of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be assigned to do more to field work while power has yet to be restored in their leased offices. Comelec Cebu City north district officer Marchel Sarno said office personnel will be sent to barangay Busay today to distribute Voters Identification Cards and voters certification to newly regis...
4/3/2013
Cebu archbishop to take up Sabah crisis in Vatican visit

        Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma described his meeting with Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III on the Sabah issue as “like a meeting of brothers.” The Cebu prelate who is also president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said their discussion centered on the search for a peaceful resolution of the Sabah conflict that pits the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysia. “As we say, there is a Christian an...
4/3/2013
Mandaue lines up job fair this month

        THE Public Employment Services Office (PESO) of Mandaue City is calling on the unemployed, especially the high school and college graduates to join the job fair they have lined up this month. Musoline Suliva, head of PESO said that instead of just staying in their homes, doing nothing, those unemployed should aggressively seek employment as there are available jobs here and overseas. “The job fair will not ...
4/3/2013
Pablo John says One Cebu are underdogs vs LP-Cebu

        With his sister out of office due to a six-month suspension, One Cebu gubernatorial candidate Pablo John Garcia III said they are the underdogs in this year's midterm elections. In their campaign sortie in Daanbantayan last Monday, Pablo John said his sister, suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, was allegedly betrayed by acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, whom he accused of wanting to take over the Capitol. Garcia...
4/3/2013
Admin inquiry on police officer caught violating gun ban

        THERE won't be any special treatment for police officers caught violating the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban, the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) said yesterday. Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, PRO-7 chief, said an administrative investigation will be conducted on SPO2 Carlito Amarillo who was allegedly caught with a gun in the Argao public market last Easter Sunday. “In as much as w...
4/3/2013
Soco campaigns in Capitol

        WHILE other candidates are barnstorming in towns, vice gubernatorial candidate Glenn Soco visited the Capitol to meet and greet employees yesterday. Soco, who's running under the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), entered the governor's office and shook hands with people and employees and distributed leaflets bearing his photo and biography. He also made his way to the legislative building where he called on ...
4/3/2013
Joavan accused of threatening woman

        A 54-YEAR-OLD woman sought assistance from the Talisay City police after she was allegedly threatened by Joavan Fernandez, controversial adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez last Monday afternoon. Florita Echavez Rosas claimed that Joavan's group was posting campaign materials of his father in her home without her consent. She said she told Joavan to ask for her permission first before doing ...
4/2/2013
SULPICIO BOSS CLEARED

2008 MV Princess of the Stars sinking ‘not his fault’, says court DOJ to challenge decision A Cebuano shipping executive of Sulpicio Lines Inc. was cleared of criminal liability by the Court of Appeals in relation to the 2008 sinking of MV Princess of the Stars. The case against Edgar Go, vice president for administration of Sulpicio Lines Inc., was ordered dismissed by the CA's 15th division in a a decision dated March 22. The CA ord...
4/2/2013
Setback after 5 years of waiting

“WE'RE disappointed. It's been close to five years,” said lawyer Persida Acosta, chief of the Public Attorney's Office (PAO). But the PAO official said the government office would continue assisting families of victims who died in the 2008 sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars even after the Court of Appeals cleared a shipping executive of criminal liability this month. “Siempre, relatives are sad. If our motion for reconsideration...
4/2/2013
Comelec to go after violators

Candidates to be given chance to remove illegal posters Candidates with posters that violate electoral campaign regulations can expect receiving a formal letter from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) starting today. Comelec provincial officer Ferdinand Guijilde said they will give candidates a chance to remove the illegal campaign materials otherwise they will ask the poll body's central office in Manila to step in and sanction the...
4/2/2013
Freak accident mars LP motorcade in Mandaue

THE Liberal Party's motorcade, which kicked off the campaign of its candidates in Mandaue City, was briefly interrupted after its reelectionist bet for the city council, Jimmy Lumapas, was wounded after his head got hit by a telephone wire yesterday morning near the barangay hall in barangay Tingub. Lumapas was aboard a pick-up truck together with other candidates when he was struck by the cable. He was rushed to the Don Ignacio Corte...
4/2/2013
LP gets rude welcome in Liloan town

Davide, Magpale say they will not launch tarpaulin war against rivals THE Liberal Party got a rude welcome in Liloan town after they found their posters defaced as they barnstormed into the bailiwick of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia as part of their northern swing. Some of the posters which bore the image of the LP's provincial standard bearers Hilario “Junjun” Davide III and runningmate, Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale were covered. "O...
4/2/2013
Rama criticizes Tomas over ‘Type O’ water bottle

AFTER water bottles labeled 'Type O' were seen being distributed in Easter Sunday's “Sugat sa Guadalupe”, they were disowned by Rep. Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña as unauthorized goods. But reelectionist Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the denial was no different from the “lies” made by Osmeña about his possession of Dodge vehicles donated by an American investor. "Dili na lang ko mo storya ug violation ba na or dili. Ang mga tawo na ...
4/2/2013
Osmeña, Rama bets court City Hall

Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña yesterday entered City Hall to jumpstart his campaign to get his old seat back. Wearing their blue and yellow campaign shirts, Osmeña and his partymates at Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) arrived at City Hall just as reelectionist Mayor Michael Rama and congressional candidate Anabelle Rama and their group were dancing to their campaign jingle at the Plaza Sugbu grounds. Both the BO-PK and Team Rama ...
4/2/2013
Paulo fears he’ll be framed PNP looking for 3 more guns

The son of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia is not yet off the hook after turning over five firearms to the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) before the Holy Week break. Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, Police Regional Office (PRO-7) chief, said there are three more firearms registered under the name of the businessman based on records of the Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) which he has yet to turn over. Garbo said Garcia shoul...
4/2/2013
Mabanto takes over as Mandaue City fiscal

MANDAUE City's new chief prosecutor won't be a pushover inside or outside the courtroom. President Benigno Aquino III appointed Bienvinido Mabanto as Mandaue City chief prosecutor, replacing prosecutor Ferdinand Peque who retired last year. In 2010, Mabanto was accused by a Japanese national of mauling him following a traffic altercation in Mandaue City. Complaints were also filed against Mabanto by a bus driver who claimed to have ...
4/2/2013
Cebu PB at work amid poll campaign season

IT was business as usual yesterday for the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) which passed 11 resolutions amid the campaign season. About 10 PB members were present for the session but most of them left early to join their allies in campaign sorties. PB Members Sergio Restauro, Joven Mondigo, Alex Binghay and Wilfredo Caminero were absent. PB Member Miguel Magpale, who's running for the board representing Cebu's 5th district, said he had t...
4/2/2013
Ella Joy’s family seeks P3.4 M in damages

The family of the 6-year-old Ellah Joy Pique is seeking at least P3.4 million in monetary damages from Bella Ruby Santos in relation to the girl's death two years ago. Prosecution lawyer Noemi Truya-Abarientos yesterday told the court that the Pique family is entitled to P200,000 in actual damages; P700,000 in attorney's fees and litigation expenses; P1 million in moral damages; P500,000 in exemplary damages; and P1 million for the su...
4/2/2013
DENR vows to stop illegal trade of endangered lizards in Cebu

ENVIRONMENT authorities are clamping down on the illegal trade of two species of endangered lizards after a television show featured it. The sale of the Philippine Flying Lizard (Draco volans) and Philippine Sailfin Lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus) in Kawasan Falls in Badian town was featured in the television documentary “Born to be Wild” which aired in GMA-7 last Saturday evening. The lizards are captured and being sold for P500 to ...
4/2/2013
BFP-Mandaue expands info drive to companies

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Mandaue City recorded 16 fires with estimated damages reaching almost P200,000 during last month's Fire Prevention Month. Of the 16 fire incidents, only three involved buildings, the rest were grass fires. SFO4 Sherwin Porcia, chief of the Fire Safety Enforcement Section said the number of fire incidents last month was minimal. Yesterday, a house owned by Alvin Bachinela in Doña Rosario Village...
4/1/2013
ILLEGAL POSTERS TO COME DOWN

Comelec to send warning notices Playtime is over. Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes yesterday vowed to crack down on erring candidates who have been flaunting election rules on illegal campaigning and illegal campaign materials. "You (local candidates) just posted everywhere your propaganda materials even before the start of the campaign period since you (were) not prohibited. It is now o...
4/1/2013
Pope Francis prays for peace in Syria, Korea in Easter Mass

Vatican City — Pope Francis delivered a plea for peace in his first Easter Sunday message to the world, decrying seemingly endless conflicts in the Middle East and on the Korean peninsula after celebrating Mass along with more than 250,000 people in flower-bedecked St. Peter’s Square. Francis shared in his flock’s exuberance as they celebrated Christianity’s core belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead fol...
4/1/2013
Palma - Pray for beatification of Abp. Camomot, 2016 International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma reminded the faithful that Easter was the most joyous occasion in the Church’s liturgical calendar. “Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead! Alleluia! Let us rejoice and be glad!” Palma said. Before closing his homily, Palma asked the parishioners to pray for the beatification of Archbishop Teofilo Camomot, a native of Carcar, Cebu. Palma, president of the ...
4/1/2013
Team Rama banking on support of barangay captains

At least 42 barangay captains and officials of Cebu City's 80 barangays gathered yesterday at the Rama ancestral home in barangay Basak, San Nicolas, Cebu City as a prelude to their campaign kick-off. “It's a gathering of commitment and more or less a renewal for Team Rama,” said reelecitonist Mayor Michael Rama. Team Rama’s opening salvo will start after a 7 a.m. Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral in Cebu ...
4/1/2013
‘Easter a cause to celebrate just like Christmas’

EASTER Sunday should be celebrated with as much joy as Christmas since it marks the end of darkness and the start of new life with Jesus Christ, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said yesterday. The 63-year-old prelate celebrated the Blessing of Fire and Water at the Easter vigil in the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral on Saturday evening. “People easily understand and experience Christmas, how and when Christ is born unl...
4/1/2013
Soco, supporters attend Mass, visit public markets

THE first day of campaign action in Mandaue City was subdued since it coincided with Easter Sunday, the end of the Holy Week break. With family, friends, relatives and 200 supporters, vice gubernatorial candidate Glenn Soco attended early moring Mass at the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Mandaue City before heading to the public market for a meet and greet with city residents. "Today (Easter Sunday) I will ...
4/1/2013
Coast guard says refloating of capsized ship in 45 days

The Philippine Coast Guard has given the salvor company hired to salvage MV Maria Angelica Grace that capsized last March 11 in the Cabahug wharf 45 days to complete its work. The salvaging work on the ill-fated ship involves siphoning 8,000 liters of diesel from the ship's fuel tank and the refloating of the ship. According to Commander Winiel Azcuna, chief of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Cebu Station, the Uni...
4/1/2013
Officials seek fines for reef damage by USS Guardian

MANILA, Philippines — Tubbataha Reef Parks officials aired the hope, on Sunday, that the US Navy would pay the "appropriate fine'' for the damage to the reef caused by the Jan. 17 grounding of the USS Guardian. After salvors lifted the last remaining section of the USS Guardian Saturday afternoon, park officials and marine experts prepared to move in to assess the damage to the site declared a World Heritage by ...
3/31/2013
OFF THEY GO

  Full-blown campaigns take off with Easter Sunday for 1,280 local bets     The race for local and congressional candidates kicks off in earnest on Easter Sunday today with voters in Cebu province offered a choice of over 1,280 local candidates. The start of the 45-day campaign period fell on March 29 but since campaigning is prohibited on Good Friday, and tradition frowns on noise on Black Saturday, the fan...
3/31/2013
PNP tags 127 Visayas hotspots

        The Philippine National Police has identified 173 cities and towns in the Visayas as "election watchlist areas" in relation to the May 13 elections. The places include 81 in Central Visayas, 52 in Eastern Visayas and 40 in Western Visayas. These places have been categorized as areas of concern because they are affected by the communist insurgency, were the scenes of election related violence in ...
3/31/2013
Aid for delayed seniors claimants tomorrow

        SENIOR citizens of Cebu City who were unable to claim their P4,000 cash assistance before the Holy Week break can still do so tomorrow. City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said about two percent of the 56,322 qualified seniors have yet to claim their assistance. Seniors who had problems in their registration records are also scheduled to already claim their assistance on Wednesday under a speci...
3/31/2013
Priests told to reach out to people

        ROME— Pope Francis urged priests "to go out of themselves" and reach out to others. During the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, he warned Catholic priests that "the reason why some priests grow dissatisfied, lose heart and become in some sense collectors of antiques or novelties" comes from seldom going out of oneself, which leads to "missing out on the best of our people". Pope Francis urged priest...
3/31/2013
A tranquil piece of green haven

        Summer is synonymous to the beach but if you don't dig the crowd, Terra Manna Camping & Resort in Badian in southwest Cebu may just be the right place for you. What sets Terra Manna apart from the many white sand resorts in Badian is its camping accommodations which cater to those on a budget or the backpackers. For P600 per person, one can get a tent with linen, pillows, blanket, mat, toiletr...
3/31/2013
Cebuano Bible script for ‘Buhing Kalbaryo’ play

        Donations saved this year's edition of the “Buhing Kalbaryo (Life of Calvary)” street drama play held at the San Nicolas Church grounds on Good Friday. “I've always said this is an offering to God and I know that we'll be faced with shortcomings along the way,” Mayor Michael Rama said. Funding was cut for the play's budget after the City Council refused to charge it to Pagcor funds. The stage i...
3/31/2013
Church, jail stage own ‘Seven Last Words’

        FROM the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral to the Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City jails, the annual “Siete Palabras” or Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ was commemorated by Cebuano faithful last Good Friday. Priests from various religious orders gave homilies on social and political issues of the day, inspired by Christ's last statements as he lay dying on the cross. Fr. Emilio Larlar Jr., OAR of the August...
3/31/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

  HELP PREVENT FOREST FIRES, PUBLIC URGED     RESIDENTS in forested areas were reminded not to burn weeds lest it causes forest fires this summer. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) said burning weeds may clear the backyard but the residual heat may ignite nearby grasses and cause forest fires that can hit watersheds. Forester Ambrocio “Boy” Wenceslao of the DENR...
3/31/2013
Wash feet like Christ, faithful urged

        The Cebuano faithful who attended the Last Supper of Christ Mass held last Thursday at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral were reminded anew to assume humility as did Jesus Christ, who lowered Himself, to wash His apostles's feet. In his homily, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said the Last Supper is a reminder of how the Church was instituted or established through Jesus Christ's perfect sacrifice. He s...
3/28/2013
‘SPARE MANTA RAYS’

  Sold for meat, manta ray seized in Pasil fish market     Blame it on a high demand for non-meat dishes on Holy Week and illegal hunters. A 60-kilo manta ray was confiscated yesterday from a stall in Pasil market in barangay Suba, Cebu City. Illegal fishers, who hunt the protected species in seas between Bohol and Cebu, tried to slip the large manta ray in Cebu City's biggest fish market. It was already cut up in t...
3/28/2013
Mambaling flyover has most flaws

  Citom report: Sharp curve, few hazards signs for crossing pedestrians     Of the four flyovers in Cebu City, the structure in barangay Mambaling needs the most corrections to ensure road safety based on a March 1 audit report of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom). Opened in 2011, the newest flyover in the city has a sharp curve and is located near a pedestrian skywalk, which means people tend to cr...
3/28/2013
PJ Garcia told to explain Guadalupe ‘mansion’

        The Ombudsman-Visayas was asked to conduct a lifestyle check on Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district after photos surfaced of the congressman's “mansion” in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City. “No politician asked me to file this complaint. I've done this in my capacity as a private citizen,” Roberto Letaba said. Asked by reporters what group he is affiliated with, Letaba said he belongs to the Volunte...
3/28/2013
LP-Cebu, One Cebu map out campaign trail

        THE Liberal Party-Cebu and the administration One Cebu party each mapped out their campaign trail schedule after the Holy Week break. LP-Cebu gubernatorial candidate Hilario “Junjun” Davide III said their four-day caravan starting on April 1 kicks off with a Mass at the St. Joseph National Shrine in Mandaue City at 7 a.m. Their caravan will visit northeastern towns and cities on the first day, winding down...
3/28/2013
Judge to file recon, says SC ruling unjust

        THE municipal trial court judge dismissed by the Supreme Court for her large backlog of unresolved cases will file a motion for reconsideration on the decision against her. “Its not true (that I'm sleeping on the job). You can verify with the records in my office. I have not done anything wrong,” said Judge Rosabella Tormis of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 4. She referred to an audit d...
3/28/2013
Magpale inspects transpo terminals as Holy Week exodus to the provinces start

        Cebu Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday led the inspection of the airport, bus terminals, and major seaports as thousands of people joined the exodus from the metropolis to the provinces for the Holy Week holidays. Magpale first went to the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) before proceeding to the North Bus Terminal in Mandaue City, the piers of Cebu City and the South Bus Terminal. She was accompa...
3/28/2013
Thousands flock in Cebu seaports Shipping lines add special trips

        DESPITE the summer heat, passengers waited in line just to avail of tickets for the next sea vessel home at Pier 3 yesterday. Among them was 33-year-old Jerry Tolentino who secured three tickets for Bohol after an hour of waiting. Tolentino, who lined-up at 12 noon yesterday complained of the heat and humidity while carrying their baggage together with his grade school son. But she added, many were will...
3/27/2013
CEBU JUDGE SACKED

  Supreme Court slams slow action on cases, repeated lapses     A 63-year-old judge in Cebu City and her clerk of court have been fired by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court (SC) ordered the judge dismissed from service for failing to resolve about 4,000 cases on time and mismanaging court records, among other infractions. Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Judge Rosabella Tormis of Branch 4 briefly reported for o...
3/27/2013
Series of suspensions

        JUDGE Rosabella Tormis of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities is from Tacloban City. She turned 63 last March 6. She graduated from the University of San Carlos, is married and has two children. She assumed office on June 22, 1999. Her service was interrupted by suspendsions ordered in three separate adminstrative cases. During her absence, Judge Carlos Fernando of Mandaue City was assigned to Branch 4. ...
3/27/2013
‘More meaningful Talisay landing’

        Three flags of the Philippines, Japan and the United States were raised in yesterday’s commemoration of the 1945 landing of American forces in the beach of Talisay City where a skirmish was reenacted. "This is the most colorful and meaningful event I’ve witnessed,” said 89-year-old retired commander Nestor Palconit, who watched the annual rites for the fourth time. Last year, the veteran lamented a less-tha...
3/27/2013
Vehicles barred entry to north bus terminal

        Private vehicles, taxis and passenger jeepneys won't be allowed to enter the Cebu North Bus terminal in Mandaue City starting tomorrow morning to decongest the area and expedite the entry of passengers headed to the province for the Holy Week break. Passengers can enter through the center gate, where railings will be set up to ensure that people fall in line and undergo bag inspection. Nemesio Lumapac, bus ...
3/27/2013
No foul play in cop shooting, women insist

        TWO women who claimed to have seen the shooting incident between two policemen last Saturday evening took a polygraph test at the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) office yesterday. In an interview, Natalie Apostol and Victoria Sasing said there was no foul play in the death of PO1 Anthony Gonzales and PO1 Rey Gabutan at Apostol’s home. “The two policemen shot each other,” Apostol...
3/27/2013
Delays in seniors aid distribution

        SLIGHT delays marked yesterday's distribution of the P4,000 cash assistance for senior citizens in Cebu City's south district. In barangay Tisa, barangay captain Tita Cabulao questioned the presence of personnel from the mayor's office who wore Team Rama T-shirts. She also said she and other barangay officials were left out of the distribution. As concurrent head of barangay Tisa's seniors association, Ca...
3/27/2013
Rama wants probe on MCWD diggings

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama wants an investigation into the excavation works done along the Talamban, Pitos and Bacayan road in the north district by a contractor of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD). Rama expressed displeasure on the destruction of newly asphalted roads in the three barangays. "I want them to answer legally because they cannot be doing an invasion. They cannot just be cutting the asph...
3/27/2013
Tit for tat over campaign billboard

        A campaign billboard of the Liberal Party-Cebu's Hilario "Junjun" Davide III along the national highway in Sibonga town, south Cebu, bears both his picture and that of his father, former chief justice Hilario "Jun" Davide Jr. Rep. Pablo John "PJ" Garcia of One Cebu criticized the image, saying “There should be "truth in advertising". “Gubernatorial candidates should not hide behind their fathers' cloaks,”he ...
3/27/2013
Low pressure area may bring rains Easter weekend

        EXPECT sunny weather from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, but Black Saturday and Easter Simdau may be wet, especially in the southern parts of the country, due to an approaching low pressure area, the state weather bureau said. In a special weather outlook for Holy Week, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration predicted good weather conditions with warm and humid tem...
3/27/2013
Journey to Cebu churches

        Every Holy Thursday, from early evening until midnight, groups Roman Catholic faithful conduct a pious exercise called “Visita de las Iglesias” or “Visita Iglesia”, meaning Visit to Churches. This is a Hispanic Catholic tradition which Filipinos have learned to love and observe, Lent after Lent, for over 400 years. It is done on the night of Holy Thursday to commemorate the Lord’s Last Supper, his institutio...
3/26/2013
FLYOVER SAFETY

Visible hazard signs still needed in 4 Cebu city flyovers A month after a car crashed at dawn on the Banilad-Talamban flyover, its female driver, a former beauty titlist, is still in the hospital in serious condition. After the accident, a gray concrete lane divider was painted with bright yellow and black stripes to alert other drivers who may not notice the hump at the foot of the bridge where the student's Mazda hatchback hit, causing...
3/26/2013
Gwen’s son turns over firearms to Cebu police

Days after his license was revoked, the son of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia turned over five firearms to the Cebu Provincial Police Office yesterday. With sister Cristina Codilla-Frasco as lawyer, Paulo Garcia turned over two .9 mm pistols, one M-14 rifle, one M-16 rifle and a shotgun to Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, Cebu provincial police chief. "We are law-abiding citizens,” Frasco told reporters after her brother and h...
3/26/2013
Cover Gwen notebooks firm urged

THE supplier of a P22 million order of notebooks and school supplies bearing the name and image of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia is willing to talk with Capitol officials on what to do with the idle goods found in a Capitol warehouse. In a telephone interview Robert Go, president of Prince Warehouse, said the order was fully delivered to the Captiol last year and paid. “I just got back from a trip,” said Go, saying he was not familiar wit...
3/26/2013
NBI to probe fatal shooting of two cops

THE father of one of the policemen killed in last Saturday's shooting inside the home of a mutual friend in sitio Eyha-Englis in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City called for an investigation. He found it hard to believe that the two policemen, both cousins, had traded fatal shots after a drinking session. “We're asking the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to come in so that justice will be served for the death of my son. It's up to t...
3/26/2013
The PASSION of Jesus Christ

According to Luke 22:14-23:56 The “passion” refers to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. The narrative is read during Palm Sunday Mass. It is also sung, chanted, read aloud, acted out in stage plays and street dramas, made into movies and immortalized in all forms of cultural expression as part of Christian tradition. As we enter the Holy Week, the most solemn and intense period of worship in Christian faith, Cebu Daily News inv...
3/26/2013
Mayor assures support for Basakanon in Aliwan Festival

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama may have to look for other fund sources to send the Lumad Basakanon dance troup to compete in the Aliwan Festival in Manila. He said he may use his discretionary fund or explore private sector sponsorship for the Lumad Basakanon of barangay Basak San Nicolas to represent the city in the Aliwan Festival. “If there is no politics involved, we can have several sources of funds,” Rama said. The City Council is...
3/26/2013
Site of new Consolacion town hall opposed

Keep the old sports complex or build a new municipal hall? Hundreds of residents of Consolacion town rallied yesterday morning in front of the sports complex seeking to stop plans to demolish the building whose site is planned for a a six-storey government center. The protestors included former Consolacion mayor Avelino Gungob, his daughter Councilor Analee Gungob and former 6th district representative Nerissa Soon-Ruiz. Former mayo...
3/26/2013
Senior citizens in north district get their aid South district today

REMEDIOS Cabrera, 60, received P4,000 cash as her share of senior's citizen aid from the Cebu City government for the first time yesterday. Instead of buying food or medicine with it, the barangay Busay elder used her money to pay off part of a P5,000 loan used as capital in her bottled water business in the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. Cabrera was one of 25,573 senior citizens in the north district who received the first installment...
3/26/2013
Capitol treasurer cleared to OK checks

A new Capitol treasurer was cleared by the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) to sign any and all checks issued by the province following the dismissal of his predecessor, who was found guilty in the 2008 Balili property purchase. The PB authorized acting Provincial Treasurer Emmanuel Guial to sign the checks following the dismissal of former provincial treasurer Roy Salubre, who received his dismissal order last Friday. The PB authorized Gu...
3/26/2013
‘Widening before new circumferential road’

THE road widening and improvement projects in Cebu City's south district will be a “substitute” for a circumferential road project proposed in the city's mountain barangays under the Metro Cebu Development Project (MCDP) 3. Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district said these projects which he proposed will widen and connect existing road networks from the southern barangay of Guadalupe to sitio Sudlon in barangay Lahug in the n...
3/25/2013
2 COPS DIE IN DRUNKEN SHOOTING

Off duty policemen violated Comelec gun ban - PRO 7 chief After a drinking binge with friends, two policement ended up firing their guns at each other in a residence in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City on Saturday night. The shots were fatal. The two cousins, PO1 Anthony Gonzales and PO1 Rey Gabutan, were declared dead at Chong Hua Hospital where they were brought. The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7)...
3/25/2013
Public warned vs ‘colorum’ ships

THE Philippine Coast Guard are advising the public especially those going home for the Holy Week not to patronize fly-by-night or “colorum” vessels. The PCG also assured the public it has beefed up security at all ports with the expected influx of sea travellers. “Those fly-by-night interisland shipping vessels don’t have any insurance for their passengers and most of them have defective life rafts and life ...
3/25/2013
No payment yet for Gwen medallions

Capitol may not pay the supplier for the medals after finding out a deficiency in the contract. Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale's spokesperson Dara Acusar told Cebu Daily News this after they have reviewed the contract last week. Acusar said the things that were not in place included the failure of the supplier to deliver the medals 15 days after its procurement in June last year. Acusar also said that they are no...
3/25/2013
Graduation rites on despite fire

THE high school graduation of Candulawan National High School will continue as scheduled today even after a fire hit their school last Saturday afternoon. The 51 graduating high school students will be marching today after the 1 p.m. Mass at the barangay Candulawan Covered Court in Talisay City. Last Saturday evening, the graduation ceremony of the Cadulawan Elementary School proceeded at 6 p.m. or four hour...
3/25/2013
Sainthood not just for Holy Week, Palma tells Cebuanos

Cebuanos should aspire to be saints and not just during Holy Week. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma posed this challenge as the Church marked last Saturday the feast of St. Pedro Calungsod, the first since the Visayan martyr was declared a saint last Oct. 21, 2012. Devotees flocked to the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Pedro Calungsod along D. Jakosalem Street, Cebu City yesterday to honor Calungsod. Palma told the p...
3/25/2013
Repent, sacrifice for the common good, faithful urged

REPENTANCE remains a central theme in the Holy Week as Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma urged the faithful to change their ways and focus on sacrifice rather than power. "They are invited by the Church to recall that people should do the expectation of our Redeemer and realize that it's not the kind of redeemer with power, prestige and glory, but a King who was crucified and offered his life to the cross," Palma said. ...
3/25/2013
Team Rama attends retreat ahead of campaign

LEADERS and candidates under the Team Rama banner attended an overnight recollection in a resort in Tubod, Minglanilla town with their supporters yesterday. The group heard gospel lectures and went to confession during the activity which started 3 p.m., said Eleodoro Sanchez, Busay barangay captain and Team Rama north district candidate for councilor. “Mayor Michael Rama only wanted us to attend the recollection. I...
3/25/2013
Earth Hour in Cebu saves 17.15 MW

Parts of Metro Cebu were dark after establishments and households switched off their lights to join the Earth Hour celebration last night. Teresa Gonzales, Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) manager, said the drop in energy demand during the Earth Hour last Saturday is 11.02 megawatts (MW) or almost four times the 2.77 MW last year. Veco’s franchise area covers Liloan town in the north and San Fernando town in the south....
3/24/2013
‘RENAME ROAD SIGNS’

  E-GWEN highway signboards to be replaced     Road signs declaring parts of Cebu province as “eGwen Highway” will be eventually removed and repainted, said acting Gov. Agnes Magpale. “They should be changed to 'Our Cebu',” she said, referring to the new name of the good governance program that the Cebu Provincial Board has changed from “E-Gwen”. She said the green signages mounted in towns in the north and ...
3/24/2013
Road-widening, catch basins sought for Cebu City in 2014

        There are no flyovers in the list of projects worth P1.2 billion that were proposed for national funding next year in Cebu City. Topping the list proposed by two congressmen to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are road-widening and improvements in the Banilad-Talamban corridor and water catchment basins in mountain barangays. The list to be reviewed for inclusion in the country's...
3/24/2013
Cebu churches usher in Palm Sunday observance

        PALM branches will be blessed today in Catholic churches across the country for Palm Sunday, the start of the most solmen period of Holy Week. Also called Passion Sunday, today commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus in Jerusalem days before he makes the ultimate sacrifice and submits to crucifixion. In his message, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma urged the faithful to reconcile with the Lord throug...
3/24/2013
Basakanon troupe waits for P3M aid

        Will the bird dancers of Lumad Basakanon get to compete in this year’s Aliwan Festival? The award-winning Sinulog dance troupe of barangay Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City, which won second place in the 2013 Sinulog Festival, is aiming for the championship in the contest of the best cultural festivals of the country to be held in Manila. But their travel will depend on whether the city government she...
3/24/2013
It’s summer time Conserve water, protect rivers

  Threats, importance of water stressed     Conserve water and protect rivers and lakes, which are the sources of potable water. Dr. Isabelo R. Montejo, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 regional executive director, made this call as the threat of a water shortage again looms with the summer months here and the celebration of the World Water Day last Friday. “Water becomes even more es...
3/24/2013
City Hall asked Pay P200,000 for November supplies

        A SUPPLIER is asking the Cebu City government to pay for supplies worth P204,202.50 delivered last November to the City Risk Reduction Management (CRRM) Office. Lydia Sia, vice president for finance of the Cebu Bionic Builder Supply Inc., wrote the CRRM on March 8 through Councilor Margot Osmeña to demand payment for their money claims. Sia attached to her letter photocopies of the sales invoices,...
3/24/2013
Bam’s wife sure of his ‘brand’

        From marketing products of Unilver, Timi Gomez-Aquino is now promoting the senate candidacy of her husband, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, to Filipino voters. Timi, who is on leave as brand manager of the multli-national company, said her husband’s clear message of promoting jobs for the youth and entrepreneurship is the reason a newcomer like him landed in no. 12 in the recent Pulse Asia national ...
3/24/2013
EARTH HOUR

  Lights go out to sound of music, dancing in Visayas     A CONCERT, a neon zumba and film showing were among the activities that marked this year's observance of Earth Hour in the Visayan cities of Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo on Saturday. When the lights went out at 8:30 p.m., over 500 dancers clad in black sports attire kicked off their one-hour dance routine for the Neon Zumba Party on the parking lot of SM ...
3/23/2013
GWEN PLEADS ‘NOT GUILTY’

  Graft court trial to take place after May polls     I am facing this calmly and stoically,” said Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia when she showed up yesterday at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City. She told reporters she wasn't worried about the case itself but its effect “on my children and family.” Garcia entered a plea of “not guilty” to graft charges in the 2008 purchase of the Balili beach property in Naga City, which the O...
3/23/2013
Cut out Gwen’s photos or replace notebooks?

        What will the Capitol do with the thousands of school notebooks that bear the photo of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia on the front cover? Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale said there was a suggestion to cut out the front covers or ask the supplier to replace them. “We can distribute the notebooks without the cover but I think that would look bad,” she said in a phone interview yesterday. Magpale said she will ask...
3/23/2013
Drug group leader nabbed by police

        THE alleged leader of a gun-for-hire and illegal drug trafficking group was arrested hours after he escaped the shootout in a raid done at his home in barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion town at 11:30 p.m. last Thursday. Francisco Villanueva Ariva was arrested by personnel of the Cebu Provincial Police Office - Provincial Intelligence Branch (CPPO-PIB) and the Special Reaction Unit (CPPO-SRU). Supt. Rodolfo Alb...
3/23/2013
More Cebuanos urged to turn off lights for Earth Hour

        WITH Earth Hour scheduled at 8:30 tonight, the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) called on both households and commercial establishments to temporarily turn off their lights as part of the annual observance. In the past five years, Veco noted only a minimal average decline in power usage every Earth Hour which always falls on a Saturday, a usually low power demand day in Cebu since most offices are closed for the...
3/23/2013
Teener falls into cave pit, dies

        A 16-YEAR-OLD boy died after accidentally falling into a cave pit in Tabuelan town, northern Cebu at past 5 a.m yesterday. Police said Bryan Caballero Ere of barangay Cantubaon went hunting for bats with his father Elmer and uncle Roldan Caballero inside the cave when he slipped and fell into the ravine. Bryan was busy looking for bats and didn't notice the hole, said police. A search and rescue team man...
3/23/2013
Vessel tilts, runs aground at Mandaue pier

        A ROLL-ON, roll-off (roro) cargo vessel ran aground at Pier 8 in the Mandaue Reclamation Area while it was loading cargo at 11:30 p.m last Thursday. Coast Guard-Cebu station commander Weniel Azcuna said the M/V Super Shuttle 8 tilted to its right after its hull “touched bottom” due to the low tide. As of 6 a.m. yesterday, Azcuna said the vessel's owner immediately sent another vessel to help lighten the lo...
3/23/2013
More gov’t support in water development sought

        In observance of the 20th World Water Day, stakeholders in Metro Cebu and Central Visayas highlighted the need for water conservation and government support in water infrastructure. Cebu’s water supply is 97 percent extracted from ground waterwells. Rene Villa, chairman of the Local Water Utilities Administration Villa also outlined government's thrust of going slow in full privatization of water utilities,...
3/23/2013
Paperwork eased for barangay proposals

        The Cebu City Development Council (CCDC) agreed yesterday to require barangays councils to only submit cost estimates of projects they want included in the 2014 Annual Investment Plan. Cathy Ruiz, CCDC co-chairperson, said preparation of the program of works and estimates (POWE) may be done by City Hall engineers after barangay councils submit their cost estimates. “We don't have to be very specific about ...
3/23/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        VIDAL: POPE FRANCIS IS VERY KIND TO ALL Although still tired from his trip to Rome, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, archbishop emeritus of Cebu took time to talk about his encounter with Pope Francis. “When I talked with the Holy Father, he told me 'yes you pray for me and God bless the Filipino people,” Vidal told reporters yesterday. The 82-year-old prelate lauded Pope Francis' attitude toward officials of the...
3/22/2013
NO SHOW FOR GWEN

  Sandiganbayan orders arrest warrant, waits for her to explain absence     Suspended Gov. Gwen Garcia was a no-show yesterday in her scheduled arraignment in Manila on graft charges before the Sandiganbayan Second Division in relation to the P98.9 million Balili land purchase. If she doesn't satisfactorily explain her absence today, she risks being placed under arrest. Her principal lawyer Tranquil Salvador III prom...
3/22/2013
Unused Gwen school supplies in warehouses

        Stacks of notebooks, school bags, pencils, cardboard fans, and posters, are piled high in a warehouse in the Provincial Capitol. Almost alll items feature the smiling face of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Auditors wrote Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale saying the idle supplies worth P19,358,859 never reached public school students for school year 2012-2013. And because of a circular that bans using the name and fa...
3/22/2013
COA marks P60 M projects with no PB approval

        ABOUT P60 million in infrastructure projects that were implemented in the province were not ratified by the Provincial Board (PB), acting Gov. Agnes Magpale said yesterday. Magpale said she received a report submitted by Engr. Margarito Maningo Jr., proprietor of Maningo Enterprises that built classrooms in Borbon and Sogod towns in the province's 5th and 6th districts. The amount also includes repairs on r...
3/22/2013
Firearms licenses of Gwen’s son, pals revoked

        THE gun licenses of Paolo Garcia, only son of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, and his friends were finally revoked following his assault of several policemen at the Capitol in December last year. Paolo Garcia has eight assorted firearms while his companions Jose Marie Primitivo Abellana Cal and Tonyson Luther Sun Lee own three and four firearms respectively. The Firearms Licensing and Registration Boa...
3/22/2013
Four men killed in drug raid

        It was supposed to be their daughter's graduation yesterday but Vicente Bayon Judaya and Anabelle Judaya can no longer attend her special day. Police raided their home and three others in simultaneous raids that resulted in the deaths of Vicente and three of his companions in barangay Polpogan, Consolacion town at 5 a.m. yesterday. “I tried to tell him to quit the drug trade but he wouldn't listen,” a tear...
3/22/2013
Court orders Compostela vote recount

        HERE’S some good news for former Compostela Mayor Ritchie Wagas who was unseated by rival Joel Quiño following a Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling last year. The Mandaue Regional Trial Court Branch 55 granted his plea for a recount of votes in the town's mayoralty race in the 2010 elections. The revision of votes started yesterday at the RTC Branch 55 in Mandaue City which has jurisdiction in Compos...
3/22/2013
Militant join Aloguinsan farmers in protest march

        THE plight of the Aloguinsan farmers served as a rallying cry for land reform by partylist groups during the 7th National Congress of the the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) at the Cebu Cultural Center in Cebu City yesterday. A march by farmers and militant groups from Fuente Osmeña to downtown Cebu City was held to dramatize their protest over the planned fencing of a property occupied by the farmers...
3/22/2013
Buhing Kalbaryo all set for Good Friday

        Even without a subsidy from City Hall, the 17th staging of the passion play “Buhing Kalbaryo” (Life in Calvary) will push through on Good Friday next week. Private donors have taken care of expenses, said project director George Chu, including P80,000 for meals of performers during rehearsals or at least P3,000 per day. Actors performed an excerpt of the play in yesterday’s press conference with Mayor Mic...
3/22/2013
‘Free depot fuel only for Cebu city vehicles’

        VEHICLES that are not owned by the Cebu City government will no longer be allowed to draw free gas from the City Hall fuel depot at the South Road Properties. That includes fire trucks and police cars and some barangay vehicles. The Cebu City Council turned down a proposal by Councilor Jose Daluz, an ally of the mayor, to allow these vehicles to avail of the city’s fuel subsidy. Voting 13 against 2, the Ci...
3/22/2013
Police, coast guard prepare for Holy Week

        THE Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) will set up 14 police assistance desks and deploy bomb and illegal drugs sniffing dogs starting Wednesday next week to secure the public on Holy Week. The help desks will be put up in churches, seaports, and the North Bus Terminal. A police team of the Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) and K9 dogs will reinforce security. Senior Supt. Petronelli Baldebrin, Mandaue pol...
3/21/2013
‘WE DO THIS SO WELL’

  Jimenez: Tourism industry to create 20% of all jobs     Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. yesterday challenged the private sector to invest in tourism enterprises, saying the benefits are not just profit but a ripple effect of creating jobs. “We do this so well,” he said, citing the hospitality of Filipinos and natural attractions in 7,100 islands, that make it “more fun in the Philippines.” He said tourism will e...
3/21/2013
Drainage, road widening top Mega Cebu wish list

        An 18-km outer Cebu Circumferential Road, road-widening, the Cebu North Coastal Road and drainage systems top the list of projects recommended for government funding in Metro Cebu. The Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB) en banc approved the priority list in their first quarterly meeting held at the Capitol Social Hall yesterday. It was the first time the board meeting was chaired by acti...
3/21/2013
Boboy Durano to get ‘full rest’ from campaign

        DOCTORS have advised “complete rest” for vice guberantorial bet Ramon “Boboy” Durano who was rushed to the hospital in Cebu City Sunday. He suffered a stroke but is out of danger, according to two sources in the Durano clan, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak for the family. His father Danao City Mayor Ramon “Boy” Durano visited him in Cebu Doctor’s Hospital yesterday morning and told ...
3/21/2013
Palma happy with RH law freeze

        THE Catholic Church expressed joy over the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the implementation of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) law. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma remains hopeful that the High Court will declare the law as unconstitutional. “We pray that the real merits of the law will be well studied upon. Only time will tell if the law can be retained or won't be implemented,” he said...
3/21/2013
Coast Guard to check ships at Cebu ports

  Holy Week safety preparations on     Members of the Philippine Coast Guard Cebu Station (PCG-Cebu) will conduct random inspections on sea vessels to ensure the safe travel of passengers to their destinations especially as the Holy Week nears. PCG-Cebu Station chief, Commander Weniel Azcuna said he also sent letters to the shipping owners and operators to make sure that their vessels would be seaworthy to avoid any ac...
3/21/2013
Seniors to get P4K cash aid on Monday

        Cebu City's senior citizens will each receive P4,000 as the first installment of their annual cash aid in various receiving centers in the city next Monday and Tuesday. Mayor Michael Rama said he ordered the City Treasurers Office (CTO) yesterday to release this as first quarter assistance to the city's 60,000 registered senior citizens. “The amount will be P4,000. I sent a communication to (acting City Tre...
3/21/2013
Cebuano blind masseurs rank high in exams

        Despite his disability and minimal education, 25-year-old Olymar Adiva still managed to place third among 1,193 examinees of two government licensure examinations for massage therapy. Adiva, a resident of barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, is one of 20 blind masseurs trained by the Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC)--II who passed the written exam last Dec. 2012 and practical exam last Jan. 2013. A high...
3/21/2013
Recover vessel’s fuel this week, salvage firm told

        THE salvor company hired to recover the sunken MV Maria Angelica Grace was told to start drawing the 8,000 liters of diesel fuel in the vessel within this week. “The threat to marine life is still there due to the presence of 8,000 liters of diesel ins the vessel,” Station Commander Weniel Azcuna of the Coast Guard-Cebu station said. The Uni Orient Pearl Venture Inc. was hired by Salvador Rapal of Rapal Sh...
3/21/2013
17 hurdle 2012 Bar exams

        The country has 949 new lawyers. The number represents 17.76 percent of 5,343 law graduates who passed the 2012 Bar Examinations. Supreme Court Public Informatiom chief Theodore Te said this was lowest passing rate in 12 years. It was also the second lowest passing rate in the history of the Bar exam for lawyers according to the Supreme Court's bar examination committee. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ma...
3/21/2013
UP Cebu welcomes its first ‘professor emeritus’

        A political science professor became the first “professor emeritus” from the University of the Philippines Cebu. Prof. Felisa U. Etemadi, a multi-awarded teacher and internationally known researcher, was appointed professor emeritus by the university's governing Board of Regents (BOR). For 30 years, Etemadi taught courses in Asian history, research and political science in UP Cebu. She rose to Professor 12,...
3/21/2013
Cebuano activist now a lawyer

        JOSE Aaron Pedrosa Jr. is a known social activist and militant leader in Cebu. Now he will also be addressed as “attorney”. Pedrosa, 27, son of the late Cebu City prosecutor Jose Pedrosa, was one of the 949 law graduates who passed the 2012 Bar exams. Pedrosa served as the national secretary-general of Sanlakas and secretary-general of Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) Cebu. Pedrosa is a regular presence...
3/21/2013
Deaf-mute customers to sue resto

        A restaurant in Cebu City is facing charges after some waiters allegedly made fun of five deaf-mute customers and refused to give them a discount. The five customers yesterday went to the Cebu City Prosecutors' Office to file a complaint against Boosog Lasang Pinoy Resto for violating Republic Act 9442 or the law amending the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons. Spouses Joseph Gregory and Roslyn Onglatco, Almi...
3/20/2013
‘Serve the poor’

      Pope Francis urged princes, presidents, sheiks and thousands of ordinary people gathered for his installation Mass yesterday to protect the environment, the weakest and the poorest, mapping out a clear focus of his priorities as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. The Argentina native is the first pope from Latin American and the first named for the 13th-century friar St. Francis of Assisi, whose life’s wo...
3/20/2013
Payment due but Agnes not keen on distribution

        ACTING Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday said the provincial government is obliged to pay for 2,600 medals for public school students ordered from a metal engraver whose design includes the face and name of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia – but “not now”. “I do not know if we have to distribute them. It's obviously meant for election purposes,” she said. Magpale said she would ask the opinion of the Commission on Election...
3/20/2013
Medals too late for graduation

  DepEd asks schools to avoid tapping candidates as sponsors     Of the 1,100 public elementary and high schools in Cebu province, half have already finished their graduation rites, a school official said. If the aim was to reward graduating students with the medals, the gesture has come too late. Dr. Arden Monisit, schools division superintendent for Cebu province, said he wasn't aware of the controversal medals engr...
3/20/2013
Boboy Durano lands in hospital, ‘not serious’

        CEBU vice gubernatorial candidate Ramon Boboy Durano was confined in a private hospital yesterday but his condition was described by party mates as a non-alarming case of dehydration. "I was there to see him yesterday and was told he is suffering from dehydration" said Rep. Pablo John Garcia said in a text message. Garcia, who is seeking the governorship in May, denied reports circulating that his running ...
3/20/2013
Funds for Lagundi reef rehabilation in Talisay sea sought

        WHERE'S the US $10,000 cash intended for the rehabilitation of the Lagundi reef in barangay Poblacion, Talisay City? That's the question posed by opposition Councilor Danny Caballero in yesterday's regular council session. The reef was run aground by a foreign vessel named the M/V Majuro in 2009. The Talisay City government entered into a compromise agreement in which the ship owner will pay $10,000 instead...
3/20/2013
No bikini shows during Holy Week, execs urged

        Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma urged commercial outlets not to hold bikini shows in the province during the Holy Week. “I hope there would be no bikini shows, this being a season of prayer and reflection,” he told reporters yesterday. Palma said all the Church is asking for is “propriety.” “Why would some people do it (bikini shows) on Holy Week when there are other times of the year. The Holy Week is meant for...
3/20/2013
Palma marks birthday, hopes Cebu can host int’l Eucharistic Congress

        WILL Cebu become the final destination for the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in 2016? Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he was concerned over the absence of a huge venue that can house at least 15,000 participants from all over the world. As he celebrated his 63rd birthday yesterday, Palma said he hoped that Cebu will find a way to host the big event for the Catholic Church. The prelate will trav...
3/20/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        DE LIMA DEFENDS DENIAL OF LARRANAGA’S CLEMENCY PLEA JUSTICE Secretary Leila De Lima justified the decision of the Board of Pardons and Parole in denying the plea for clemency of one of those convicted for the death of sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong in Cebu City in 1997. “The BPP was constrained to do so because its mandate is to resolve application based on certain guidelines and compliance with ce...
3/20/2013
Asphalt scraping in Fernan bridge tonight

        The Marcelo B. Fernan bridge will remain open until 10 o’clock tonight when personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH-7) start scraping the asphalt overlay of the bridge road. Scraping will continue at night from 10 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the next five days. During this time, one lane will be open for vehicles. Bicycles and motorcycles, however, won’t be allowed to pass t...
3/20/2013
JV hopes to get more Cebu votes

        SAN Juan Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito Estrada is hopeful that his good standing in the surveys would also translate to more votes in Cebu in the May 13 elections. He said the Estrada family recognizes that Central Visayas, especially Cebu, “has always been our weak area.” But Estrada said he hopes his youth and good performance as San Juan mayor will convince Cebuanos to vote for him. “Probably I wil...
3/19/2013
IN HER IMAGE

Will the Capitol pay P.5 million for her face, name on scholars’ medals?   Another supplier is seeking payment from the Cebu provincial government, this time for 2,600 medals intended for public school children who graduate at the top of their class. The face and name of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia are engraved on the brass and silver medals to be given out as the “Governor's Excellence Award”. A sample of the medals was recently sent ...
3/19/2013
Mayor wants road project on the pipeline

    EVEN if the elections are only a month and three weeks away, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said it isn't too late to implement the Cebu Circumferential road project proposed under the Metro Cebu Development Project (MCDP) 3. Rama, who chairs the Regional Development Council in Central Visayas (RDC-7) said the road project can address the growing traffic congestion in Metro Cebu area. He said he will have the RDC-7 archive...
3/19/2013
Rama says City Hall can take over from DPWH

    Cebu City Hall will activate contingency measures to prevent traffic accidents in flyovers and other structures ahead of the Holy Week break. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he already tapped contractor Willy Go to install plastic barrels filled with water at the approaches located on both sides of the Mambaling flyover. “If the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) cannot institute immediate corrective measur...
3/19/2013
Sanchez daughter, rival wants Gwen’s arraignment in Toledo City

    THE daughter of the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez and Pinamungahan Mayor Geraldine Yapha wanted the arraignment of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to be held in Toledo City. In a letter to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Grecilda “Gigi” Sanchez-Zaballero and Yapha said the respondents are Cebu-based so the proceedings should not be held in Manila. “All the litigants and key witnesses as well as the evid...
3/19/2013
Sinug dance sendoff to Titang

    Having led a life as a Sinug dancer, it was but expected that Estelita “Titang” Diola’s journey to the grave would be marked with more Sinug dancing. Passersby and motorists alike stopped for a while as 50 Sinug dancers accompanied Titang's remains from her house in sitio Sinulog to the Mabolo church at 12 noon. From the church, Titang's family and Sinulog choreographer Val San Diego performed the Sinug dance led by Tita...
3/19/2013
’Agnes, not Junjun during cash gift program’

    IT was acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale and not Liberal Party-Cebu (LP-Cebu) gubernatorial candidate Hilario Davide III who attended the distribution of cash gifts to day care and barangay health workers in Pilar town, Camotes Islands last week. “If Davide was in the island, he didn't join the activity. They have their own program,” Evelyn Sinajon, acting Provincial Social Welfare and Development (PSWD) chief, said. "Ma'am...
3/19/2013
Wharf owner wants sunken vessel salvaged

    THE owner of the Cabahug Wharf in Mandaue City asked the Coast Guard-Cebu station to remove the diesel discharged by the MV Maria Angelica Grace after the vessel capsized a week ago near their area. Coast Guard-Cebu Station Commander Winiel Azcuna said other vessels who used to dock in the wharf were told to anchor on another side due to the presence of the sunken vessel. “The wharf's operations are affected,” Azcuna said...
3/19/2013
‘Buhing Kalbaryo’ on even without City Hall funds

  The “Buhing Kalbaryo” play sponsored by the Cebu City government will push through as planned on Good Friday even if the City Council will not approve its P0.47 million budget, said Mayor Michael Rama. Rama is confident that he and members of the Buhing Pasko Organization which oversees the annual Buhing Kalbaryo will be able to find a way to fund the activity. “As far as I am concerned, we just have to work hard, expect the w...
3/19/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

    NBI 7 gets new forensic tools The National Bureau of Investigation – 7 received P3.8 million worth of forensic laboratory equipment. With the coming of the new equipment, NBI-7 Regional Director Antonio Pagatpat is expecting improvements in the conduct of forensic investigation. He said with the advances in forensic science, testimonial and material evidence get stronger with scientific evidence. The new equipment incl...
3/19/2013
Rehab work on Fuente fountain to proceed, land row set aside

    The planned rehabilitation of the Fuente Osmeña fountain can now push through after the Cebu provincial government gave yesterday Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama the authority to already start with the rehabilitation works. Rama said all that needs to be done now is to amend the city's existing contract with M. Lhuillier in order to implement the rehabilitation works under the private - public partnership (PPP) program. “If...
3/19/2013
Why gov’t frowns on using names, faces of politician on public property

    “The practice... has been noticeably abused and misused by some public officials for their personal interests and has taken the credit away from the taxpayers who are the ones paying for such programs or projects.” Source: DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2010-101“Banning names or initials and/or images or pictures of government officials in billboards and signages of government programs, projects and properties.” Definition...
3/18/2013
DANGER AHEAD

 Safety audit exposes deficiencies of Cebu City flyovers   The four flyovers in Cebu City pose danger to motorists, a safety audit concluded. A report from the Cebu Integrated Traffic Operations Management (Citom) revealed deficiencies in road safety features in the flyovers in Banilad, Tesda, Ayala and Mambaling. Among the hazards found by Citom were faded reflector paints, non-existent hazard mar...
3/18/2013
Camotes dads vow ‘solid’ support for Davide

    SAN Francisco Mayor Aly Arquillano said mayors of Camotes Islands' four towns are solidly behind the candidacy of Liberal Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate Junjun Davide III. Aside from the mayors, barangay captains have also declared their support to Davide, Arquillano added. The four towns in Camotes Islands are Poro, Tudela, Pilar and San Francisco. Arquillano attributed this show of so...
3/18/2013
Fernan bridge, no entry for motorcycles, bicycles

    Starting tonight bicycles and motorcycles won’t be allowed to pass through the Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge as scraping of its asphalt overlay poses additional risk. Bicycles and motorcycles could only pass on the old Mandaue-Mactan Bridge where the asphalt overlay was recently finished, said Edwin Ermac, chief of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team). “Daghan na kaayo ang nadisgrasya nga ...
3/18/2013
Pagasa Summertime heat can cause fires

    SUMMER has just begun according to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) following the entry of the easterly winds into the country. Pagasa Mactan weather bureau Chief Oscar Tabada advised Cebuanos to drink more water to avoid dehydration. He also advised people to avoid exposure to sunlight from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as ultra violet rays is strong...
3/18/2013
Mt. Manunggal eyed as next ‘Baguio City’

    Despite being stymied in his efforts to transfer the Cebu international airport in Cordova, Rep. Tomas Osmeña is undeterred about pursing another project. The Cebu City congressman reiterated anew his plans to establish Mt. Manunggal Peak in Balamban town, midwest Cebu as a summer tourist destination comparable to Baguio City. His plans gained the support of former senator Ramon “Jun” Magsays...
3/18/2013
Magsaysay remembers father, vows reforms in Senate bid

    THE family of the late president Ramon Magsaysay commemorated his 56th death anniversary with a breakfast in a Cebu City restaurant. The late president Magsaysay was headed home to his family in Manila from a Cebu trip 56 years ago to join them in their Sunday morning ritual of having breakfast together and hearing Mass. But news of the late president’s plane crash instead reached them, said form...
3/18/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

    Private firm offers to process market wastes A PRIVATE firm proposed to process wastes disposed from Cebu City markets for a fee of P700 per ton without producing harmful emissions. The proposal by Bio-Nutrient Waste Management Inc. also consists of collecting the market wastes on behalf of the city and process these for P1,700 per ton as an option. “The company's responsibility is to proces...
3/18/2013
‘Surveys reflect freedom of speech’

    The conduct of election surveys and publication of the results are rooted in freedom of speech, said Dr. Mahar Mangahas, president and founder of the Social Weather Stations (SWS). When a survey is done scientifically, even from a sample of of only 1,200 persons, it can give an accurate picture of voter preferences in the entire country. Mangahas spoke in a forum on “Understanding Election Polls...
3/18/2013
Camotes town pushes Soli festival promotion

    JUST like Cebu's other small islands, Camotes Island relies on its Soli-Soli Festival to entice tourists and draw more investors to set up businesses in their area. San Francisco Municipal Mayor Aly Arquillano told reporters yesterday that the festival gave the municipal government an opportunity to market their town to small and big investors. The town celebrated its 12th Soli-soli Festival cel...
3/18/2013
Cebu bloggers tour Olango, set up tour website

    CEBU'S bloggers toured Olango Island as one of their stops in their “Mob Trip” or mobile trip to wrap up a Social Media Influence Summit held in J. Center Mall Mandaue City last Saturday. The bike tour consisted of 11 stops in the island's barangays where they got to sample native bread in barangay Sta. Rosa, a homemade biscuit named “Salvaro” in barangay San Vicente and “Lamaw”, an iced coconut ...
3/17/2013
MISSING ROAD LINK?

  ‘No flyovers or BRTs will solve traffic on long-term basis’ - study     Something's missing in the road network of Metro Cebu to ease traffic, according to private traffic impact study. And it's not a new flyover. The study said it's time to revisit unfinished targets of the 30-year-old Metro Cebu Land use and Traffic Study (MCLUTS), which identified two major road transport routes to meet requirements of ...
3/17/2013
Fund search to add seniors cash aid before Holy Week

        Cebu City Hall's availability of funds will determine if it can afford to allocate P4,000 each to the city's senior citizens before the Holy Week break, the City Treasurer's Office said last Friday. The allocation is part of the planned quarterly release of senior citizens aid which Mayor Michael Rama wanted released on March 25 and 26, acting City Treasurer Emma Villarete said. Villarete said the...
3/17/2013
City board chides eco group for threat to sue

        CEBU City Hall took exception to a notice to sue sent by an ecology advocacy group for its alleged failure to implement a waste segregation program over the weekend. City Hall consultant Janeses Ponce said the letter sent by the Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC) was a “threat” and chided the group for engaging in “junk science, press conferences, publicity stunts and threats of law suits.” “H...
3/17/2013
Fernan bridge repairs scheduled tomorrow evening

        REPAIRS on the Marcelo Fernan bridge will commence at 10 p.m tomorrow to avoid aggravating vehicular flow in the area, the City Traffic Management System (CTMS) of Lapu-Lapu City said. CTMS chief Frank Brazil said signages and barriers will be set up to allow repairs to proceed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. He said the ferry terminal in Muelle Osmeña wharf in Barangay Poblacion will be ready to accommod...
3/17/2013
Investing in the future of Olango

        Cebu Daily News staffers plant mangroves to enrich island’s marine ecosystem To grow a coastal forest, you start by bending over and planting in the soft, wet mud of tidal flats as if you’re “planting rice.” Staff members of Cebu Daily News did just that yesterday in sitio Tapon, barangay San Vicente in Olango Island, a sanctuary for marine life and migratory birds. The planting of 3,000 propagu...
3/17/2013
SCR tunnel needs water-proofing

        Poor maintenance led to the accumulation of water at a portion of the South Coastal Road (SCR) tunnel causing it to leak, Cebu City structural consultant Ariel dela Cruz said last week. However the leaks don’t affect the tunnel’s stability, he added. In his inspection report, dela Cruz said regular maintenance is needed to clear the tunnel's surface drain of silt and allow water to drain properly....
3/17/2013
Vessel owner given until tomorrow to find salvor

        THE owner of the ill-fated MV Maria Angelica Grace asked for a three-day deadline extension until tomorrow to hire a salvor to recover its sunken vessel off Cabahug wharf in Looc, Mandaue City. Coast Guard Cebu station commander Weniel Azcuna said Salvador Rapal sent him a message informing him that he was unable to find a salvor in time for last Friday's deadline. “He asked for a three-day exte...
3/17/2013
‘Buhing Kalbaryo’,‘Sugat’ in Guadalupe

  Holy Week play to help convent project     A reenactment of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will be staged in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City during the Holy Week to help people ponder upon the mysteries of the faith. Aljin Abaquita, the director of the play, said they would want the audience to see themselves on the different characters being portrayed. The Buhing Kalbaryo or the comme...
3/17/2013
Pope Francis I election surprises Jesuits in Cebu

        THE election of Pope Francis resonates in a special way in Cebu which has a large school, parish and retreat house run by the Jesuit congregation. “Most of us were surprised. He was not even a front runner. We had never heard of him. As part of the Jesuit Constitution, we do not aspire for that kind of job (papacy). Our apostolate is education,” said Fr. Ramon Mores, S.J., parochial vicar of the Ar...
3/17/2013
Controversial tarps in Cebu taken down

        The Team Patay, Team Buhay tarpaulins displayed outside some churches in Cebu have all been taken down even as Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma reminded the clergy to avoid vocal campaigns especially within the church's premises. Palma, the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), discouraged the posting within the church compound of tarpaulins of who to vote and to disreg...
3/17/2013
Team Rh Drive

        THE Team RH drive will counter the Team Patay, Team Buhay campaign started by the anti-RH bishops in Bacolod City. Risa Hontiveros, a Team Pnoy senatorial candidate, said last Thursday that the Team RH or Pro-RH drive that was launched in Cebu in a forum last Thursday would be a positive counter-move for the Team Patay campaign. Hontiveros, who got support from women's groups such as Liping Pilipi...
3/17/2013
Pantawid aid, scholarship

        THE government's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) shouldn't only be limited to cash aid to poor families but should include full scholarship for college assistance for at least one member of each family-beneficiary. Senator Loren Legarda made this call after a 16-year-old University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman student killed herself when she wasn't allowed to take her exams because she...
3/17/2013
Binay appeal PH group to aid OFWs in Sabah

        THERE should be a special group in Sabah to directly assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the tensions there. Vice President Jejomar Binay made this appeal to the Malaysian government during last Friday's press briefing in Cebu. Binay, presidential adviser of OFW concerns, said that a special group be allowed to directly contact Filipinos in Sabah. "I just hope that we will be allo...
3/16/2013
‘INVEST IN CEBU’

                    Aquino cites 278 locators as proof of business confidence     President Aquino yesterday made a pitch for Asia Pacific investors to explore Cebu even as a Malaysian businessman said maritime education was a good area for partnership despite the conflict in Sabah. "I am confident that you can see a revitalized co...
3/16/2013
Binay We have always shown our ‘full support’ to Gwen

                        THE leader of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) has reaffirmed the opposition coalition's strong support for suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Vice President Jejomar Binay, one of the leaders of UNA, said they are consistent in showing their support to Garcia. He said this in the light of the schedul...
3/16/2013
Rivalry seen as motive behind trader’s ambush

                A rivalry with operators of the illegal numbers games masiao and suertres was one of the motives being looked into by the Cebu City police in last Thursday afternoon's ambush of a businessman at the South Road Properties (SRP). Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, chief of the City Intelligence Branch (CIB), said 49-year-old businessman Edgar Lim has long been susp...
3/16/2013
Charges filed against four over Robredo crash

        THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) filed criminal and administrative charges against two of its employees and two others from a private aviation company in connection with allegedly fraudulent inspections done on the plane that crashed, killing Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. CAAP lawyer and corporate executive officer Abdiel Dan Fajardo filed in the Office of the Ombudsman cases of fa...
3/16/2013
Cebu clergy confident Pope Francis to overcome health woes

        DESPITE having only one lung, newly anointed Pope Francis won't be deterred from serving the Church, Cebu's clergy leaders said yesterday. “Why did the cardinal electors chose someone with that condition? We are concerned. However, we have faith and trust in God. The Lord will keep and guard those whom He selects,” said Msgr. Esteban Binghay in an interview yesterday. Binghay, the episcopal vicar of the Ceb...
3/16/2013
Naga City bridge expansion, other projects set before ban

        The groundbreaking of the P28.2 million Langtad bridge expansion project was held at barangay Langtad, Naga City yesterday, the first of the P400 million worth of infrastructure projects in Cebu's 1st district. “This is like manna from heaven,” Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu's 1st district said in his acceptance speech. The event was attended by Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district, who “outsourced...
3/16/2013
Danao council wants freeze on P30M funds

        THE Danao City Council has asked the Danao City branch of Landbank-Philippines not to honor the P30 million trust fund deposited by the city government without authority from the Provincial Board (PB). PB Member Carmen Remedios Durano Meca elevated the council's request to the board in its regular session last Monday. The P30 million was intended for the rehabilitation of the water pipes in barangay Poblac...
3/16/2013
Olango folk celebrate centenarian’s birthday

        A DIET of fish and vegetables with no meat sustained Faustina Sobiono towards reaching the century mark, one of a few still living in Lapu-Lapu City. The 100-year-old Sobiono, "Lola Tinang" to family and friends alike, was gifted with a large cake and food that was shared with neighbors in barangay Pangan-an of Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City by Mayor Paz Radaza. The Office of the Senior Citizen's Affairs reg...
3/16/2013
Mandaue ups security in schools

        Public school teachers in Mandaue City's 49 public schools were told anew to always remind their students not to entertain strangers and go home immediately with their parents or guardians after class. The directive by education officials stemmed from reports of two attempted kidnappings of three third year students of the Mandaue City Science High School last March 5 and 13. Jamaal James Calipayan, executi...
3/16/2013
Ship bound for Bantayan island stalls in open sea

        THE passenger vessel MV Super Shuttle Ferry 14 bound for Bantayan Island stalled at sea 30 minutes after it left Hagnaya Port of San Remegio town yesterday afternoon. According to Argao town councilor Rey Gealon, who was on board the ship, the vessel lost power midway in their voyage. Passengers, he said started to panic. Some were crying and many were already wearing life jackets. Galeon admitted that he ...
3/16/2013
‘Filinvest payment to cover seniors aid’

        It's the Lenten season next week but Cebu City Hall's senior citizens have something to look forward to aside from the Holy Week break. This after Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the P234.8 million final payment of Filinvest Land Inc. for Pond F of the South Road Properties (SRP) can cover the senior citizens aid. “The money will already address the senior citizens assistance,” Rama said when asked what h...
3/15/2013
Rama hopes Pope joins 2016 Cebu Eucharistic Congress

  CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma yesterday said the Catholic Church in the Philippines is joyful following the election of Argentina Archbishop Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio to the papacy. “We are happy that we have a new pope and like many others, we also accept the surprise that he is not European,” Palma, who is also president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said. “Like all Christians, we are invited to ...
3/15/2013
Tagle believers say he’ll still become Pope someday

  SAN PABLO CITY—People who personally knew Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle in his hometown, Imus City in Cavite, said they supported the cardinal although he was not elected Pope. "Manalo o matalo (Win or lose), it's God's will," said 69-year-old Vicky Ignacio, a worker at Imus Cathedral who had treated Tagle like her own son. Tagle's cousin, who refused to be named when interviewed in Imus, said Tagle might n...
3/15/2013
Pope Francis asks for people’s blessing

First Jesuit pope, known for work in slums of Buenos Aires, breaks tradition of Vatican pomp; picks up own luggage          Pope Francis put his humility on display during his first day as pontiff yesterday, stopping by his hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the bill himself in a decidedly different style for the papacy usually ensconced inside the frescoed halls of the Vatican. The break...
3/15/2013
Catholic church reforms loom

  Francis expected to provide a pastoral polish to predecessors’ conservative theology         The election as pope of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who as archbishop of Buenos Aires in Argentina had tangled with state authorities over abortion, homosexual marriage, and the culture wars, is expected to provide a pastoral polish to the conservative theology of his predecessors, Pope John Pau...
3/15/2013
Toledo bets told Sign peace pact

            The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Toledo City will be calling on candidates in the city to sign a peace pact. Comelec officer Michael Angelo Sarno told reporters yesterday that he will be calling on mayoralty candidates Sonny Osmeña and Aurelio Espinosa including their running mates, Dr. Antonio Yapha and Vice Mayor Daydee Zambo and to sign the peace covenant. Sar...
3/15/2013
Soco says Erap party supports his bid

  BUSINESSMAN Glenn Soco will launch his second bid for the Cebu vice gubernatorial seat in his hometown of Mandaue City. Soco who is running without a slate said his nomination from the Partido ng Masang Pilipino was affirmed by former president Joseph Estrada. Soco said Estrada formally endorsed him during his last visit here in Cebu. "I think of my party affiliation as a gesture of support and confidence from PMP which...
3/15/2013
Oil leak under control, PCG, DENR officials claim

For now, the 8,000 liters of diesel fuel inside the capsized cargo ship at the Cabahug wharf remained intact. Philippine Coast Guard Station Commander Winiel Azcuna gave this assurance yesterday even as the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said that the reported oil spill in the area was already controlled and confined in the spill boom placed around the MV Maria Angelica...
3/15/2013
Asphalting work on Fernan bridge starts Monday

WITH the asphalting work at the first Mandaue Mactan bridge already done, work now shifts to the Marcelo Fernan Bridge. Engineer Renault Ricardo of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said the asphalting overlay of the Marcelo Fernan bridge would start on Monday, March 18. Work will be done from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Ricardo said that the lane from Lapu-Lapu going to Mandaue would be the first to be rehabilitated on th...
3/15/2013
Malubog chief told justify request for second ambulance

  THE members of the Cebu City Council are asking the officials of the mountain barangay of Malubog to justify their request for a second ambulance after they already received from the city government five vehicles including a Hyundai ambulance. Councilor Margot Osmeña, budget committee chairperson, is asking Malubog barangay captain Federico Bontilao to furnish her committee with a monthly data on the number of emergency cases t...
3/15/2013
Divers drown off Lapu coast

                     A worker of a salvor company hired to salvage a sunken ship off the coast of barangay Canjulao in Lapu-Lapu City was found dead and his co-worker remains missing. Algier Somaylo, 27, of Mainit, Surigao del Norte was found floating near the wreck of MV B & E where he and Glen Pahit were last seen diving near the sunk...
3/15/2013
Masses for St. Pedro Calungsod feast on

  THE novena leading to the feast of St. Pedro Calungsod yesterday began at the shrine dedicated in his honor in Cebu City. Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson, rector of the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Pedro Calungsod in the Archbishop's Residence compound in D. Jakosalem Street, said this year's feast would be the first time the Visayan martyr is invoked as a saint. “This is the first feast where we call him a saint instead of beato. But...
3/15/2013
Bizman survives ambush in Maxilom Ave.

                       A businessman on board a newly bought BMW sedan was ambushed in barangay Carreta, Cebu City yesterday afternoon. Edgar Lim, 49, a resident of General Maxilom Avenue in barangay Day-as, Cebu City, sustained gunshot wounds in his stomach and right cheek, said Renato Generoso, a supervisor of the Cebu City Integrat...
3/14/2013
PABLING’S P55M PORK

 Garcia: Cancel check to son’s town            After all the fuss raised over his pork barrel funds deposited in the Office of the Governor, Rep. Pablo Garcia said he will no longer ask for its release. He said he would write to the Provincial Treasurer to cancel a P55 million check intended for Dumanjug town, whose mayor is his son Nelson, who is running for reel...
3/14/2013
Owner given until Friday to start removing capsized ship

           Authorities want the owner of M/V Maria Angelica Grace that flipped over in the Cabahug wharf in Mandaue City Sunday night to salvage the ill-fated ship to prevent damage to the environment. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday gave its owner Salvador Rapal of Rapal Shipping Lines until Friday to hire a salvor to remove the capsized ship. “If he can’t ...
3/14/2013
City Council okays monthly senior citizen aid Rama prepares veto, legal action

 THE Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) dominated City Council yesterday amended the 2013 budget ordinance to pave way for the monthly distribution of the senior citizen’s cash assistance. And Mayor Michael Rama is not just preparing a veto, but also legal action against the City Council for usurpation of authority. “I do not even consider the approved ordinance as existing... Let them do what they want to...
3/14/2013
Fr. Gallego passes away at 56

 Priest helped organize St. Calungsod’s Cebu event The Archdiocese of Cebu has one priest less to serve its flock. Fr. Raul Gallego, who made significant contributions for the success of the national thanksgiving celebration of St. Pedro Calungsod last year, died last Tuesday evening. He suffered a heart attack while driving his car on the way to Parkmall in Mandaue City at around 10 p.m. Gallego was brought ...
3/14/2013
Public told to avoid colorum tricycles

          COMMUTERS in Mandaue City were advised to avoid patronizing colorum tricycles lest they be inconvenienced in case they figure in accidents. “Colorum tricycles don't have licenses or permits. If there's an accident, the operators cannot provide insurance to their drivers nor to their passengers,” the mayor's executive secretary Jamaal Calipayan said. He ...
3/14/2013
Schools urged to include anti-cyber bullying program

          Schools were urged to include an anti-cyber bullying program in their curricula to create awareness among their students and prevent episodes of harassment in social media sites. “Being feared is actually being insecure,” said Dr. Pureza Trinidad-Oñate, president of the Asean Federation of Psychiatry and Mental Health in yesterday's press conference at the Kapihan sa Ph...
3/14/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

  CASH DOLEOUT PROGRAM SUSPENDED THE regional Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) office said the government's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4p’s) will be suspended for the duration of the election period from March 29 to May 13. The suspension was spelled out in Resolution No. 9585 of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to avoid use of the conditional cash transfer program as a campaig...
3/14/2013
‘Displaced Muslims at home in Cebu’

                      Leaders of the Muslim community in Cebu and Central Visayas expressed their gratitude for allowing them to live in the area, including those displaced by the 2000 all-out war in Mindanao. “Cebu and the Visayas are playing host to the internally displaced Moros from Mindanao and we are very happy a...
3/14/2013
Security forces monitor 4 armed groups in Cebu

                     The intelligence chief of the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) said they are monitoring four armed groups that could be used by politicians to sow violence this election season. Supt. Paul Labra II, chief of Regional Intelligence Division of PRO-7 said they have monitored one group in Lapu-Lapu City and ...
3/14/2013
Palma Have no fear

                    CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma urged the faithful to keep praying during these significant days in the life of the Catholic Church. “As we wait for the election of the pope, we should always commit ourselves to continued prayer, invoking the assistance of the Holy Spirit. After all, the election of the ...
3/13/2013
SHIP FLIPS OVER

  Big waves from passing fastcraft pummels freighter     A roll-on, roll-off (ro/ro) cargo vessel capsized and sank at the Cabahug private wharf in barangay Looc, Mandaue City, on Monday evening while it was loading cargo. Philippine Coast Guard Station commander Weniel Azcuna said the M/V Maria Angelica Grace of the Manila-based Rapal Shipping Lines listed to the right because of the waves caused by a fastc...
3/13/2013
Pawikans survived the dinosaur age, threatened to extinction by humans

        SEA turtles have inhabited the planet Earth long before humans. These resilient species of reptiles inhabited the Earth alongside dinosaurs some 110 million years ago. Now, it is facing extinction with rapid development of coastlines, pollution of oceans and coastal areas, and human consumption. There are over 200 species of turtles, but only seven species are known to live in the sea (saltwater)....
3/13/2013
Cortes Interest in CICC on, but we have other options

        MANDAUE CITY Mayor Jonas Cortes was glad with the trust showed by the Provincial Board (PB) members who crafted a resolution supporting Mandaue City's interest in buying the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) and convert it into a city hall. Cortes however clarified said that the CICC is just one of the three options that the city government is considering as a one-stop local government ce...
3/13/2013
Police chief tells men to stop eating pawikan

        A FEW days after he admitted indulging in pawikan stew in barangay Pasil, Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el, Jr., acting chief of the Cebu City Police Office ordered his mean not to patronize the exotic dish. But before Natu-el's announcement, some policemen were seen eating “larang pawikan” in Pasil. Natu-el said the pawikan (sea turtle) issue should first be resolved by Department of Environment and ...
3/13/2013
Funds were legally disbursed, exec claims

        Legal procedures were followed in the release of P5 million in provincial government funds to the Perdido Lex Foundation Inc., before it was disclosed that the group was non-existent, the Capitol's chief accountant said yesterday. "I was just performing my function and I followed the process. I find it most unfair that I was charged along with others for graft (in relation to the Perdido Lex Founda...
3/13/2013
Student ponders future after Sambag 2 fire

        SHAQUILLE Lyza Orillo had only a few days left to finish her requirements for graduation but last Sunday dawn's fire at her home in barangay Sambag II changed all that. Orillo is among the 10 graduating students affected by the fire. She is scheduled to march and get her diploma next Thursday, March 21. Unfortunately her school clearance and projects were destroyed in the fire. “It happened so fas...
3/13/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        SECURITY UP AT PORTS, BUS TERMINALS SECURITY was raised at the Cebu Bus Terminal for the coming Holy Week break. Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said security is paramount for the thousands of passengers heading to the province for the four-day holiday. Magpale said CSBT operations manager Carmen Quijano designated more security guards at the site. Quijano said she asked for more janitors and ad...
3/13/2013
Cebu bus operators back Davide-Magpale tandem

        Leaders of bus operators associations in Cebu yesterday expressed their support for the tandem of Liberal Party-Cebu gubernatorial candidate Hilario “Junjun” Davide III and his runningmate Agnes Magpale. During the meeting of the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association and mini bus-operators association attended by 30 members at the Sacred Heart Center, Davide said he “would be fair in his dealin...
3/13/2013
COA urged to reconsider recall of cash incentives

        MANDAUE City Hall appealed to the Commission on Audit (COA) regional office to reconsider its ruling to disallow the incentives given to more than 2,000 job-order employees on Dec. 2011. Jamaal James Calipayan, executive secretary to the mayor, said most of the employees weren't working for the city government anymore. He said city officials felt the workers deserve the incentives since they rece...
3/13/2013
Bus owners warn against phase out of old fleet

        BUS operators warned of a transportation crisis in Cebu and other parts of the country if the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will push through with the phase out of units 15 years old and above. Julito Flores, president of the Cebu South Mini-Bus Operators Association, said the bus operators agreed during their meeting yesterday to hire legal counsel to file a tempora...
3/13/2013
Farmers against land settlement

        A farmer's group locked in a land dispute with the Gantuangco family reiterated yesterday that they won't agree to a settlement over the 168-hectare lot in Bonbon, Aloguinsan town in southwest Cebu. “We won't be lulled into accepting a cash settlement because money can easily be spent,” said Roberto Engarcial, spokesman of the San Roque Farmers Association (SRFA) in a press conference yesterday. H...
3/13/2013
‘Next Pope should be like Jesus’

        A man who epitomizes Jesus and attracts people with a special sense of charm. These are the among the qualities which Church officials and lay groups want the next pope to possess. “The pope is the vicar of Christ. He is Christ's representative here on earth. I hope, the one to be elected Pope should have the same characteristics of Jesus,” said Msgr. Achilles Dakay, media liaison officer of the A...
3/12/2013
‘STOP EATING TURTLES’

                   Stopping pawikan trade not city’s priority The illegal trade of pawikan (sea turtle) meat in barangay Pasil in Cebu City will only be stopped if people would cease from patronizing the food stalls offering the exotic dish, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said yesterday. "Walay mamaligya ug walay demand. Walay mamaligya ug wala nay...
3/12/2013
Rajah Humabon also ate turtles

                   EATING pawikan or a marine turtle is not a new in Cebu. Patronizing what has become an endangered species dates back even before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. Cebu-based historian Trizer Dale Mansueto cited an old, written narration of Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand M...
3/12/2013
Elderly woman in Sambag fire dies

                   The 86-year-old woman who sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns from the fire that hit the two sitios in barangay Sambag II last Sunday is dead. Basilia Miral Opada died at 9:52 p.m. at the Cebu City Medical Center last Sunday due to burns in her body and face. According to the Chief Tanod of the barangay Sambag II, Jason Abe...
3/12/2013
Court clears Osmeña in Perdido Lex scam

                   FORMER Cebu Vice Gov. John Gregory “John-John” Osmeña can heave a sigh of relief. This after the Sandiganbayan dismissed the graft charges against the former vice governor for insufficiency of evidence in relation to his alleged involvement in Perdido Lex Foundation Inc. that later turned out to be bogus. “In the court's o...
3/12/2013
Expert blames most fires on electrical misuse

                   AVOID using substandard appliances, use octopus connection and wiretapping to prevent fires. Most of the fire incidents in Cebu City and Central Visayas are caused by electrical misuse as people disregard the actual electrical plan of the house if any. Former Cebu City councilor Nestor Archival, an electrical engineer, sa...
3/12/2013
Team Patay, Buhay tarps now in Cebu landmarks

                   From Bacolod City, the controversial “Team Buhay” and “Team Patay” tarpaulins have now reached Cebu City. Attached on metal post planted on a concrete base, the tarpaulins were placed at the gate of the Patria de Cebu and the Rajah Humabon Park infront of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. Msgr. Achilles Dakay, media liaison...
3/12/2013
Pique family seeks P5M damages from Bella

                   WITH their case still languishing in court, the Pique family is seeking monetary damages from suspect Bella Ruby Santos in relation to the kidnap-murder of their six-year-old daughter Ellah Joy Pique two years ago. Lawyer Inocencio dela Cerna, counsel of the victim's family, placed the damages at P5 to P10 million. The am...
3/12/2013
Asphalt overlay work on bridge on March 18

                   PERSONNEL of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH-7) and contractor PLD Construction will start working on the asphalt overlay of Marcelo B. Fernan Bridge on March 18. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said asphalt overlay work on the bridge was scheduled due to a major conference to be held in...
3/12/2013
Produce CICC receipts, board tells managing firm

                   The management board of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) will examine the receipts of payments of all activities held there to verify reports that it posted a higher income of P31.19 million last year. Questions were raised during yesterday's CICC management board meeting after the Philippine Exhibits and The...
3/12/2013
Magpale orders SARO review on Garcia’s pork barrel

                   ACTING Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale ordered a review of all Special Allotment Release Orders (SARO) covering the P55 million funds for Dumanjug town taken from the pork barrel of Rep. Pablo Garcia of Cebu's 2nd district. Magpale told reporters yesterday that she ordered the review after being reminded by the Department of Budget...
3/12/2013
NBI agents cleared in extortion case

                   The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has junked the criminal complaints against three agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI) for robbery, extortion and grave threat. Graft Investigator Yvette Christine Labrador-Soleng, dismissed the charges of robbery, extortion, and grave threats against Spe...
3/12/2013
Fiscal orders release of Talisay car shop owner in ‘hot cars’ case

                   The City Prosecutor’s Office of Talisay City has ordered the release of the owner of the car repair shop where suspected smuggled vehicles were undergoing conversion from from right-hand to left-hand drive. And Garry Lapinid, owner of the GML car shop along Rabaya Street, barangay San Roque, Talisay City said he will stop c...
3/12/2013
Horse-trading has begun

                   Curia wants Brazilian cardinal while US cardinals reportedly backing Milan bishop The Vatican insists that the cardinals participating in the upcoming conclave will vote their conscience, each influenced only by silent prayers and reflection. Everybody knows, however, that power plays, vested interests and Machiavellian maneuve...
3/12/2013
‘Refrain from eating ice cream until a new Pope is chosen’

                   AN official of the Archdiocese of Cebu yesterday called on the faithful to pray offer sacrifices for the success of the conclave at the Vatican. Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said people should temporarily avoid doing what they like to do until the 266th successor of St. Peter the Apostl...
3/11/2013
LUNCH IS SERVED

  Stewed pawikan still best seller in Pasil foodie land The coastal village of Pasil in Cebu City has a secret that make foodies who dig “sinfully exotic” delights come back . Diners who go to this makeshift eatery on Rallos Street range from dockhands working in the nearby port to top-ranking law enforcement officials. Government officials, policemen, lawyers, businessmen, and even mediamen were among tho...
3/11/2013
Sambag fire displaces 270 residents, razes 33 homes

   A 90-year-old woman was severely burned while 270 people were displaced by a fire that destroyed 32 houses in sitios Maharlika and Palsay in barangay Sambag 2, Cebu City at 2:42 a.m yesterday. SFO1 Lowel Opolentisima said damage is estimated to reach P1.5 million. He said faulty wiring was the cause of yesterday's fire. Among those hurt in the fire was Basilisa Miral Opada, who could hardly walk wh...
3/11/2013
Palma Vote for leaders who walk with the people

  THE country's incumbent leaders and those running for office in this year's mid-term elections should walk with the people to learn of their aspirations and dreams in life, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said yesterday. "We feel inspired when we do not walk alone. Leaders are important. We hope to be able to choose our leaders who will walk with us," he said in a message during the Un...
3/11/2013
Rice stocks accounted for, Capitol exec claims

                       There were no irregularities in the distribution of National Food Authority (NFA) rice to the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Dumaguete, the former chief of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) said last week. In a press statement, former PSWDO chief Marivic Garces s...
3/11/2013
City officials pay tribute to Nang Titang

                       THE remains of the original Sinug dancer Estelita “Nang Titang” Diola will be laid to rest on March 18, Monday at Mabolo Cemetery, her family and relatives said yesterday. Diola's family and relatives continued to receive visitors in her wake ranging from incumbent officials like Councilor Ma...
3/11/2013
LTFRB task force to go after colorum vehicles

                        A TASK force will be organized by the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) to crack down on colorum vehicles in the province. “Considering that the government is also issuing franchises for tourist vehicles, we will see to it that they are p...
3/11/2013
Parents warned on lead-tainted kids’ slippers

                        MANILA—An environmental group has found high levels of a brain-damaging chemical in children's slippers that feature popular cartoon characters which are being sold by sidewalk vendors in Manila. The EcoWaste Coalition tested 25 pairs of plastic and rubber slippers, which cost P20 ...
3/11/2013
Cebu students work for voter’s education

                       Students in Cebu are campaigning to increase awareness of the voters on the automated election system, election rules and guidelines and even on the Philippine political system. Last Saturday, around 100 students attended the lecture workshop at the University of Cebu-Banilad, Cebu City cam...
3/11/2013
ELECTION ROUNDUP

                          Doctors urge public to forgive Villar After getting the ire of Filipino nurses, senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar is invoking the Lenten season and the help of doctors to salvage her sagging popularity. The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) on Saturday urged the public to for...
3/11/2013
Palma Pray next Pope is a true leader

                       Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma hopes that the cardinals will choose a "Pope who is a true leader" just like the previous Popes. "I am praying that we will have a Popes that is truly a leader. Makita man diha sa ilaha that they are prayerful, their wisdom, their self-sacrificing efforts to mak...
3/10/2013
‘ARREST HIM’

                    Warrant out for Osmeña for Perdido Lex scam     The Sandiganbayan has a standing warrant of arrest issued against former Cebu Vice Gov. John Gregory “John-John” Osmeña to compel him to explain his role in a bogus foundation that received P 5million in provincial funds. The bachelor son of former senato...
3/10/2013
17 ‘hot cars’ confiscated in Talisay garage raid

  Right-hand drive vehicles up for conversion at auto shop     Authorities confiscated 17 right-hand drive vehicles after they raided a car repair shop in Talisay City last Friday. Agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG) also arrrested Garry Lapinid, owner of GML Shop on Rabaya Street, barangay San Roque, Talisay City. Lapinid, however, refused to give a statement a...
3/10/2013
Gwen’s daughter spared because ‘she’s in Cebu’

        THE daughter of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia was spared by the Sandiganbayan from those who were asked to explain why they should not be cited in contempt of court. Lawyer Christina Garcia-Frasco was not a signatory in the motion for inhibition which was denied by the Court of Appeals, Garcia's lead counsel Tranquil Salvador III told Cebu Daily News over the phone yesterday. “Of course, she's ...
3/10/2013
Eruf pioneer Cortes laid to rest

        Hundreds of friends and relatives said their goodbyes to one of the pioneers of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF), Dr. Herminio Cortes, as he was laid to rest at the Mandaue cemetery yesterday. Eruf volunteers in 30 vehicles joined the convoy that took Cortes’s remains to its final resting place at the Cortes family tomb. "Padayon na gyud og sulod sa iyang coffin sa nitso nitulo gyud ang...
3/10/2013
Turtles freed in Olango

        From the confines of their glass and concrete aquarium, four Green Sea turtles were released in the waters off Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City yesterday afternoon. The juvenile turtles, raised in tanks at the BG Rainforest Park in Cebu City, were placed on the sand three feet from the edge of the sea. They spent a few minutes crawling in various directions before staff of the Department of Environm...
3/10/2013
Brain cancer monitor apparatus set up at VSMMC

        A NEW apparatus that can detect brain tumors is now installed at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center. Neurosurgeon Dr. Wyben Briones said the Curve Brain Laboratory Apparatus was used in a successful operation done last Thursday on a 45-year-old indigent female brain cancer patient in Cebu. "Paspas ni siya ug mas dali ra ma kita ang tumor ug asa i posisyon dayon ang pag opera kay naa man an...
3/10/2013
Anti-drug drama budget cut

        THE Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) terminated the services of their drama director and 30 talents due to inadequate funding. The City Council rejected the P3.5 million appropriation in this year's budget for the Cosap's drama program. Cosap executive director Leonardo Chiu said he's organizing drama volunteers for their anti-drug presentations. He said talent manager and...
3/10/2013
Conclave to start on Tuesday

        After five days of meetings, the College of Cardinals has decided to start the conclave to vote the next Pope on Tuesday, March 12. The conclave date was set last Friday during a vote by the College of Cardinals, who have been meeting all week to discuss the church’s problems and priorities, and the qualities the successor to Pope Benedict XVI must possess. There doesn’t appear to be a front-runn...
3/10/2013
Teachers training starts

        Public school teachers who will sit as members of the Board of Election Inspections (BEI) were made to undergo training starting on Friday to teach them the proper use of the Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS) machines and on how to transmit election results. Lawyer Ferdinand Guijilde, Cebu provincial election officer, said teachers will be evaluated at the end of their training sessions and wil...
3/10/2013
Tomas Traitors not welcome in BOPK

        KUSUG chairman Raymond Alvin Garcia could have joined the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) as one of its candidates for councilor, had he allowed him to, Rep. Tomas Osmena said. Osmeña the young Garcia sent feelers last year that he wants to join BOPK. But Osmeña said he will never allow a Garcia to join his group. “I have (already) learned my lesson that you cannot trust them. I do not like ...
3/10/2013
Aquino asked to dialog for Sabah peace

        DEATHS could have been avoided had President Benigno Aquino III intervened during the initial stages of the Sabah dispute, said Juan Miguel Zubiri, United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial candidate. “Even if the president has to do it then he has to do it,” he said. Zubiri said that if president Aquino went out of his way to speak to the King of Saudi to save the life of a death row convict t...
3/10/2013
Type ‘O’ a brand name loaned from friend

        THE TYPE “O” slogan which Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswaga uses on its T-shirts and tarpaulin designs is now a registered commercial trademark which Rep. Tomas Osmeña “borrowed” from a businessman-friend. Osmeña said that banning the use of a duly registered commercial trademark is a violation of the intellectual property law. “I'm just borrowing it (type “O”). It's supposed to be a brand of T-shirts ...
3/9/2013
TWO KIDS DEAD

                    Handicapped boy, 2-year-old sister left alone in house   A 14-year-old special needs child and his 2-year-old sister were killed when fire razed their house yesterday morning in a far-flung sitio in Compostela town in nothern Cebu. The victims, Julito and Maricar Dejesica, were burned to death as neighbors who tried t...
3/9/2013
Toledo Power gets P7-B loan for new power plant

                        Toledo Power Corp. secured a P7-billion loan to fund the ongoing construction of its 82-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Toledo City. The new power plant will supply the additional electric power requirements of Carmen Copper Corp. starting December 26, 2014. Carmen Copper, a subsidiary of Atlas Conso...
3/9/2013
Suspects released Substance not Ecstasy

            A FASHION designer and three of his staff were released by the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force Group (RAIDSOTFG-7) in Central Visayas after tests showed that the tablets in their possession were not Ecstasy or any substance classified as an illegal drug. Fashion designer Ivan Belocura, his staffers Junie Ignacio, Glenn Libradilla, and Ryan Dumago were released by RAIDS...
3/9/2013
CICC to be repaired for 2015 APEC summit

            ACTING Gov. Agnes Magpale is not giving up on the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC). Magpale said the CICC is not for sale and would be spruced up for use in 2015 for another international conference. She said the Capitol already submitted to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) a proposed rehabilitation plan for the facility. “We will have...
3/9/2013
‘Keeper of Sinulog beat’ passes away

              Cebu’s oldest sinulog dancer Estelita “Nang Titang” Diola passed away at home in sitio Sinulog, barangay Mabolo in Cebu City exactlyt 3 a.m. yesterday. She was 88 years old. Diola was the “heritage keeper” of the Cebuano ‘sinug’ and would offer the prayer-dance in honor of the Santo Niño every January during the annual feast of the Holy Child. She learned the dance ...
3/9/2013
‘Rama ordered Bigfoot contract review out of spite’

            Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama's decision to order a review of Bigfoot Entertainment Corp's lease contract in the South Road Properties (SRP) is spurred by owner Michael Gliessner's refusal to talk to him. “He (Rama is angry and) trying to pick on Mr. Gliessner because he would not pick u[ his (Rama's) call,” Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district told Cebu Daily ...
3/9/2013
Tomas says CA order on P6M market payment is ‘enough’

    THE P6.4 million ruled by the Court of Appeals as the payment balance for initial works on the Carbon Market unit II is a “good enough” amount, said former Cebu City mayor and now Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district. Osmeña called on his successor Mayor Michael Rama to pay the amount which is much lower than the P50.7 million claimed by the Young Builders Corp. “The P6 million to me is great. That's a victor...
3/9/2013
Air Force undergo medical evac training

           AT least 34 personnel from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) underwent training by members of the US Pacific Air Force on aero medical emergency evacuation yesterday. "If there are disasters, when they invite us to join them in their mission, we already know what we are doing,” said Maj. Chonna Herrera, overall clinical supervisor of the Air Force General Hospital in Villamor Air B...
3/9/2013
Private zoo owners decry pressure from DENR 7

            We love our animals so much. This is an extension of our home.” This was the statement of the owner of BG Rainforest Park Cebu, Butch Guillen who talked to the media together with his family to vehemently deny maltreating their animals displayed in their mini zoo as they consider them their babies, including four Green Sea turtles which will be released to the wild today. ...
3/9/2013
Modern pedia facility in VSMMC done

            Children can now avail of better medical treatment in the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) with the inauguration of its new pediatric pavilion. The P30 million structure built from the 2011 PDAF of resigned senator Juan Miguel Zubiri will include an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) complex on its second floor, said Dr. Ramon Najarro, head of the VSMMC's pediatric divi...
3/9/2013
Opposition wary of new Comelec officials

    San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito-Estrada yesterday expressed his concern on the appointment of two new commissioners of the Commission on Election amid reports of an alleged operation plan of Malacanang to just let two candidates of the opposition to win in the coming election. Estrada said the appointment of election lawyer Bernadette Sardillo and former ambassador and Lanao del Norte Rep. Macabangkit Lanto to t...
3/8/2013
CITIZEN POWER

Spot an illegal poster? Take a photo and use Comelec’s easy-to-use complaint forms Oversized campaign posters. Vote buying. Excessive political ads on radio. It's easy to notice election violations like this, but an ordinary citizen usually has no idea how to go about filing a complaint. “Easy formats” will be soon be released by the Commission on Elections in Central Viasyas (Comelec-7) for citizens to report a violatio...
3/8/2013
Interviews need ‘prior notice’ to Comelec

BEFORE a TV station or newspaper interviews a candidate, does it have to ask the Comelec? Cebu-based journalists aired their concern about a new legal requirement to give “prior notice” to the Comelec of interviews made of candidates promoting their election bids or within 24 hours from publication or airing. Jun Tagalog, station manager of dyLA, said the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas is questioning this rule in c...
3/8/2013
CA turns tables on Gwen's lawyers

The 12th division of the Court of Appeals (CA) shall continue to handle Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia's petition to stop Malacañang from implementing her six-month suspension. The court likewise turned the tables on Garcia's counsels for being “overly presumptuous” and directed them to explain why they should not be cited for contempt for their alleged improper conduct. Th appellate court dismissed Garcia's motion which sought the in...
3/8/2013
Probe tunnel leak

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama has directed the City Engineer's Office to investigate reports of water dripping from the walls of the South Coastal Road tunnel especially when it rains. The mayor however, said it would still be best if the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be the one to send their engineers to check on the tunnel's condition. “Somebody nga kaila nako told me of the leak. Ug naa kunoy uwan wat...
3/8/2013
NBI seizes hot cars in Mandaue car store

THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confiscated ten cars from a Mandaue City car store last Wednesday. The confiscated cars – 10 Honda Fit – in JJRS Carmall Sales, owned by Ricardo Samson in the Cebu North Road are believed to be smuggled. Judge Teresita Abarquez-Galanida of the Regional Trial Court branch 66 in Mandaue City issued the search warrant on the car dealer for alleged violation of the Tariff and Customs Co...
3/8/2013
Bomb rumors cause panic

A bomb scare and rumors of a hostage-taking allegedly spread through text messages yesterday sent some 200 parents rushing to the Mandaue City Central School. The panicked parents rushed to the school at 10 a.m. and demanded the school open the gates so that they could be sure that their children were safe. Benjamin Tiongzon, Department of Education-Mandaue Division Administrative Officer, managed to convince the parents tha...
3/8/2013
Veco prepares to test prepaid meter system

To give more options to their customers in Metro Cebu, the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) will launch a pilot prepaid metering system by the middle of the year. They would target 300 connections for the pilot project, said Sebastian Lacson, Veco chief operations officer, in an interview yesterday. Lacson said the scheme would cover a cross section of society from rural to urban areas to high-end subdivisions. Lacson said as...
3/8/2013
Pawikans to be released on Saturday

Four juvenile sea turtles, raised for months in a small tank, will be released in the shore of the South Road Properties in Cebu City on Saturday. They will have to crawl to the water, and find a new life in the ocean. “They will be safe there because we will make sure they will be monitored by the Bantay Dagat,” said Ariel Rica, chief of the environment bureau's biodiversity and wildlife section. There was some concern that th...
3/8/2013
Australian to face illegal firearms suit for smuggled guns

THE Australian national who admitted owner P400 thousand worth of firearms seized in the Cebu Port may face illegal possession of firearms case. Bureau of Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon said, Ronald Banks can be held liable of violating Philippine firearm laws as he admitted ownership to the guns found in a container van last January 10. Biazon said they are preparing a case against the foreigner who is married to ...
3/8/2013
City Hall tightens security

Armed woman incident prompts use of metal detectors, checking of bags Security guards detailed at the executive building of the Cebu City hall now use metal detectors and open bags for inspection to make sure no deadly weapons are brought inside the building. Mayor Michael Rama also gave instructions yesterday to already prohibit the parking of vehicles near the city hall legislative building. “Daghan na kaayo ang mo parking ...
3/8/2013
CA orders City Hall to pay Carbon Market contractor

Pay up. The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the Cebu City government to settle its dues to a private firm over the reconstruction of the Carbon Public Market Unit II. In a decision penned by Associate Justice Gabriel Ingles, the appellate court's 18th division said Young Builders Corporation is entitled to get the remaining P6.4 million from the city government which already gave a partial payment of P24.5 million to the cont...
3/8/2013
Zamboanga City wins over Cebu City as outstanding City Council

Cebu City's lack of a Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) gave Zamboanga City an edge to win this year's Most Outstanding Sanguniang Panlungsod (SP) national award, said Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young. But Young said that their award as Most Outstanding SP in the Central Visayas region was already a good enough recognition of the City Council's effort to innovate and improve on the performance of their legislative functions. “We...
3/8/2013
Capitol official to face charges over Sendong, Negros quake assistance

ACTING Gov. Agnes Magpale said her office is preparing a case against the former head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Office for irregularities in distributing aid to victims of typhoon Sending in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Dumaguete cities in 2011 and the Negros Oriental earthquake last year. The Commission of Audit's (COA) report on Capitol operations found that 2,750 sacks of NFA rice intended for Sendong and earthquake...
3/7/2013
‘SET FREE THE TURTLES’

  DENR orders Rainforest Park to release endangered species and show papers for other zoo animals     Owners of a private mini-zoo in Cebu City have agreed to set free five sea turtles being displayed in a concrete and glass aquarium, and to improve the upkeep of other animals in their care. They were reminded that as an endangered species, Hawksbill turtles should be left in the wild. The conditions and pap...
3/7/2013
Cebu Customs seizes P116M of hot goods

        An estimated P116 million worth of smuggled goods were seized by the Bureau of Customs in four different areas in Metro Cebu. The cargo included rice, white sugar, counterfeit leather goods and personal accessories, firearms and a motorcycle in shipment from January to yesterday. About a hundred million pesos worth of counterfeit goods were confiscated in a shopping center in barangay Pusok, Lapu-...
3/7/2013
Pablo John accuses Magpale of PDAF freeze

        LIKE his father, Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district wants the release of over P3 million in his pork barrel funds which he earlier deposited in a trust fund with the Capitol under the administration of his sister Gov. Gwen Garcia. Pablo John said the funds were intended for scholarships and victims of road accidents, among other purposes. Written requests for the fund release are still...
3/7/2013
GMA-7 to file case, cops deny wrongdoing

        Three police officers from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office denied any role in a case where they were blamed for failing to protect broadcast journalists from GMA-7 who were harassed by three Koreans last Feb. 11 in the police station. GMA-7 program manager Suzanne Salva-Alueta said the police never gave them the names of the three Korean women who grabbed their TV camera. A certain John Lee was t...
3/7/2013
Retired executive judge De Gracia, 74

        RETIRED Cebu City Regional Trial Court executive judge Fortunato de Gracia died yesterday in a private hospital due to heart complications. He was 74 years old. De Gracia, a former military lawyer who worked in the Judge Advocate General’s Office in Camp Sergio Osmeña, later served as presiding judge of RTC Branch 15. He underwent heart bypass surgery in 2001. De Gracia's tenure as executive jud...
3/7/2013
Execs told Urban woes no hindrance to growth

        Despite challenges posed by population growth, pollution and sewage problems, Metro Cebu can still achieve sustainable economic growth and urban development in the long term. Urban planners and officials of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) gave this assurance during the last day of the Mega Cebu workshops attended by Metro Cebu officials. The project spearheaded by the Metro Cebu ...
3/7/2013
Mandaue scavengers in segregation dry run

        ABOUT 155 scavengers will be tapped by the Mandaue City government to help segregate the city's garbage in a 1,000 square meter transfer station in a dry run scheduled next week. The scavengers, excluding minors, will be guided by the employees in the dumpsite, Umapad dumpsite officer in charge Bobby Ranile said yesterday. “So far they were okay about the arrangement because if we call meetings th...
3/7/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        EMB awaiting Kepco Proposal THE Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) is still waiting for the proposal of the Korean Electric Power Co (Kepco) to build another coal ash facility in their plant site in Tinaan, Naga City. “Once we receive it, it will undergo feasibility study to determine whether it fully complies with environmental safety standards,” EMB-7 Director Fernando ...
3/7/2013
RH Law implementing rules OK by end of March says DOH

        The Department of Health held a consultation on the draft Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act 10354, otherwise known as the “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law of 2012” in Cebu City yesterday. To allay fears of pro-life groups, Department of Health Assistant Secretary Madeline Valera said “The law is not to promote abortion, it is to provide and to strengthe...
3/7/2013
Plaint filed against 17 LTO agents

        A complaint was filed yesterday against two regular agents and 15 deputized personnel of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for “illegally” arresting a Filipino-American man who drove a Starex Van last March 1. Charges of unlawful arrest, grave coercion, robbery, grave misconduct, and falsification were lodged before the LTO against the respondents whose identities have yet to be established. As...
3/7/2013
Megawide, Indian firm bid for MCIA

        The Megawide engineering and construction group has teamed up with a leading infrastructure company from India to vie for the P17.5-billion Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) passenger terminal redevelopment project. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange yesterday, Megawide Construction Corp. said it has entered into an understanding with GMR Infrastructucre Ltd of India to partici...
3/6/2013
DEADLOCKED

                                                            Pabling fails to sway Capitol to release P56.3M ‘pork barrel’ funds     ...
3/6/2013
GMA-7 files case vs Lapu police

                                                              Police accused of failure to protect journalists, illegal seizure of video camera ...
3/6/2013
Cortes Not a centavo from CICC

        MAYOR Jonas Cortes said yesterday Mandaue City has not earned a single centavo from the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) that sits on prime commercial land in the Mandaue Reclamation Area. The Capitol and the Mandaue city government has entered into a joint venture to operate the CICC which was built in 2007. Cortes said “There has to be equal footing” between the province and city. Even if the...
3/6/2013
Rama wants review of Bigfoot contract

        What movies have they produced in Cebu so far? That's the question posed by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to Bigfoot Entertainment Studio which occupies one of several lots in the South Road Properties (SRP). Rama ordered a review of the studio's lease contract to see if they actually used the lot they're occupying for its intended purpose. "We cannot allow a structure standing with nothing being done," he...
3/6/2013
PB dad ‘baile’ must be regulated

        IT'S better to regulate rather than prohibit baile or benefit dances in Sta. Fe town, Bantayan Island in Cebu, a Provincial Board (PB) Member said yesterday. PB Member Joven Mondego said benefit dances are a long-standing tradition in Cebu having originated during the Spanish occupation of the province. “It's a normal recreation for towns and barangays especially during fiestas,” he told Cebu Daily News. ...
3/6/2013
DILG Gaisano can now process insurance claim

        WITH the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) ruling out arson in the Dec. 2011 fire that gutted the Gaisano Capitol South Mall, the management can now process their insurance claims. “It's finished. We're just facilitating the release of our official findings so they can file the claims to be processed by the insurance company showing definite results of the investigation,” said a DILG officia...
3/6/2013
‘Baile’ lost cultural, social value to disco, rock music

        BAILE is a Spanish word which means “to dance.” During the Spanish colonial period, this meant Filipino men and women dancing in formal wear. Historian and Cebu Daily News columnist Jojo Bersales said staging a baile is a social ritual that starts early and ends at 9 p.m. It is usually held in the plaza and in the sala of a rich family. “The baile is that time when an 18-year-old woman gets introduced to yo...
3/6/2013
Toledo City marks Calungsod fiesta

        Months after the canonization, the parishioners of the San Pedro Calungsod Church in barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City were finally able to celebrate its fiesta yesterday. Hundreds of Calungsod devotees attended Mass to celebrate the first fiesta after the Visayan martyr was canonized in October last year. In his homily, Bishop Emilio Bataclan told parishioners to educate their children at home, the Church an...
3/6/2013
Ouano says only court can make him testify

        PROVINCIAL Board (PB) member Thadeo Ouano said he will only testify on the Balili property case if there's a court order requiring him to do so. In last Monday's PB session Ouano said his visit to the Balili property last week focused only on whether there were any “hazardous holes” in the site. He chairs the PB environment committee. "If it's necessary, I will comply but I was there to only verify the busl...
3/6/2013
Cebu lay group to back pro-lifers

        A lay leader of the Archdiocese of Cebu said they are coming up with a list of candidates to support in the May 13 election. And they would “reformat” the controversial “Team Patay, Team Buhay” campaign launched by the Diocese of Bacolod City to avoid conflict with the Commission on Election (Comelec). Dr. Rene Bullecer of the Human Life International said the campaign they would roll out in Cebu would only...
3/6/2013
Kusug leaders says coalition with Team Rama negates BO-PK advantage

        THE Kugi Uswag Sugbu (Kusug) party is committed to deliver at least 100,000 votes for re-electionist Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and the three other Team Rama candidates whom they are supporting, said party chairman Raymond Alvin Garcia. Garcia said that his father, former mayor Alvin Garcia, gathered over 100,000 votes from Kusug followers in the 2010 election when he run for mayor against Rama. The young...
3/6/2013
Poll peace pact to be inked in CV

        THE Police Regional Office 7 will convene politicians and political groups in Central Visayas for a peace covenant. Focus of the covenant in Cebu would be the 4th district which the Commission on Election (Comelec) already listed in its election watchlist areas (Ewas). Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, regional police director, said the signing of a peace covenant would be done in Cebu City on March 10. Organizer...
3/6/2013
Gringo goes on south Cebu sortie

        UNITED Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial candidate Gregorio Honasan met with local officials to muster support for his bid. Honasan, who was accompanied by incumbent Senator Vicente Sotto III visited southern Cebu towns and cities. But before starting their southern Cebu sortie, Honasan and Sotto stopped by the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral for a short visit with Msgr. Roberto Alesna, who later blessed Ho...
3/5/2013
‘NO ARSON’

                               Roxas signs BFP report affirming findings   The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ruled out arson in the fire that gutted the eight-story Gaisano Capital South department store and commercial building in Cebu City two days befor...
3/5/2013
Cortes considers CICC as Mandaue city hall

                                                              Amid controversies hounding the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), ...
3/5/2013
Gwen says office inventory not needed

                                                              SUSPENDED Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia questioned the inventory conducted by the...
3/5/2013
Oposa Benefit dance organizers can be liable for alarm and scandal, air pollution

                                                              ENVIRONMENTAL lawyer Antonio Oposa isn't done going after noisy bailes or benef...
3/5/2013
Joavan’s pals cleared of drug raps

                                                              Two cohorts of Joavan Fernandez were cleared of drug charges filed against th...
3/5/2013
PB invites env’t bureau for coal plant updates

                                                              THE Provincial Board (PB) approved a resolution inviting the Environmental Man...
3/5/2013
Rama also wants roads included in safety review

                                                              Flyovers and road intersections in Cebu City will be assessed to determine if...
3/5/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

                                                                  Rice aid to be monitored DISTRIBUTION of rice stocks to ident...
3/5/2013
Report says most PH roads still unpaved

                                                              MANILA—More than 93 percent of barangay roads nationwide and nearly 69 perce...
3/5/2013
ELECTION 2013

                                                              Danao mayor welcomes Comelec concern Danao City Mayor Ramon "Boy" Durano ...
3/4/2013
ENEMIES UNITE

                                 Kusug endorses Team Rama bets Losers support each other – Tomas Anabelle calls Del Mar, Osmeña ‘mga tiguwang’ The Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Kusug) party of former Cebu City Mayor Alvin Garcia has endorsed the four top candidates of Tea...
3/4/2013
Starting business, an alternative to going abroad –VP

                                VICE President Jejomar Binay emphasized the important role played by cooperatives in providing financial capital to those starting their own businesses. This, he said in a gathering of about 7,000 members of the Cebu CFI Communi...
3/4/2013
After PNoy, Binay vows to be back for local bets

                      Cebu as a major political battlefield will see the two highest officials of the land campaigning for their respective bets for local positions in the May 2013 elections. Vice President Jejomar Binay who was here yesterday to keynote the Cebu CFI Community Cooperative General Assembly, said he would ...
3/4/2013
Foundation of Horizon's 101 done after 30 hours of pouring concrete

                                 THE foundation of Cebu's tallest building was finished yesterday morning after 30 hours of continuously pouring of concrete. The non-stop pouring of 5,300 cubic meters of concrete started last Friday at 9 p.m. involving 500 cement ...
3/4/2013
Is Kepco properly disposing coal ash?

                                 Officials of the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) are scheduled to appear in today's Provincial Board (PB) session to update legislators on the coal ash disposal of the Korean Electric Power Co. (Kepco). PB Me...
3/4/2013
Noisy benefit dance haled to court

                                NOTHING’S too big or small for environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa. From taking on errant local government units and illegal loggers, Oposa now trained his sights on organizers of the benefit dances held in his native Sta. Fe town in ...
3/4/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

                                 Fernan bridge rehab sked this week THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will present their working schedule on the Marcelo Fernan bridge this week. Engr. Ricardo Renault said DPWH personnel started asphalting a portion of ...
3/4/2013
Cebu Muslims support Kiram’s Sabah claim

    As the conflict between Malaysian security forces and the “Royal Army” of the Sultanate of Sulu escalated, the Muslim community in Metro Cebu wants the Philippine government to consider the claim of the Kirams to Sabah, an oil-rich territory in Borneo Island. Abbas Murad, 53, Vice President of Mandaue Islamic Association based in Barangay Mantuyong, Mandaue City believes that Sabah belongs to the ...
3/3/2013
HIV CASES RISE IN CEBU

  Orgies raise cases to high levels - DOH     The Philippines posted its highest ever increase in the number of new HIV infections in January and the number is expected to increase even further in the near future, a Department of Health (DOH) official has said on Friday. Despite the continuing campaign against HIV and AIDS, cases of people acquiring the dreaded disease also continues to rise in Cebu. Accordi...
3/3/2013
Cebu City PIO chief to face probe for backing Butuan bet

  Dugaduga on Ombud investigation: He’s a friend and I believe in his advocacy     The Visayas Ombudsman will investigate Cebu City's Public Information Office (PIO) chief for his alleged conflict of interest and unethical behaviour for promoting the Liberal Party candidate for mayor of Butuan City in his radio programs. An official of the Ombudsman told reporters yesterday that the Ombudsman could conduct a ...
3/3/2013
Hundreds venerate St. Camillus’ heart in relic’s Cebu visit

        FOR the first time, the heart of St. Camillus De Lellis visited Cebu for public veneration especially of the sick. Placed in a glass case, the St. Camillus relic arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport last Friday. It was brought to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral where a welcome Mass was celebrated by Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Emilio Bataclan. Hundreds of people lined up to touch the glass c...
3/3/2013
Cebu City officials warned on use of Supplemental Budget 2

        THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) warned Cebu City officials on the use of appropriations from the 2012 Supplemental Budget 2 to pay off prior year's obligations and to implement projects not included in city's Annual Investment Plan (AIP). DBM regional director Carmela Fernan said that city officials would have to take “responsibility” for the disbursement of City Hall funds and make s...
3/3/2013
Only one rep for Bella trial

        For the next trial date and subsequent hearings, only one representative from the camps of Bella Ruby Santos and the Pique family will be allowed to witness the proceedings inside the courtroom. Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Ester Veloso of Branch 6 decided to limit the number of supporters who attend Santos's trial after a commotion that ensued between the parties during the Jan. 28 hearing. T...
3/3/2013
No funds for busted traffic lights

        TALISAY City Hall has yet to secure funding to replace the busted traffic lights in their area leading to the South Road Properties (SRP). Vice Mayor Alan Bucao, who also chairs the Talisay City-Traffic Operations Development Authority (CT-TODA) said only two of the five traffic lights in the SRP road from their area heading to Cebu City are functional. This means motorists heading to the area are...
3/3/2013
Two homes destroyed, one injured as Fire Prevention Month opens

        A PERSON was injured and two houses were gutted by fire in Cebu City and Toledo City to open this year's observance of Fire Prevention Month in March. Tolentino Sentino sustained minor burns in his hands after trying to save some belongings of his brother Joel Sentino along Gorordo Avenue in barangay Lahug,. Cebu City at 4:25 a.m yesterday. The Cebu City Fire Station said the fire started in Joel'...
3/3/2013
BO-PK bloc questions P50M use

        The administration Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc of the Cebu City Council questioned Mayor Michael Rama's plan to spend part of the P50 million appropriation for site development for hiring job order workers. The council's housing committee chairman Councilor Alvin Dizon said the hiring of personnel and the purchase of furniture and fixture should be charged to the city's Maintenance a...
3/3/2013
Ouano assistance sought in Balili case

        A FORMER ally of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia may be summoned to testify in the Balili graft case filed against her and seven other former and incumbent Capitol officials. Provincial Board (PB) Member Arleigh Sitoy said PB member Thadeo Ouano can be tapped to air his side on last year's backfilling of limestone in the Balili property in barangay Tina-an, Naga City. Ouano is the incumbent c...
3/3/2013
Court knocks down Wakee for third time

        BOXING promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud may need to change strategy in his bid to become a registered voter and pursue his mayoral ambition in Cordova town. For the third time, the Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) denied Salud's petition to include him in the town's list of registered voters as he again failed to convince the court that he has met the residency requirements for those aspiring for ele...
3/3/2013
Kusug to name bets today

        The Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Kusug) is expected to endorse today during the party's convention the local candidates for the May 13 election. Lawyer Raymond Alvin Garcia, who is the president of Kusug party, however refused to name their candidates because the official announcement will be made during the convention at the Grand Convention Center at 10 a.m. However, a source of the party revealed that Kus...
3/3/2013
Cebu’s 4th district now a ‘hot spot’

        THE entire fourth legislative district of the province of Cebu was declared as an election “hot spot” after the regional police force revised its watchlist of areas where violence are likely to erupt in this year’s election period. Cebu’s fourth district is composed of the city of Bogo and the towns of Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Medellin, San Remigio, Sta. Fe, Tabogon and Tabuelan. Superi...
3/3/2013
Crocolandia Kids marvel at real croc in Talisay zoo

        Don't grieve too much over Lolong. Cebu has its own Lapu-Lapu, a 15-foot saltwater crocodile that is the main attraction of Crocolandia, a mini-zoo that has carried on a mission of teaching children and families about nature and wildlife since 2001. The nature park in barangay Biasong, Talisay City, marked its 12th year recently with a day full of games and contests for young visitors with the the...
3/2/2013
‘NOT PART OF BUDGET’

  Crash victim’s father asked for safety sign on flyover; DPWH says it’s not included in project     Three days before the near-fatal car crash, the father of accident victim Carina Gajudo reminded a public works official that the Banilad-Talamban flyover in Cebu City needs a warning sign. Allan Gajudo, a retired official of the Commission on Audit (CoA), was visiting his friend, Nicomedes Leonor, Cebu City district en...
3/2/2013
BFP engages public in fire prevention

        The Bureau of Fire Protection kicked off the annual Fire Prevention Month yesterday by engaging stakeholders in fire safety and boosting its capability to fire fire. Members of the media were briefed on basic first aid, rescue and safety while covering disasters and calamity. Six Central Visayas cities were also given Austrian-made Rosenbauer TLF 4000 firetrucks. The modern firetruck is designed to respond ...
3/2/2013
Tomas O Roro port, underwater tunnel not 3rd bridge over channel

        PUTTING up a roll-on, roll-off (Roro) port in Cebu City and Cordova town in Mactan island would be a cheaper and short term solution to the traffic congestion in the Mactan Channel bridges, Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña said. The Roro ferry service Osmeña said could be from Cebu City's pier 1 or at the back of the Compania Maritima Building or the Malacañang sa Sugbo to the Shell island which is...
3/2/2013
Workers trapped as MCIA closes stalls

  Lapu-Lapu RTC denies TRO petition of concessionaire     Management of the Mactan Cebu International Airport yesterday started closing down some stalls used by a business concessionaire in the domestic terminal shortly after Thursday midnight. The MCIA had ordered R-JIN Pasalubong Center to vacate their stalls to give way to the entry of a new concessionaire that won the bidding for the use of the area. Nora Lañojan,...
3/2/2013
Pe’s poll case lowers rank in BO-PK survey

        An in-house survey which Rep. Tomas Osmeña commissioned showed that he is losing in eight of Cebu City's 51 urban barangays while his rival and incumbent Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama lost in 47 barangays. “All of my surveys are very accurate. I can even name sitios where I will lose,' he said. Two of his candidates in the south district including third term north district Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. who will s...
3/2/2013
Tom says CICC better off as ‘funeral parlor’

        LOSSES incurred from the operations of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) may be recovered if the Cebu provincial government sells the structure and the “valuable” property that it occupies. “They can sell the whole thing as a real estate and see what the market will do. It will even make more money as a funeral parlor,” said Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district. Osmeña, the arch cri...
3/2/2013
ERUF founder ‘peaceful’ before meeting demise

        HOURS before he passed away, Dr. Herminio Cortes was at peace and ready for whatever may happen to him. “He offered everything to God. He said 'Thy Will be done' before he underwent heart surgery two weeks ago,” said Tessie Cortes-Vasquez, a retired nurse and Dr. Cortes's younger sister. Dr. Cortes, one of the founders of Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF), died of cardio-respiratory arrest in a priva...
3/2/2013
Mandaue college told to settle fees

        Despite its transfer, the Mandaue City College faction headed by Dr. Paulus Cañete will be inspected by the City Treasurer's Office for failing to secure a business permit. Mandaue City Treasurer Regal Oliva said even if the school transferred from barangay Tipolo to H. Abellana Street, barangay Basak, they didn't settle their unpaid fees. Oliva recommended the MCC faction's closure last year. The other M...
3/1/2013
Cardinals take over

        With Benedict XVI bowing out of the papacy, the Roman Catholic Church is left without a chief shepherd. But the Church which Jesus Christ built on St. Peter the Apostle over 2,000 years ago will go on. While waiting for its next supreme Pontiff, the Catholic Church will be governed by the College of Cardinals which, according to Blessed Pope John Paul II's apostolic constitution 'Universi Dominici Gregis' (...
3/1/2013
Citom to inspect flyovers next week

  Banilad accident prompts safety audit of four flyovers     A safety audit of the Banilad-Talamban flyover will start next week in the aftermath of the Feb. 23 car crash that seriously injured a female driver. The planning section of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) will conduct the inspection there and in three other flyovers in the city. Citom head Rafael Yap told Cebu Daily News that results wil...
3/1/2013
Typhoid in Badian now under control

        THE SPREAD typhoid cases in Badian town in southwest Cebu is 'under control'. Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale gave this assurance yesterday after the Badian District Hospital reported five cases from barangay Cabangcang. Magpale said there were no other cases and the patients had been given medicine. She also said that the town's water reservoir needs cleaning before a chlorinator would be used. Badian May...
3/1/2013
Rama pushes third bridge project

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama is pushing for a third bridge project which he hopes would be implemented before his term ends in 2016. Rama, who is the Regional Development Council chairman in Central Visayas chairman, said yesterday that he will write President Benigno Aquino III to bring to his attention Cebu's need for a third bridge. Rama said that the bridge project for Cebu was already included in the R...
3/1/2013
‘No hazardous holes in Balili property grounds’

        THE BALILI property has no holes in the ground which are environmentally hazardous. This was the observation of Provincial Board committee who visited the barangay Tinaan, Naga City property yesterday. PB Member Thadeo Ouano, who heads the committee, said no holes were found especially in the proposed coal ash dumping site inside the property. Ouano was accompanied during yesterday's inspection by a geodet...
3/1/2013
Cebu City most fire-prone in CV

        Fire Prevention Month kicks off today as the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) sets it sight on Cebu City where more than half of the fire incidents in Central Visayas occured last year. Of 603 recorded fire incidents, 377 or 65.5 percent were in Cebu City. Mandaue City ranked second with 51 fires. Cebu City’s ranking is understandable with its high population and highly rate of urbanization. The most commo...
3/1/2013
More fire trucks, stations needed for Mandaue City

        THE Bureau of Fire Protection is urging the Mandaue city government to provide firetrucks and firefighting teams for the city’s 24 barangays. This is more effective as community members are usually the first responders to fire incidents, said SFO3 Sherwin Porcia, chief of the Fire Safety Enforcement Section of the Mandaue City Fire Station. “I am encouraing the barangay captains to procure a firetruck, even...
3/1/2013
Cebuano talents recognized during close of Arts and Culture Month

        A month-long showcase of Cebuano talent closed yesterday at the Cebu Cultural Arts Center with praise for the unique identity of local music and the visual arts. Provincial Board Member Antonio Magpale lauded the “bisrock” (Bisaya rock) theme of this year’s Cebu Arts and Culture Month for raising the consciousness of young Cebuanos. "Mas sadya ug nalingaw ang tanan ilabi na ang mga kabatan-onan sa mga bisro...
3/1/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

      MANDAUE PROBES INCOME OF CICC OPERATOR The MANDAUE City Treasurer’s Office will check on the book of accounts of the private firm managing the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC). City Treasurer Regal Oliva said they will scrutinize the Philippine Exibits and Themeparks Corporation (Petco) to determine if the firm is paying correct taxes to the city. Oliva said that Petco only declared P1,250,000 in gros...
3/1/2013
Palma gifted Pope with wooden Sto. Niño

        HE felt many bishops were more qualified than him. But Archbishop Jose Palma got a pleasant surprise when over two years ago Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI appointed him chief shepherd of the Archdiocese of Cebu. “I was thinking why was I chosen when there are other bishops who are more senior than me, more brilliant and capable,” he said in an interview yesterday. Now, Palma could only smile as he looks back ...
2/28/2013
TYPHOID IN BADIAN

  Five cases reported in Barangay Calangcang this week     Provincial health authorities are closely monitoring the town of Badian in southern Cebu after five cases of typhoid fever were recorded in a barangay this week. Dr. Cristina Giango, head of the Cebu Provincial Health Office (CPHO), said the patients, all residents of barangay Calangcang, were taken to the Badian District Hospital. Giango said they received a...
2/28/2013
Pope readies farewell Mass

        Pope Benedict XVI will formally bow out of the papacy at exactly 8 p.m. today in Rome (2 a.m. of Friday, Philippine time). The Holy Father will meet with the cardinals at the Clementine Hall of the Vatican Palace on the morning of his last day as chief shepherd of the Catholic Church. He will reportedly say his final Mass as Pope before the princes of the Church which include Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricard...
2/28/2013
Hold order on Koreans in Starex theft case

        THE court yesterday issued a hold departure order (HDO) against three Koreans linked to a series of car thefts in Metro Cebu. Judge Wilfredo Navarro of Regional Trial Court Branch 19 in Cebu City found sufficient basis to prevent the accused from traveling abroad without the court's permission. “There is reason for the court to issue a HDO so these agencies of the government concerned shall take necessary a...
2/28/2013
Additional ferries for Cebu commuters amid bridge repairs

        MORE ferries are needed to accommodate the influx of passengers from Cebu City to Lapu-Lapu City due to the ongoing repairs at the Mandaue-Mactan and Fernan bridges. Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said this was one of several issues taken up by the Mactan Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) in a meeting with ferry operators last Tuesday. The board also managed to convince the Department of Public Works and...
2/28/2013
Estonian first lady visits Cebu

        Cebu will host today the first lady of the Republic of Estonia, a northern European country which used to be a part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. Evelin Ilves, wife of Estonia's President Toomas Hendrik Ilves is set to arrive at the Mactan Cebu International Airport at 11 a.m. today. She will be accompanied by her 11-year-old daughter. Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Paulino told CEBU DAILY ...
2/28/2013
Fire hits brgy Quiot 18 families lose homes

        ABOUT 18 families lost their homes in a fire that broke out at sitio Kalubihan, barangay Quiot in Cebu City at 1:19 p.m. yesterday. Insp. Jose Laurito, chief operations officer of the Cebu City Fire Station said based on the accounts of residents the fire was caused by an overheated bulb in the house of a certain Leocres Catubig. He said six houses were destroyed while four others were damaged by the fire t...
2/28/2013
‘CICC operating at a loss’

        The Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) incurred P41.8 million in losses since it was opened in 2008, the office of acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale told reporters yesterday. Magpale's spokesperson, Dara Acusar, said the amount includes the maintenance and operations costs like its P10.18 million power bill incurred from 2009 to last year'. "We were giving the use of CICC for free. It should have gen...
2/28/2013
P12K Charter bonus for Cebu City Hall

        CEBU City Hall employees will receive P12,000 or more than the P7,000 promised by Mayor Michael Rama as their City Charter Day bonus. The city's Praise Committee, which oversees the release of employee incentives, recommended a P12,000 bonus which the City Council approved in a special session held yesterday afternoon. But Councilor Ronald Cuenco wanted the employees bonus released in cash and not through t...
2/28/2013
Flyover audit before week ends Citom

        CEBU City's traffic personnel will conduct its “safety audit” of the flyovers before the week ends in order to submit its recommendations on March 6. Rafael Yap, Cebu City Integrated Traffic Operations Management (Citom) chief, said work schedules prevented them from doing their safety audit yesterday. The safety audit came amid last week's accident that injured a former beauty titlist. SPO4 Nelson Jayme,...
2/28/2013
Gullas commits to Team PNoy, but will remain loyal to PJ

        The local Alayon party of Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu’s 1st district reaffirmed its commitment to the senatorial slate of Team Pnoy. But it maintained its support to the gubernatorial run of Cebu 3rd district Rep. Pablo John Garcia of One Cebu-UNA. For the vice gubernatorial race, Gullas said they will back the candidacy of Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, whose local party based in Cebu's 5th district – the Baru...
2/28/2013
Casiño, Enrile, Akbayan tell Church Go slow on “Team Buhay, Team Patay”

        THE Catholic Church has been asked to reconsider its “Team Buhay and Team Patay” campaign. Independent senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño would personally seek an audience today with Bacolod Bishop Vicente M. Navarra to appeal to the prelate that a candidate should not only be judged on his vote on a single bill – the Reproductive Health Bill which has been approved as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproduct...
2/28/2013
Independents mull third force in senate race

        Independent senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño yesterday said a third force in the 2013 national election may evolve to provide an alternative to mainstream political parties. Casiño, incumbent representative of the Bayan Muna party-list in the 15th Congress said there are ongoing talks with fellow independent senatorial candidates Eddie Villanueva and Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn. The party-list con...
2/28/2013
Garbo PNP watching 34 towns, 10 'armed groups'

        Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, chief of Police Regional Office (PRO-7) said yesterday they are now finalizing their security plan for the May 2013 election. Garbo gave this statement after presiding a command conference of all city and provincial police directors in Cebu held at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). In the command conference, Garbo said they are focusing on securing the polling centers, the Preci...
2/28/2013
Fire brings newly-weds closer Wife back to work, hubby tends home

        About a week after fire disrupted their wedding reception, newly wed Dionesio Marimon, 29 and Anna Marie Sanopao-Marimon, 27 were still picking up the pieces of their home. Anna Marie is now back to work in SM Mall, while Dionesio is staying home after his contract from the same mall expired. His hands though are busy rebuilding their house. The couple who tied the knot after years of living together last F...
2/27/2013
SAFE OR SORRY?

  Citom to do ‘safety audit’ of flyovers after tragic car crash; Did woman at the wheel miss concrete divider?     Poor lighting. Concrete islands not visible in the dark. Lack of warning signs. A tendency for drivers to speed when approaching the slope incline. These conditions in the Banilad-Talamban flyover pose safety risks which were highlighted again in last Saturday's tragic car crash, wherein a young w...
2/27/2013
Male survivor talks to police

        POLICE yesterday spoke with the 19-year-old male companion who survived the Feb. 23 dawn car crash in the Banilad-Talamban flyover as investigators try to piece together how it happened. Junichi Dizon Kuribayashi showed up with his mother in the office of the Cebu city Traffic Patrol Group which had invited him for queries. Kuribashi, a resident of Sunny Hills, barangay Talamban, told police he was in t...
2/27/2013
Mactan bridge reopens repairs scheduled at night

        After the uproar by commuters and motorists over gridlock traffic across the Mactan Channel, repair work on the old Mactan Bridge was suspended about 4 p.m. yesterday. Repair work will resume but only at night starting 10 p.m. today. The work schedule which will be limited from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. only will allow full traffic flow on the bridge connecting Cebu mainland and Mactan. Immediate relief for th...
2/27/2013
People from walks of life share bridge woes

        WITH the old Mactan Bridge closed for repair starting last Monday, vehicles crossing the Mactan Channel converged in the Marcelo Fernan Bridge resulting in horrendous traffic. “Wala an jud tay mabuhat nga rerouting kay wala ma laing agianan,” said Frank Brazil, head of the City Traffic Management System (CTMS) of Lapu-Lapu City. (We cannot do any rerouting because there is no other way.) His counterpar...
2/27/2013
Amid traffic chaos in channel, Cebu officials propose long-term solutions

        THE traffic nightmare brought by the closure of the old Mactan Bridge for repairs last Monday has revived discussions to have long-term solution to the problem of crossing the busy Mactan Channel. Cebu 1st district Rep. Eduardo Gullas yesterday said time has come to seriously consider building a third structure that will connect mainland Cebu to Mactan Island which hosts the international airport, two ec...
2/27/2013
Cebu traders open to biddings from airline firms

        SOME Cebu tourism and business leaders aren't averse to allowing companies with stakes in the airline industry to bid for the P17.5 billion peso terminal project of the Mactan Cebu International Airport. Robert Lim Joseph, an official of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS), said there are many examples of airline companies owning part of the airport. "One example is Frankfurt Ai...
2/27/2013
Rama seeks Capitol support for rehab plans for Fuente fountain

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama said he wants to talk with Capitol officials about rehabilitating the century-old Fuente Osmeña fountain. “We will have to sit down again (but this time) with Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale on what her position is on this development,” Rama said. Cebu City Hall and the Capitol are locked in a property ownership dispute over the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda. Dr. Ado Macaraya, commissioner ...
2/27/2013
Capitol to finalize homeowners deal

        THE Capitol will sign a deed of conveyance with five homeowners associations occupying province-owned lots under Ordinance 93-1 soon. Dara Acusar, spokesperson of Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, said the five associations comprising 399 households completed all requirements set under the agreement with the province. Acusar said the Provincial Board (PB) will review the paperwork of the homeowners next Monday. ...
2/27/2013
Ronda tanods clean streets of poll materials

        Eighteen barangay tanods patrol Mandaue City's streets not only to keep the peace but to remove tarpaulin banners and other election materials. For the past three elections, Ibabao-Estancia barangay captain, Carmelino Del Mar Jr., said they cleaned their barangay of election material posted on waiting sheds, electric posts , trees and walls. Confiscated tarpaulins of vice gubernatorial candidate Glen Soco ...
2/27/2013
Trillanes hits campaign trail for first time

        CAMPAIGNING in person was a change for Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who said he will leave it up to Cebuanos whether to vote for him in this year's midterm elections. “Honestly, I cannot point to anything,” he said in a press conference where he was asked how he won. “I am completely clueless about what transformed the electorate to support us, to support me,” said Trillanes, who received 11 million votes des...
2/27/2013
Gullas to delegate building of courts to grandson

        THE cities of Naga and Carcar in Cebu's 1st congressional district will have their own Regional Trial Court (RTC) after President Benigno Aquino III signed into law a bill authored by Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu's 1st district for this purpose. Gullas, in a press conference, said they are just waiting for the assignment of judges in both cities. He said his grandson, Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas could la...
2/27/2013
Gwen busy with campaign visits

        ALMOST a month after she was locked out of her office, suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia is keeping “busy” visiting towns all over Cebu province, her younger brother Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district said yesterday. "She's busy visiting barangays around the province," he said in a text message.  In his Twitter account, Rep. Garcia posted a photo of a crowd with One Cebu officials in the ...
2/27/2013
Police pulled out of Capitol grounds

        THE last of the police assigned to secure the Capitol at the height of the standoff caused by Garcia's defiance were pulled out of the area yesterday. Acting Governor Magpale ordered the policemen withdrawn from the area. Insp. Benigno Aldefolla, team leader and 20 other policemen left the Capitol compound yesterday morning. “Nalipay mi. At least, maka-serbisyo na mi sa mga tawo sa among assigned area. (We'...
2/26/2013
GIANTS JOIN FORCES

  MVP, Gokongwei ink deal to bid for P17.5B Mactan airport project    After their game-changing partnership in the telecommunications business, businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan and tycoon John Gokongwei have formed a new alliance to jointly bid for the P17.5 billion Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) passenger terminal redevelopment project. Pangilinan-led infrastructure holding firm Metro Pacific Investments Corp...
2/26/2013
Vidal to attend Pope’s last Mass

  Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will leave for Rome today to attend the final Mass to be officiated on Thursday by Pope Benedict XVI before he officially bows out of the papacy. The 82-year-old prelate will travel to Rome with Msgr. Dennis Villarojo. Vidal can no longer vote for the next Pope since he is over 80, an age cut-off for electors. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, 55, is also flying t...
2/26/2013
Soldier, sick child, welcome saint’s relics

HE may be tough in battle but 34-year-old Army soldier Rex Dayola knows how to humble himself before the Lord. Carrying his 5-year-old daughter in one arm and a basket of flowers in the other, Dayola approached the gold-trimmed chest containing the pilgrim relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus which arrived in Cebu on Sunday. His only daughter Mary Luli, a cancer survivor, has been undergoing chemotheraphy for three years. “I am t...
2/26/2013
On its 76th, Cebu City honors centenarians

Several centenarian Cebuanos went on stage on wheelchairs. The oldest of the batch of eight walked, still steady on his feet, to receive his award from the Cebu City government during the 76th Charter Day celebration at the grand ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug last Sunday. Simeon Rama Suplac walked up the stage assisted by two female companions. Suplac had just celebrated his 103rd birthday last Feb. 18. He was born in 1909...
2/26/2013
Ruffa in catwalk caps 76th Charter Day

A FASHION show featuring former Miss World second runner-up Ruffa Gutierrez, 80 models and top Cebuano designers was a highlight of Cebu City's 76th Charter Day testimonial dinner. Gutierrez, an actress and great-grandchild of Don Vicente Rama, father of Cebu City's Charter, opened the show “Estilong Sugbuanon” in a black, figure-hugging gown with a plunging back by Cary Santiago at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City. The progr...
2/26/2013
Cebuanos told Remember Edsa lessons

  Cebu’s religious and political leaders exhorted Cebuanos not to forget the lessons learned in the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution as the country celebrated its 27th anniversary yesterday. “What we have gained should be pursued and should always be upheld by the people so that our freedom and democracy should always be (alive),” Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said. Vidal said people should also keep in mind...
2/26/2013
Rama VP’s presence justified use of City Hall resources

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama told the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that City Hall helped in preparing the venue of the proclamation rally of the United Nationalists Alliance (UNA) last Feb. 12, because the second and third highest officials of government were coming. In a letter to Eddie Aba, provincial Comelec supervisor, Rama said he saw nothing irregular in using City Hall resources in providing basic services like managing tra...
2/26/2013
Bridge work starts, motorists fume

MOTORISTS coming to and from Lapu-Lapu City started feeling the inconvenience caused by the rehabilitation of the old Mandaue-Mactan bridge that started early yesterday morning. “Moabot gyod media oras sulod sa Poblacion area paingon sa MEPZ (Mactan Export Processing Zone). Init pa kaayo ang panahon usik pa gyud sa gasolina (It takes 30 minutes to enter the Poblacion area headed to MEPZ. The weather's hot and the gasoline is consumed...
2/26/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

  3 City Hall execs suspended The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas ordered the preventive suspension of three Cebu City government employees pending resolution of an administrative case. Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol ordered the preventive suspension of assistant city engineer June Nadine Sison, construction division head Juanito Pua, and project engineer Joel Pasatiempo. They are facing charges of gra...
2/25/2013
The meaning of the 1986 EDSA uprising

  Twenty seven years ago, People Power broke out in EDSA leading to the ouster of dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos and restoring a democratic government under President Cory Aquino. To us Cebuanos, the EDSA revolt was very memorable. On Feb. 22, 1986 when the EDSA uprising started in Metro Manila, Cory Aquino was in Cebu City leading a huge opposition rally in Fuente Osmeña. When the dictator finally fled to Hawaii on Feb. 25, the ...
2/25/2013
Rama to press on with seniors aid in March

     Amid opposition from a hostile City Council, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama ordered the City Treasurer's Office to process the allocation of the senior citizens assistance for next month. “If the amount won't be released for the senior citizens then it will be an indication of an incompetent government official,” Rama told City Hall employees, and sectoral group representatives at yesterday's City Charter Day celebrati...
2/25/2013
Rama cites record, chides Tom in Charter message

  WITH 14 city councilors absent, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama took the opportunity to enumerate his achievements, chide his predecessor and make his case with Cebu City residents in yesterday's 76th City Charter Day celebration. In his Charter Day message, Rama noted the change of heart of his predecessor, Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district, towards the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) which he previously wanted to ...
2/25/2013
Insurance firm to pay for Vicente Rama, Serging O statues

  LIFE-SIZED statues of Cebu City's prominent leaders Don Vicente Rama and Sergio Osmena Sr. will soon be built in front of the City Hall legislative building. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama announced yesterday that Vicente Ayllon, chairman of the board of Insular Life, extended the company's commitment to spend on building the statues which would cost millions of pesos. National Artist Ed Castrillo who also did the Pari-an Herit...
2/25/2013
Teaching the EDSA spirit a revolution by itself

  HOW do students who were born when the 1986 People Power revolution celebrated its 15th anniversary learn about the crucial period of our nation's history? How do some teachers, who were about the same age as their students when the revolution broke out, impart the lessons of Edsa when many of them were probably not yet mature enough to understand what was happening in the country in the final years of the Marcos regime? Thes...
2/25/2013
From dictatorship to democracy

When the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution removed a dictator, it was not only the physical Ferdinand Marcos that Filipinos sought to get rid of, it was also what he represented. Much has been said of his brilliance as a lawyer, his journey to political greatness, his brand of leadership. Yet, great power in the hands of a person without great character is like a nuclear bomb in the control of a lunatic. In the snap elections between...
2/25/2013
Diarrhea cases in Carmen under ‘control’

ACTING Gov. Agnes Magpale said yesterday that the diarrhea outbreak in Carmen that afflicted 92 persons is now under 'control'. Magpale said the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) pointed to contaminated water as the cause of the disease. Magpale said IPHO chief Dr. Cristina Giango told her that the patients who were mostly admitted at the Danao City District Hospital had been responding well to treatment. Stool tests of pa...
2/25/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

  Calderon replaces Frasco in investment body Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale chose Provincial Board (PB) member Peter John Calderon to sit as board member of the Joint Investment Selection Committee (JISEC) which was formerly held by Christina Codilla-Frasco. Magpale met with the Economic Enterprise Council (EEC) last Friday and had this discussed with members of the Manila Water Consortium. Frasco, a daughter of suspended Gov. G...
2/25/2013
Where were you during the Edsa revolt?

  “I just came back to Cebu. On that fateful day, we were home monitoring the developments in Manila via TV and radio. I recalled my late father saying 'Why can't they just not go, they have milked us anyway”. When the news came that Marcos was gone and people were streaming to Malacañang, I saw my father wiping his eyes. He shed tears of joy that finally the dawn of a new day has come. That was the first time I saw my father wit...
2/25/2013
Farewell to the Pope of unity

Conclusion The media has made much of the part of the Pope's sermon where he said, "I think in particular of sins against the unity of the Church, and divisions within the body of the Church. To experience Lent in a more intense and manifest ecclesial communion, overcoming individualism and rivalry, is a humble and valuable sign for those who are distant from the faith or indifferent." While these statements may or may not indicate...
2/24/2013
92 FALL ILL IN CARMEN

  E. coli bacteria in town’s water system affects children     Three-year-old Kristal Tan has been in the hospital with diarrhea since Sunday. She can now play with her toys and easily move about her bed in the district hospital in Danao City, where's she's waiting to be discharged. Kristal is among 92 patients, mostly children, hospitalized for diarrhea since last week in Carmen town, north Cebu, where rural water sy...
2/24/2013
Car shop manager, workers grilled on stolen Starex vans

        It was early last month when Roldan Alesna, manager of the Suwon Jonghap Car Dealer, first spotted two Hyundai Starex vehicles at their shop. He and two employees identified as Michael Prado and Tommy Barcelo were ordered by their 33-year-old employer, Kim Kyung Hwan, to change the engines and chassis numbers of the two vehicles. They were later told to bury the dismantled engines which they did, covering t...
2/24/2013
P400 million for wider Mactan road

        THE national government will allocate P400 million for a road widening project that leads to several hotels and resorts in Lapu-Lapu City. President Benigno Aquino III confirmed this during his speech for the opening of the Mactan Newtown project last Wednesday. The road project will extend from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority in barangay Ibo to barangay Buaya and may reach barangays Mactan and Mariba...
2/24/2013
Second female president for IBP Cebu City

        THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Cebu has a new set of officers, one of whom is the second female president in its history. Lawyer Mae Elaine Bathan was elected president of the IBP Cebu City chapter while lawyer Erwin Rommel Heyrosa was picked to lead the Cebu province chapter. They and other elected officers ran unopposed. The biennial IBP elections was held from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon in th...
2/24/2013
Drive to stop pols from using 4Ps launched

  DSWD chief starts anti-epal campaign in Carcar City     To stop politicians from using the government's anti-poverty program in their election campaign, the Social Welfare department launched yesterday its 4Ps “Bawal ang Epal” drive in Carcar Gym Complex. DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman said that the campaign was launched because they have been receiving reports that politicians and groups were using the Panta...
2/24/2013
Diabetes cases up despite programs, health official says

        DESPITE the health awareness campaigns and advocacies, government health agencies still see an increase in diabetes cases in Cebu province. For the year 2011 to 2012, the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) recorded 256 cases of diabetes in the province. Dr. Juditha Tawatao, DOH-7 local health support division chief, said that she didn’t know how much the increase was. However, Tawatao said d...
2/24/2013
Trans-Asia ship runs aground 376 stranded

        MORE than 300 passengers and 72 crew members of Trans-Asia 9 were stranded for about four hours after their vessel ran aground off the seas of Talisay City, Cebu on its way to Pier 5 in Cebu City from Cagayan de Oro City. The vessel was supposed to dock at Pier 5 at 6 a.m. yesterday but the Coast Guard received a call from the vessel informing them that it had ran aground at Lawis Ledge at 6 past a.m. The v...
2/24/2013
Birth of Cebu City

        On Feb. 24, 1937, or 76 years ago today, Elpidio Quirino, secretary of the Interior, formally inaugurated Cebu as the third city of the Philippines, after Manila (1571) and Baguio (1909). Standing on behalf of Pres. Manuel Quezon who had fallen ill the day before, Quirino read Quezon’s declaration of February 24 as Cebu City Charter Day thenceforth. After the formal reading, he administered the oath to th...
2/24/2013
Cebu City’s centenarians to receive cash gift

        City Hall will award today eight of the oldest residents n Cebu City who have lived for 100 years or more. Each centenarian will receive a cash gift of P100,000 from Mayor Michael Rama during a dinner at the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, where other awardees will be recognized for the 76th Charter Day celebration. After a 7 a.m. Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Mayor Rama will lead a flag raising cerem...
2/24/2013
Geriatric wards for Cebu City’s hospitals sought

        A PROPOSED ordinance requiring all Cebu City hospitals to set up a geriatric ward received support from some of the city's hospital chiefs in the City Council's session last Wednesday. Dr. Eli Belarmino, medical director of the Metro Cebu Community Hospital, said the ordinance is long overdue. “People in the pre-departure area are the most neglected part of society,” the 65-year-old Belarmino said. Belar...
2/24/2013
Palma Plant the seeds for better community

        Vote-buying, digital dagdag-bawas, and political dynasties. These were among the electoral flaws cited in yesterday's Summit on Credible Cebu Elections which the Archdiocese of Cebu organized to prepare for the May 13 polls. “Despite what happened in the past, there is reason to believe. We believe we continue to plant the seeds for a better community, government, and people. At the end of the day, our gath...
2/23/2013
3 KOREANS FREED

  Car theft suspects post bail, insist on innocence     The three Koreans who were arrested in connection with a series of car theft cases in Metro Cebu posted bail and stepped out of jail yesterday. Judge Enriquita Belarmino of Cebu City Regional Trial Court Branch 57 ordered the release from police detention of Kim Kyung Hwan, 33; Won Seok Lee, 32; and Jang Hyun Lee, 34 after they each posted bail amounting to P180,...
2/23/2013
No help coming from Seoul

        “I WAS stunned”. This was the reaction of lawyer Augusto Go, honorary consul in Cebu of the Republic of Korea, when he learned about the arrest of five Koreans in connection with car theft cases. Go said he was alarmed by this incident. “I never expected that the Koreans would do such a thing… carnapping  and they must be very ignorant because Cebu is carnapping-free. So I was stunned with the news”, ...
2/23/2013
City Hall can fund Charter Day bonus

  Rama’s proposed P10,000 windfall for employees submitted to City Council     Employees of the Cebu City government may get as much as P10,000 as Charter Day bonus if the city council gives the green light to Mayor Michael Rama's recommendation. City Accountant Diwa Cuevas said there are more than enough funds to pay the bonuses of close to 4, 800 regular and casual employees. She said the release of a bigger amount ...
2/23/2013
Tomas backs off from CCMC sale plan

        CEBU City Rep. Tomas Osmeña yesterday said he is still “unhappy” with how the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) is being managed, but he will no longer push through with his earlier plan to either close or sell the health facility if he wins the mayoral post in the May elections. “I have not changed my opinion about CCMC. (But I will) just ask people if they are happy (with hospital operations). But I have dec...
2/23/2013
Cebuana is 9th in physicians licensure exam

        A CEBUANA placed 9th in this year’s licensure examination for physicians. Michelle Jay Gonzales Francisco of barangay Bulacao in Talisay City, a graduate of Southwestern University, shared the ranking with two other candidates. They all got 83.67 percent. Francisco, 30 was in a mall in Manila when her friends called her Thursday evening to break the news that she once again aced the exams administered by th...
2/23/2013
CICC to undergo repairs for confab

        The Capitol will have to undertake repairs on the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) weeks ahead of an international business conference after it suffered leaks due to last Tuesday's rains. "We had to do repairs. The carpets were soaked. There are repairs that need to be made. So, we cannot anymore give for free the CICC," acting Gov. Agnes Magpale told reporters in Danao City last Wednesday. The C...
2/23/2013
Econ council defers firm’s bid to buy Danao property

        THE Capitol's Economic Enterprise Council (EEC) yesterday deferred approval of a company's application to lease another property in Danao City for their waste-to-energy plant. Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said Waste Management Inc. proposed to lease a five hectare property near the home of Danao City Mayor Nito Durano after learning that the Balili lot in Naga City faced legal problems. The company was su...
2/23/2013
Guadalupe fire razes 30 houses, injures 3

        At least 30 houses in an urban poor sitio of Sambag, barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City were razed in a fire that struck yesterday. Three residents were brought to the hospital for minor burns and difficulty in breathing. Firefighters had to lay down a long hose line to reach the interior of the sitio that was inaccessible to firetrucks. Arson investigators are still investigating the cause of the fire that w...
2/23/2013
Danao mine workers decry lay-off

        Hundreds of workers of a mining company in Danao City sought the help of the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) after they were terminated from work. About a hundred workers went to the DOLE-7 office in Gorordo Avenue in Cebu City last Thursday claiming they were terminated without receiving their benefits and separation pay. They represented the 764 workers who were on forced ...
2/23/2013
Judge Marigomen laid to rest

        JUDGE Douglas Marigomen was laid to rest at the Cebu Memorial Park in barangay Banilad, Cebu City yesterday afternoon. A requiem Mass was held at the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus at 2 p.m. before the urn containing his cremated remains was entombed. Marigomen, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 5 in Cebu City , died in a private hospital last Sunday. The 52-ye...
2/23/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        6 RALLIES FOR BOPK-LP Rep. Tomas Osmeña said the Bando Osmena Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) and the Cebu City chapter of the Liberal Party will have six campaign rallies leading to the May 13, 2013 polls. Osmeña said staging six rallies – three each in the north and south districts – will be more beneficial to Liberal Party (LP) senatorial candidates who are coming for the event. “Manila wants exposure for th...
2/22/2013
3 MORE NABBED

  Korean car shop owner, tourists linked to carnap ring     Three more Koreans were arrested yesterday in connection with a car theft ring operating in Metro Cebu that targets Hyundai Starex vans. One of them, a car dealer, has a warehouse in Mandaue City where cars from Korea used to be stationed. Police made the arrest ten hours after the three Koreans were seen quickly getting off a stolen car and scampering in di...
2/22/2013
Mr. Chiu I’m not the mastermind

        HIS name was dropped by arrested suspects in a foiled car theft ring, but “Mr. Chiu” said it wasn't true he was the mastermind. Cho Hyun Cher alias Mr. Chiu of Maria Luisa Subdivision in Banilad showed up in the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 in Camp Sergio Osmeña yesterday to deny any role in the illegal activity and to clear his name. Seven other Korean males were arrested this week by police following th...
2/22/2013
Vigilantes eyed in killing of Mandaue city man

  Gambling tally sheets found near victim; car dealer found dead in Borbon     Is there a vigilante group on the loose in Metro Cebu? Homicide investigators from the Cebu City Police Office are looking into this possibility after a man’s body turned up with multiple gunshot wounds and strangulation marks. The victim's belt bag contained a note warning a certain group that the killing was just a sampler. Senior Supt....
2/22/2013
CCMC is outstanding City Hall dept

        THE Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) was awarded for the second straight year as the Most Outstanding Organizational Department of City Hall. Its hospital chief, Dr. Gloria Duterte, was named as the Most Outstanding Department Head during the recognition of outstanding employees and City Hall departments last Wednesday evening. CCMC and Duterte each received a P50,000 check from Mayor Michael Rama. “I hope...
2/22/2013
Rama asks P-Noy for use of Malacañang sa Sugbo as disaster response center

        THE heavy rains last Wednesday has underscored the need to have a command center to coordinate disaster response in Cebu City. Mayor Michael Rama yesterday directed his chief of staff Philip Zafra to draft a letter to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to ask permission for the use of a portion of the Malacañang sa Sugbo as the city's disaster response command center. “Mas maayo ug advanced ang atong pangh...
2/22/2013
Sunken ship off Lapu-Lapu’s coast to be cut to pieces

        THE cargo boat carrying 23,000 of bags of cement that sank off barangay Canjulao in Lapu-Lapu City in July 2012 has not yet been refloated seven months after it sank. Lapu Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza has ordered the city's Coastal Enforcement Coordinator Andy Berame to monitor salvage operations of the sunken ship and fast-track its removal from the busy Mactan Channel. Berame said that their underwater surv...
2/22/2013
Toledo develops mangrove park

        The 3.2 hectare Toledo Mangrove River Park in barangay Ibo, Toledo City was unveiled yesterday morning. The project is bankrolled by the Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC) which owns the Toledo Power Company in partnership with the Toledo City government. Phase I of the mangrove reforestation project would cover approximately one kilometer of coastline. GBPC will spend P4.5 million for this environmental ...
2/22/2013
Anti-Fraud Forum

        Around 1,000 people are expected to attend a forum discussing vote buying and political dynasty. The forum this Saturday organized by the church and the Commission on Elections will explore concrete actions against electoral fraud and defects in the country. “This is a very important activity. Credible elections have been a subject of complaints. We have to deal with choosing the right people to govern our ...
2/22/2013
Volunteers’ cash aid

        The Cebu provincial government hasto finish distributing cash aid of barangay volunteer workers of the local governments of the province before the start of the election campaign for local candidates on March 29. Dr. Cristina Giango, The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) officer, gave this clarification yesterday after barangay captains in Carcar City led by Guadalupe captain Paul Alcordo criticized...
2/22/2013
Demolition first

        The Cebu City's demolition team is not making the removal of unauthorized campaign materials a priority. Raquel Arce, market administrator and demolition team head, said their priority would be the clearing operations in some lots in the city which would include the clearing of a government-donated lot in barangay Pulang Bato, which would be used for the construction of a barangay health center. The operati...
2/22/2013
Lapu-lapu bet’s goals

        Cleaning Lapu-Lapu City and transforming it into a little paradise like Singapore or Hong Kong is one of businessman Efren Pelaez's goals if he would be elected as mayor of the city. Pelaez will be going up against Mayor Paz Radaza, who will run for reelection during the May 10 elections. Pelaez said he would also address the road problems in the city and socialized housing needs of the residents. /Correspo...
2/22/2013
Cebu rally worth P.8M

        THE opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) spent a total of P842,224 for its proclamation rally in Plaza Independencia in Cebu City on Feb. 12. In a statement obtained by Cebu Daily News last night, UNA spokesman Tobias Tiangco said they made the disclosure in a "Statement of Expenses for Public Rally” which they submitted to Marchel Sarno, election officer of the Cebu City's first district. The Co...
2/22/2013
Lapu-Lapu commuters urged to take ferry

        Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza yesterday called on residents who regularly commute to Cebu City to use the ferry service when repair work on the Marcelo Fernan bridge and the old Mandaue-Mactan bridge starts on Monday, Feb. 25. “We are calling on the people to bear with this project as it will benefit us all, Plan your schedules early, be an hour or two ahead of your appointments if you are using the bridge...
2/21/2013
THE RIGHT CHOICE

  Mactan Newtown reflects renewed confidence in PH economy     President Aquino yesterday lauded property developer Megaworld Corp for choosing Cebu as the location for its next flagship development after Manila's Eastwood City, saying they “made the right choice”. “This is your first project outside Metro Manila, and the people from around here can assure you that you've made the right choice,” the President said in h...
2/21/2013
LP Cebu upbeat over 5th district support

        With Cebu’s 5th district behind them, the Liberal Party-Cebu (LP-Cebu) is upbeat about their chances in this year’s mid-term elections. LP Cebu provincial chairman Hilario Davide III told a press conference that the party's alliance with the local Bakud party ensures crucial votes. In the 2010 election, Davide lost to now suspended governor Gwen Garcia with a modest margin of 96,341 votes At the time, he d...
2/21/2013
5 out of 12 Team Pnoy senators in Liloan rally

        ONLY five of 12 senatorial candidates of Team Pnoy showed up for yesterday's proclamation rally in a public gym in barangay Tayud, Liloan town. The rally mounted by the Liberal Party drew at least 3,000 people and was attended by Sen. Antonio Trillanes, Sen. Koko Pimentel, Bam Aquino, Ramong Magsaysay Jr. and Risa Hontiveros. But all of them showed a united front amid reports of disintegration in the admin...
2/21/2013
Classes, trips suspended as ‘Crising’ weakens

        CLASSES in all levels were suspended in four major cities in Cebu due to rains caused by tropical depression “Crising” yesterday. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama called up the Cebu City Schools Division and ordered the suspension of classes, while Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Naga City Mayor Valdemar Chiong and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza issued similar orders. “It is up to the schools to handle the si...
2/21/2013
Contract of Carbon II builder terminated

        Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has ordered the termination of the contract of Young Builders Corp. for the reconstruction of unit II of the Carbon Market complex after the contractor of “abandoned” and caused “undue delays” in the project’s implementation. Rama said that he wanted to call for another round of bidding for the reconstruction project so this could be given to a new contractor who can complete the...
2/21/2013
City Council overrides veto on demolition moratorium

        The Bando Osmena Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) dominated Cebu City Council approved yesterday the override on the veto of Mayor Michael Rama on the ordinance that would have effected the moratorium on the demolition of the City Hall-owned Citi Center in barangay Kamagayan. The 14 BOPK councilors and Ronald Cuenco who were present during the session voted to override Rama's full veto on an ordinance which would hav...
2/21/2013
Monthly release of seniors’ aid proposed

        Councilor Margot Osmeña yesterday presented to the City Council an ordinance that will amend the 2013 budget ordinance to change the bi-annual distribution of Senior Citizen's Assistance to a monthly schedule. But Mayor Michael Rama who also wanted the budget ordinance amended to distribute the cash dole-out quarterly is not happy. “Are they again doing the job of the mayor?” Mayor Michael Rama said when so...
2/21/2013
Almendras BRT proposal still alive

        Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almedras said the Bus Rapid Transit project in Metro Cebu is still being considered, but under review by the Department of Transportation and Communication. “I want to clarify that we are not saying no to it (BRT),” Secretary Almendras said in the sides of the launching of The Mactan Newtown yesterday. The cabinet secretary explained that the review is necessary because in other ...
2/20/2013
‘MY PARTNERS’

  Aquino endorses 12 senate bets, Cebu local candidates     President Benigno Aquino III last night urged people to vote for his 12 handpicked Senate candidates, saying it was better to have allies on board to push “good governance” and honest service. “Kung boboto tayo na hindi kaalyado, baka maging angkla sila para di tayo makausad. Mas maganda marami tayong kaalyado,” he said at the Tabunok gym in Talisay City...
2/20/2013
Agnes Cebu is Aquino country twice over

        Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale last night recalled how Cebu has consistently supported two Aquinos. She said that when Cebuanos supported the late president Corazon Aquino after the 1986 Edsa uprising , this was also support for her campaign to restore democracy. When Cebuanos voted for her son Noynoy, then a senator, in the 2010 presidential election, they also supported his fight against graft and co...
2/20/2013
‘Crising’ grounds flights, sea trips

        Several flights and sea crossings by inter-island ferries were cancelled yesterday because of bad weather and rough seas caused by tropical depression “Crising.” Cebu has been experiencing heavy rain since Monday night. Philippine Coast Guard Cebu Station commander Weniel Azcuna said he temporarily stopped the sailing of vessels at the Hagnaya port in San Remegio that were bound for Sta. Fe in Bantayan Isl...
2/20/2013
Baby thrown next door to save him from fire

        DESPITE the depressing surroundings at the gymnasium of the Bulacao Elementary School which serves as a holding area for the families affected by the Monday's fire at sitio Renaissance, Chona Tagalog was all smiles as she cradles her two month old son. Chona was thankful that her 18-year-old nephew, Ian Niño Tagalog, had the presence of mind to rush to save the baby before flames overrun her house. Chona wa...
2/20/2013
Vote-buying still present amid reforms, mayor says

        DESPITE reforms by the Aquino administration, vote-buying will still be prevalent during the election season, a Cebu town mayor said yesterday. In yesterday's weekly 888 forum, Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado said vote buying remains rampant in the grassroots level even during the barangay elections. “These are in areas where for them candidates aren't relevant. It's still the money that is being offered t...
2/20/2013
Comelec No Holy Week campaigns

        IT'S still more than a month away but this early, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office warned local candidates not to campaign on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Comelec provincial officer Ferdinand Guijilde yesterday issued this reminder to reporters since Good Friday falls on March 29, the official start of the campaign period. Maundy Thursday is scheduled a day before. Comelec Resolu...
2/20/2013
Additional medical aid for Cebuanos

        Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said he will add P1.5 million to the P7 million medical assistance fund that he deposited to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in August 2011. He also intends to expand the coverage of his medical assistance program to include the Eversely Child Sanitarium in Mandaue City. “The implementation of my medical assistance program is based on the personal experience of my family. ...
2/20/2013
PB mulls regulation of drag races

        Citing risks to road safety, Provincial Board Member Arleigh Sitoy wants the Cebu provincial government to ban car and motorcycle racing or drag racing in public roads. Drag racing according to the PB member is rampant in San Fernando and Sibonga towns and in Carcar and Mandaue cities. Sitoy filed last Monday the proposed Drag Racing Prohibition Ordinance to put a stop to the dangerous activity popular amo...
2/20/2013
South Bus Terminal cuts feesby 25

        THE Provincial Economic Enterprise Council approved the reduction ofthe bus parking fee at the Cebu South Bus Terminal. The resolution was passed following the meeting of Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale with the heads of the Cebu Mini-Bus Operators Association (CMBOA) and the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association last January 30, 2013. Under the new scheme, the terminal parking fee will be reduced to P150 fro...
2/20/2013
Liloan barangay ready to host LP

        The covered court in barangay Tayud in Liloan town will be today's venue of the Liberal Party senatorial slate's rally which will be attended by no less than President Aquino. Barangay captain Oscarlito Cabahug said they are ready to host the President and his party as rally venue have been spruced up by the barangay workers as well as LP supporters. "Mao ni pinakamaayo nga lugar para sa rally. Naay dako-da...
2/19/2013
‘TRIALS IN LIFE’

  Bulacao fire leaves newly wed couple homeless; destroys 26 other houses     What could have been a couple's happiest moment turned out a nightmare. An afternoon fire spoiled their wedding reception in barangay Bulacao, Cebu City, where 27 houses were burned, most of them destroyed, including the newly wed couple's rented home. House guests scampered for safety about 3:30 p.m. after hearing shouts that a fire had brok...
2/19/2013
Cebu City LP rally next month

  AFTER today's sorties in Talisay City in the north and Liloan town in the south, the Liberal Party (LP) Senate slate will kick off the official start of the local campaign period on March 29 with a rally in Cebu City. "The Cebu City rally is reserved during the president's next visit. Vote rich kaayo ang Cebu City and that is one of the areas where LP is strongest also because of Rep. Tomas Osmeña," LP Cebu chairman Hilario Da...
2/19/2013
Gullas, Alayon leaders to attend LP Talisay rally

  Even if Liberal Party-Cebu (LP-Cebu) officials expect a small crowd of 4,000 to 5,000 in Talisay city, this afternoon's rally introducing their Senate slate will be graced by top leaders of Cebu's 1st district. Heading that group is Rep. Eduardo Gullas whose Alayon party counts for majority of the mayors in Cebu's 1st district. The LP rally will be held in a private lot in front of the Talisay City Hall. Gullas's allies sai...
2/19/2013
Facebook, print traffic updates on bridge repairs

FROM Facebook to handbills and newspapers, the Mandaue City government will publicize its re-routing schemes for passenger jeepneys to be affected by the rehabilitation of the old Mandaue-Mactan bridge which starts work on Feb. 25. “The Traffic Enforcement Agency in Mandaue (TEAM) was already instructed to make the plans for the re-routing scheme,” the mayor's executive secretary Jamaal James Calipayan said. The re-routing scheme is b...
2/19/2013
Cebu City Hall workers to get P7K Charter bonus

  CEBU City Hall employees will each receive a P7,000 bonus from the P36.7 million Supplemental Budget 1 (SB1) proposed before the City Council. Mayor Michael Rama said he settled for P7,000 for each employee to make sure that the city doesn't exceed its 45 percent Personal Service (PS) limitation set by the national government. Rama endorsed the supplemental budget to the City Council yesterday. Of the amount, about P31.2 mill...
2/19/2013
Rama vetoes moratorium on Citi Center demolition

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama vetoed an ordinance passed by the City Council last Jan. 31 that sought a moratorium on the planned demolition of the Citi Center complex in barangay Kamagayan. In a Feb. 13 letter addressed to Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, Rama said a moratorium is tantamount to “sabotaging” his plans to have the area developed into a housing site for City Hall employees. Rama said the ordinance authored by Councilor Al...
2/19/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

  Mandaue task force vs illegal fishing set up THE Philippine Coast Guard’s Cebu office will be tapped to join the “Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force” of the Mandaue City government. City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas said the council recently approved the city's own fisheries code which institutes a task force that will monitor and protect the city's coastal resources. The task force will be comprised of personnel from the Coast Guard...
2/19/2013
No reopening of Cebu office for court admin

Several Cebu judges expressed regret that the reopening of the Regional Court Administration Office (RCAO) in Lapu-Lapu City will not proceed. Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has changed her mind about the move. The Cebu-based office she wanted to reopen to decentralize court administration functions will have to wait. After Sereno was placed in hot water last year for issuing a resolution to reopen the office, without the approva...
2/18/2013
PNOY LEADS PARTY SORTIE

  LP-Cebu says sorties small, not ‘hakot’     All but two members of the Liberal Party Senate lineup are expected to attend tomorrow's proclamation rally in Talisay City that will be graced by President Benigno Aquino III. LP Cebu spokesman Democrito Barcenas said the rally will be held in front of Talisay City Hall at 5 p.m. and it won't be as huge as the Feb. 12 proclamation rally of the United Nationalist Allianc...
2/18/2013
Heavier traffic as bridge rehab slated next week

      Even if Feb. 25 is a school holiday, motorists heading to the Mactan Cebu International Airport or reporting to work are advised to leave at least an hour earlier. On that date the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will start its rehabilitation of the first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge which involves closing one lane for motorists coming from Lapu-Lapu City and heading to Mandaue City. Rehabilitation work on...
2/18/2013
Tuburan mayor’s allies defend use of funds

   ALLIES of Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante in the municipal council described as “baseless and politically motivated” the graft complaint filed by Tuburan Councilor Marie Tabotabo before the Ombudsman-Visayas. Councilor Sesinando Potencioso Jr said the medical mission held last Feb. 4 to 8 that was mentioned in Tabotabo's complaint was supported with a council resolution. "In fact, the council approved the budget allocated for ...
2/18/2013
Radaza holds off on road concreting project

   WORK on the road concreting project in the busy Maximo Patalinhug Avenue, Lapu-Lapu City was suspended after Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza refused to allow its completion. Radaza said while the Maximo Patalinjug Avenue is not fully concreted, its asphalted part can still be used by motorists. She said if the road concreting project resumes now, it will worsen traffic in the city. The mayor said the Feb. 25 start of minor re...
2/18/2013
Kamputhaw mulls state of calamity

    The Barangay Council of Kamputhaw will hold an emergency session today to determine whether a declaration of a state of calamity is needed because of the fire that razed 10 houses in the barangay last Saturday evening. The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council has also coordinated with barangay officials yesterday and promised to help secure a temporary evacuation site to the 79 individuals left homeless by ...
2/18/2013
Anti-discrimination measure in Prov’l Board get support

   FOR 23 years old Glenn Libradilla, working without fear of discrimination because of ones gender preference is a welcome development. He made this comment following reports that Cebu Provincial Board (PB) member Arleigh Sitoy has proposed an ordinance seeking to protect lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) from getting fired from jobs or denied promotion because of their gender preference. "I am in favor of this pl...
2/18/2013
MCC honors employees, highlights achievements

   THE Mandaue City College honored staffmembers who have served the city government-owned school since its inception five years ago. Dr. Teresita Inot, MCC president gave the awards on Valentine’s Day, consisting of a plaque of recognition and P10,000 cash to eight members of their faculty and staff who worked with the school since 2007. The awardees were: Dr. Susana Cabahug, OIC dean, College of Education; Dr. Leo Acibar, asst. ...
2/18/2013
City Hall workers told Practice it

   The Mandaue City government is requiring its 3,500 City Hall employees to be role models of the city's waste segregation campaign. Starting last week, City Hall and barangay hall employees were required to practice waste segregation in their offices and houses. Mayor Jonas Cortes gave the order after Engr. Ricardo Mendoza, head of the Solid Waste Management Division, informed him that City Hall employees were not or were loosel...
2/18/2013
Red Durano vows to keep campaign clean

   Fifth district Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI yesterday promised that his family will not resort to personal attacks against his two uncles when the campaign period for local positions starts next month. Durano said he and his father will stick to issues in Danao in order to win the support of the people. He mentioned the proliferation of illegal drugs and several killings in the city, which were not solved under the term of his un...
2/18/2013
Jesse’s tips for public officials

   “How will you try to remain a person of integrity once you are elected into office?” This survey question by Dilaab Movement in 2007 was sent to Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo as part of its advocacy for good governance. This was his reply: * Avoid spending personal money in helping your constituency (unless you are Ambassador Danding, Jaime Zobel, etc.). * Legitimate constituency needs (medical, emergency trans...
2/18/2013
Serving ‘lechon, pancit’ could be vote-buying

   THE way to a man’s—or woman’s—heart may be through the stomach but candidates should be forewarned that serving the voting public food and drink on the eve of Election Day may well be construed as vote-buying. Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Friday said giving away food such as the pork dish lechon or the feast day staple pancit to voters on the eve of the elections is something that could fall u...
2/18/2013
Lapu cops urged to name suspects in church burglary

  Priest hits inside job theory: Show proof first    Let the police name the suspects. This was the challenge posed by Fr. Fabian Cayetano, the Lapu-Lapu City Virgen of the Rule Parish finance officer, to the police, who said they were closely looking into the possibility of an inside job in the Nov. 28 church burglary. Cayetano said it's but normal for police to consider inside job, but they should prove it first. The t...
2/18/2013
Cynthia Villar stands by former rivals in Team PNoy ‘to continue legislative work’

   FORMER Las Piñas representative Cynthia Villar doesn't mind standing in the Liberal Party stage, just to continue her legislative work in the Senate. “I want to share my experience in the local level and implement them in the national level. I want to pursue my advocacies in the Senate,” Villar, wife of 2010 presidential candidate, Sen. Manny Villar said in a press release. She listed among her landmark pieces of legislation th...
2/18/2013
Cardinal Tagle I don't know what to expect in coming conclave to elect next pope

   MANILA -- Described by a highly respected Vatican analyst as the only viable candidate to the papacy from the developing world, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle admitted yesterday to the uncertainty of what to expect in the election of a new pope. Speaking at the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF) Leaders' Forum held at the Gateway Suites in Quezon City, Tagle who earlier refused to comment on the forthcoming conclave of...
2/17/2013
LOLO’S ARGAO ARREST

  Sari-sari store yields shabu     A 75-year-old man in Argao, Cebu was arrested for allegedly using and selling illegal drugs, shocking his family down to his great grandchildren. Serafin Rellin was caught by police inside his home-based sari-sari store with packs of shabu and sniffing paraphernalia on Friday afternoon after In tears, his granddaughter went to the police station in Argao town, 68 kilometers south of ...
2/17/2013
Ombud asked to probe plaint on Tuburan mayor’s fund use

        A councilor of Tuburan town has asked the Visayas Ombudsman to look into alleged irregularities in the acquisition of food and supplies which supposedly benefitted close relatives of Mayor Democrito Diamante. In her complaint, Councilor Marie Tabotabo said there was no bidding for the contract to provide food for doctors of a medical mission held from Feb. 4 to 8. Mayor Diamante said the complaint was “pol...
2/17/2013
BO-PK to help Councilor Pe appeal disqualification case

        COUNCILOR Augustus Pe Jr.'s allies in the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) are prepared to provide legal assistance to him in his disqualification case before the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña, leader of the BO-PK, made this commitment as he insisted that Team Rama vice mayoralty candidate Edgar Labella should also be disqualified if they insist on the three-term limit a...
2/17/2013
Capitol Site fire victims appeal for more help

        The fire victims whose houses were destroyed by last Thursday's fire at sitio Sto. Niño, B. Rodriguez Street in barangay Capitol Site asked city officials for help to rebuild their homes. One of the 47 affected families, the Gutchalian family, asked for plywood and other materials. Felissa Gutchalian Gayo, a cancer patient in her 50s was tending her sari-sari store when the fire broke out. The only thing ...
2/17/2013
Ordinance to protect gay rights in Cebu up in next PB session

        CEBU’S lesbian, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will no longer face discrimination as far as employment opportunities and work conditions are concerned. A proposed ordinance filed by Provincial Board Member Arleigh Sitoy seeks to protect LGBT employees from being fired or denied promotion due to their gender preference. “Under his proposed ordinance the enforcement provision, provides that a...
2/17/2013
Former negotiator discusses peace process with MILF

        TRUST is an important factor in the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said this yesterday during a forum at the University of the Philippines Cebu Campus' Cultural Center. “Trust is an element we can produce and something we do and what it is that we say,” Leonen said. Leonen, who used to be the chief...
2/17/2013
Gotiaoco building declared a landmark

        The nearly century old Gotiaoco building across Cebu City Hall was declared a historical landmark by the City Council in its session last Wednesday. According to the approved ordinance, the structure built in 1914 in M. C. Briones Avenue will be conserved and used only to promote cultural heritage. “There is a need to support the efforts of the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) in declaring ...
2/17/2013
Sharing her backyard bounty

  Mandaue City housewife wins second in national urban gardening competition     A 56-year-old housewife from barangay Paknaan in Mandaue City has found a better use for a vacant 800-square-meter space as a backyard vegetable garden. Alma Rosell said she was encouraged three years ago by Paknaan barangay captain Malaquias Soco to plant vegetables. Today it has produced 14 kinds of vegetables and 10 kinds of fruit tre...
2/17/2013
Badian town to start building 2nd 500KW hydropower plant

        POWER firms continue to harness the power of Badian town's river. Cebu Electric Cooperative (Cebeco) 1 is set to start another P70 million hydropower plant in barangay Basak, its second mini-hydro-power plant in the village. This will add 500 kilowatts (KW) of power to the existing 500 KW mini-hydro power plant. ¨Badian (about 80 kilometers from Cebu city) is the only province in Cebu which has two mini-hy...
2/17/2013
LP may ax Cebu City rally

  President Aquino will only be in Talisay gig – Davide     Liberal Party gubernatorial candidate Hilario Davide III last night said the LP rally planned in Cebu City may not push through because of President Aquino’s hectic schedule. Davide, in a text message to Cebu Daily News said as of yesterday only two two LP rallies have been scheduled in Cebu – Talisay City on Feb. 19 and at the Tayud Sports Compex in Consolaci...
2/17/2013
Bam Aquino Youth is my advantage

        BAM Aquino – at 35 – may be the youngest senatorial aspirant in the May 13 elections, but he hopes to bring his youth in the Senate should he be chosen by the electorate. “Each of the candidates has his or her own advocacies. My edge over them, I think, is my being the youngest. I'm hoping to represent the young. I don't think being young is a disadvantage,” Aquino told reporters after meeting with urban poo...
2/17/2013
Are you voting good people into office?

        THE tendency to make last-minute choices or be swayed by TV and radio campaigns or succumb to vote-buying is a common problem seen in elections. The “Vote Good” campaign of Dilaab Foundation was launched last Feb. 15 in Cebu City during the “discernment recollection” for voters and candidates which had Manila Archbishop Jose Luis Tagle for the main speaker. “I matter. My vote matters. I vote good,” said Jen...
2/17/2013
Fire destroys four houses in Cebu City

        AT least four houses were razed in a fire that struck sitio Macro Ville in barangay Camputhaw in Cebu City last night. Six houses were also damaged by the fire that was believed to have started abotu 7:30 pm. on the ground floor of Simplicio Meniza’s home. A radio dySS report said the fire totally burned down the houses owned by the Ayson, Dumaguit and Gonzalez families. Cebu City Fire Marshall William T...
2/16/2013
‘LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE’

  Manila archbishop leads Cebu recollection     Be a good shepherd. This was the challenge posed by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle to all candidates vying for electoral posts in the upcoming May 13 polls. “Our people long for a true shepherd. We can learn from Jesus. The shepherd is the way rather than the stumbling block for people to reach green pastures. A good shepherd knows his sheep and offers the...
2/16/2013
UNA paid P10K for use of 19 City Hall buses

        About P10,000 was paid for by the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for the rental of 19 Kaoshiung buses to ferry supporters to their proclamation rally in Plaza Independencia, Cebu City last Feb. 12. “If he (Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama) can get away with that, that's what he will (also) do on election day (to ferry voters to the precincts),” Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district said. In a press...
2/16/2013
‘Smaller’ LP rally in Cebu set next week

        A SMALLER Liberal Party (LP) campaign sortie will be held at the Cebu City Coliseum on Feb. 20, Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district said yesterday. Osmeña , LP city chapter chairman, said the rally will not be as grand as the Feb. 12 proclamation rally of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) since the LP will neither fetch their supporters nor provide them meals. “Let them go there by themselve...
2/16/2013
Disqualify Pe on term limits, Comelec urged

        TEAM Rama isn't content with the ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) first division that declared Cebu City north district Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. ineligible from seeking a fresh term in the city's south district. “We will file a partial motion for reconsideration on the three term limit issue. It is very vital (that the issue be resolved) not only in Cebu City but also in other local governmen...
2/16/2013
Tomas wants ATM cards issued to Cebu City seniors

        Beneficiaries of Cebu City's senior citizen’s assistance program will be issued with ATM cards so they can easily claim their financial assistance in full as a birthday gift from the city government. Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district said the release of financial assistance once a year is easier to process and will resolve the problem of long lines of claimants at City Hall. “That way, you won...
2/16/2013
‘Flexi-time’ work sked for Capitol sought

        EFFECTIVE on March 1, all Capitol employees and officials will work under a so-called “gliding flexible working time” starting at 7 a.m at the earliest and ending at 6 p.m. at the latest if a proposed resolution by Provincial Board (PB) Member Arleigh Sitoy gets approved. The proposed “flexi-time” schedule will be deliberated by the PB in its regular session this Monday. Under the working scheme, employees ...
2/16/2013
PB lays rules on scuba diving

        THE Cebu Provincial Board wants to regulate scuba diving activities in the province in response to reports of accidents involving tourists. "The sport continues to remain popular despite the fact there have been many reported unfortunate incidents related to diving activities in the Province of Cebu," Provincial Board Member Arleigh Jay Sitoy said. In his proposed ordinance that was passed on first reading ...
2/16/2013
In Cebu, 1 of 3 women experience violence

        Violence against women is increasing all over the world. In Cebu, one out of three women experience violence ranging from beating to rape in their lifetime. According to Leny Ocasiones, chairperson of Gabriela Cebu, the statistics of women being abused is alarming. In the Philippines, she said, a woman gets raped every four hours. One Billion Rising is a global advocacy to end violence against women with t...
2/16/2013
Leo I use fiction to drive home my point

        Newspaper columnist Leo Lastimosa went back to the witness stand of Regional Trial Court branch 14 and was cross-examined in the libel case filed against him by suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Garcia's lawyer Lito Astillero quizzed Lastimosa who writes the column Arangkada in The Freeman whether he is a fiction writer or not. But the columnist who is also a popular TV and radio broadcaster said he is a col...
2/16/2013
City College exec open to reconciliation with Cortes

        MANDAUE City College headed by Dr. Paulus Cañete is open to the possibility of reconciling with Mayor Jonas Cortes. “I am open to reconciliation with Cortes, even if he will not recognize our school as long as he will respect us and will not make a move against our school,” Cañete told Cebu Daily News . Cañete said that the MCC has transferred to a new and bigger location along H. Abellana Street in baranga...
2/15/2013
LOVE DAY FIRE

  19 houses gone, 158 homeless in B. Rodriguez Street     It was a forlorn Valentine's Day for 43 families who lost their homes in a fire that struck a residential area near the Petron gas station in B. Rodriguez Street in Cebu City. “The flames grew so quickly,” said Maria David, whose husband tried to use fire extinguishers to douse the flames that broke out about 10 a.m. David said she saw the flames first coming o...
2/15/2013
Gwen’s staff marked AWOL

        SEVEN Capitol employees whose appointments are co-terminus with suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia were placed on Awol (absent without official leave) status after they failed to report the Governor's Office. The employees, led by Garcia's chief of staff Elizabeth Francia, were given 72 hours to show up at the Capitol in an order signed by acting Gov. Agnes Magpale. Aside from Francia, among the employees were...
2/15/2013
Probe on Balili property backfilling almost done

        Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol said they are almost done with their investigation of the backfilling of the Balili beach property in Naga City in southern Cebu. Pelagio, in an interview, said they may issue a cease and desist order to stop the land reclamation. “The Ombudsman investigates any irregularities and questionable spending of money in government,” Apostol said. Suspended Gov. G...
2/15/2013
Anything wrong with Mandaue mayor’s ‘mansion’?

        The Visayas Ombudsman’s Office is looking into a complaint questioning the “mansion” of Mandue City Mayor Jonas Cortes in Mandaue City, a new two-story residence built in barangay Casuntingan. The complaint was filed two years ago. Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol yesterday confirmed that a fact-finding inquiry is ongoing, but declined to give details at this stage. “Everything we do is c...
2/15/2013
152 couples tie the knot in Mandaue

        It took almost an hour for 152 couples to walk down the aisle on Valentine's Day at the J Centre Mall convention hall in Mandaue City yesterday morning. The mass wedding, dubbed ‘I Do, I Do!’ was sponsored by the state-owned Pag-IBIG Fund and officiated by Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes. American Marion Weidner, 49, and his 37-year-old girlfriend, Senceridad Salomon, stood out in the crowd. Weidner wore a...
2/15/2013
Lapu-Lapu city hosts mass wedding for 115 couples

        THE Lapu-Lapu City government marked Valentine's Day by hosting the wedding of 115 couples in the City Auditorium in barangay Poblacion. The couples were beneficiaries of the government's ant-poverty Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps. “This is my first time to officiate a mass wedding. I see it as very practical and am willing to do it again in the future to help couples who can’t afford the cost ...
2/15/2013
Charter Day awardees known

        A landscape architect, a musician, a life-saving foundation and a civic organization will be awarded by the Cebu City government on February 24 during the 76th Charter Day celebration. The list of awardees will be endorsed to Mayor Michael Rama for approval said Councilor Margot Osmeña, vice chairperson of the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission. The resolution will be filed in next week's session o...
2/15/2013
Tagle to guide Cebu voters, candidates in recollection

        About 500 people are expected to attend today’s “discernment recollection” in Cebu City for voters and candidates. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will be the event's main speaker in the activity whose theme is “Listening: Key to Genuine and Effective Companioning of Public Servants.” Some candidates are expected to attend the activity at the Sacred Heart Center but their names were not discl...
2/15/2013
Power supply for election reliable

        WITH a stable power supply reserve of 300 to 400 megawatts (MW) daily, Cebuanos are assured of uninterrupted power on the May 13 election. This is vital for an automated election because the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines do not work without electricity. Dept. of Energy -7 Director Antonio Labios said the Visayas grid has enough power reserves. Based on data from the NGCP (National Grid Corpor...
2/14/2013
DISQUALIFIED

  Comelec rules Pe not a resident of south district     After three terms serving the north district of Cebu City, Councilor Jun Pe may have to sit out this election. His bid to run for councilor in the south was shot down by an order of the first division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to cancel his certificate of candidacy for lack of residency. The Comelec said Pe failed to prove he has abandoned his nort...
2/14/2013
Comelec to probe use of city gov’t vehicles

        The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu said it is investigating reports of Cebu City Hall's alleged use of government vehicles and resources in Tuesday's proclamation rally of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). Cebu Provincial Election supervisor Eddie Aba said he sent a letter to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama asking for an explanation based on media reports about the rally at Plaza Independencia. ...
2/14/2013
Rama hits LP Cebu for ‘bus arrests’, warns party of tit for tat

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday accused the Liberal Party-Cebu of engaging in dirty “maneuvers” by apprehending buses ferrying supporters to Tuesday’s kick-off rally of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) at Plaza Independencia. He warned that when the time comes for LP to campaign in the city, they would have to deal with him in securing a rally permit. The mayor said any request to lease city gov...
2/14/2013
Erap says UNA bets have strong chances in Cebu

        WHILE saying he was overwhelmed with the large turnout for last Tuesday's rally for United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial candidates, former president Joseph Estrada admitted that not all of them would win in Cebu. “Well, I'm overwhelmed and this goes to show that we have good chance of winning in Cebu City. Our lineup is much better than their (Liberal Party) lineup in terms of background, intelligen...
2/14/2013
Palma Cardinals may choose a young Pope

        The Catholic Church needs a young Pope. So was the statement of Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma as cardinals around the world gather next month to elect the successor of resigned Pope Benedict XVI. “The Holy Spirit will guide them (cardinals) and I feel that this time probably the Holy Spirit will inspire them to choose a younger one knowing that another old one may resign also,” Palma said in an interview after...
2/14/2013
Youth told True love waits, stay chaste

        TRUE love waits. As the world celebrates Valentine’s Day today, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma reminded people about the real essence of love. “Many times people associated love with just liking or mere feeling. But time and again, love should always be seen on what brings about the good for the other person,” he said. Palma, who is also the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBC...
2/14/2013
Buhisan Dam centennial marker unveiled

        A commemorative marker now stands in the Buhisan Dam to honor the people who contributed in the construction of the 100-year-old dam, which is an important source of potable water to Metro Cebu. Made of granite and tempered glass installed on a marble base, the Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Buhisan Dam Commemorative Marker was designed by architect Carlos Pio Zafra, a faculty member of the University of San Carl...
2/14/2013
Seniors cash aid to be given monthly

        The Cebu City Council passed a resolution that sought the release of the cash assistance to Cebu City's 50,000 registered senior citizens on a monthly basis in yesterday's session. The council called for the monthly allocation of cash aid despite last year's budget ordinance which scheduled the release of the P5,000 cash aid to seniors on June and December. While not averse to the proposal, Cebu City Ma...
2/14/2013
Flowers, food spots for your loved ones

  Veco holds V-Day date contest for a cause     Today, Valentine’s Day, you can gift your special someone with a bouquet of flowers and chocolates and then treat them to a fancy dinner or for Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) employees infect them with the “love bug” to raise money for a charitable institution. They called the in-house fund-raising activity “Make a Pledge Win a Date.” “The fund raising project will be d...
2/13/2013
UNA TAKES OFF

  Gwen: Let’s make history again     On stage with festive colors of the coalition, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) staked out Cebu as its launch pad for a campaign to challenge President Aquino's hold over the oldest, largest vote-rich island. Suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who was introduced as the “true governor of Cebu”, said the opposition would deliver victory for UNA's 12 senate candidates. "Here they w...
2/13/2013
Comelec urged Probe use of city gov’t vehicles

        Did Cebu City Hall use city vehicles, personnel and resources in yesterday's United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) rally at the Plaza Independencia? Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district thinks so and he's asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to investigate this. Cebu City Hall personnel and vehicles were reportedly used in building a stage in the site last week. "Rama is squandering the peo...
2/13/2013
LP Senate slate to visit Cebu next week

        AFTER yesterday's rally by the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), the Liberal Party's senatorial lineup will arrive in Cebu for their own sortie on Feb. 19 and 20. Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district said the LP rally won't be as big as the UNA sorties and he doesn't know if President Benigno Aquino III will attend the LP Cebu rally next week. But he said a bigger LP rally will be held in Cebu ...
2/13/2013
Tomas to re-introduce BRT project if elected mayor anew

        SECURING national government support for the the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will be among the priorities of Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district if he gets elected anew as Cebu City mayor this year. "The (feasibility) study (that they already completed on the BRT) is not wasted unless somewhere along the way you decide not to implement that portion (of the project)," Osmeña said. President B...
2/13/2013
How Cebuanos will remember outgoing pope

  ‘Benedict gave us San Pedro’     Cebuanos will fondly remember Pope Benedict XVI as the pope who gave them a saint. Cebu Archbishop emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said the Filipinos, especially the Cebuanos, should be thank Pope Benedict for the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod. “At least for us, he gave us a saint. For the Cebuanos, Filipinos, the Pope gave us another saint, that that is difficult to decide on ...
2/13/2013
Catholics mark Ash Wednesday

        Catholics all over the world observe today as Ash Wednesday by going to church and having ash placed on their foreheads to open the 40-day season of Lenten. In his Lenten message, Pope Benedict XVI urged the Catholic faithful to rekindle their faith in Jesus Christ and love their neighbors in concrete ways. “Lent invites us to nourish our faith by careful and extended listening to the word of God and by rec...
2/13/2013
Will family ties trump party affiliation?

        Having an established family name and record in politics will carry weight, perhaps more than party affiliation, in the senate race in Cebu, whose 2.5 million voters is worth aiming for. Based on 2007 poll results, Senators Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero performed well in Cebu. As common candidates this year of the Liberal Party (LP) and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), their chances of landing on top o...
2/12/2013
Benedict XVI to step down on Feb. 28

  Vatican to hold conclave to elect a new pope by mid-March    Pope Benedict XVI yesterday announced that he would resign on Feb. 28 because he was simply too infirm to carry on — the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March. The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals on Monday morning....
2/12/2013
3 p.m. road closures at Plaza for UNA rally

       ROADS surrounding Plaza Independencia will be closed starting 3 p.m. today until the UNA rally is finished in the evening. A parade and motorcade permit were issued by the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), said Rafael Yap, Citom head. Service roads on both sides of the tunnel of the South Road Properties will be closed. However, the tunnel itself will remain open for vehicles going to and from Tal...
2/12/2013
E-Gwen program renamed to ‘Our Cebu’

   A CAPITOL program named after Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has been renamed from “E-Gwen” to “Our Sustainable Cebu” following yesterday's session of the Provincial Board (PB). The change was contained in an ordinance approved on second reading to insitutionalize the program once known as the Expanded Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures (E-Gwen). PB Member Thadeo Ouano, the main author, told Cebu Daily News the ordinanc...
2/12/2013
UNA rally eyes Cebu’s 2.5M votes, Gwen’s aid

  Movie stars and a beauty queen will add glitter to the proclamation rally today of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) which kicks off its nationwide campaign in Cebu City with motorcades and a 5 p.m. proclamation rally of its senatorial candidates in Plaza Independencia. “Hopefully we will get a 12-0 sweep. Hindi naman po masama ang managinip (It's not wrong to dream.) ,” said candidate Nancy Binay in a press conference. U...
2/12/2013
PB dad Capitol should continue with doleouts

DESPITE its political nature, doleouts should be given to the barangays and towns of Cebu province since most of them are dependent on the Capitol and even on the national government. “I just hope that the next governor or whoever is the sitting governor should continue distributing financial assistance to the barangays because this is really helping them,” Provincial Board (PB) Member Ribomafil Holganza said. Holganza, president of t...
2/12/2013
Benedict IX first pontiff to resign

  POPE Benedict XVI is not the first Roman Catholic pontiff to resign. In 1045, Pope Benedict IX agreed, for financial advantage, to resign the papacy. Pope Gregory VI, who to rid the Church of Benedict IX had persuaded him to resign, became his successor. Gregory himself resigned in 1046 because the arrangement he had entered into with Benedict was considered simoniacal; that is, to have been paid for. Gregory's succes...
2/12/2013
Palma He was a wonderful Pope

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma was surprised after learning about the Pope's decision to resign. "I have yet to receive the official statement although I heard about it from good sources. we expect an official communication," he said in an interview at the Archbishop's Residence last night. Palma , who was appointed as Archbishop of Cebu by Pope Benedict XVI over two years ago, said the Church needs someone who has the strength and qualit...
2/12/2013
Capitol aid sought for biz confab

  Now that the Capitol impasse is over, officials of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) found it ripe to call on the governor in her office. Business leaders yesterday met Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale to seek the Capitol’s help in financing Cebu’s hosting of the 27th Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry to be next month. CCCI president Prudencio Gesta said the event set on March 14 and 15...
2/12/2013
Palma blesses the sick

  Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma celebrated Mass for the sick at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral yesterday. In his homily commemorating the 21st World Day of the Sick and 155th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France, Palma said: “One's agony is not useless if he or she unites with the sufferings of Christ.” “In a sense, all of us are sick. We need the spiritual doctor. Sometimes what we need...
2/11/2013
Gov’s fund for early campaign?

        Retired chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. lamented that the Cebu provincial government showed little regard for environment protection in its choice of projects showered on barangays and towns in what he called “immoral early campaigning”. He said P141 million worth of checks were distributed by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and her brother, Rep. Pablo John Garcia from July to December last year in visits to localiti...
2/11/2013
Mandaue police voice concern on car thefts

          Two Hyundai Starex vehicles were stolen in front of the homes of their owners last week in Mandaue City. At the Agro Macro subdivision in barangay Cabancalan, 60-year-old Elmer Mordeno woke up to find his van with plate no. LMX 857 gone from the front of his house at 5:30 a.m last Wednesday. In San Vicente Village, barangay Subangdaku, a Starex vehicle owned by 55-year-old Danilo Teves with plate nu...
2/11/2013
Who paid for Plaza stage? City Hall official unsure

              DID Cebu City Hall use its resources to build a stage for tomorrow's proclamation rally of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA)? This question cropped up after some construction workers admitted yesterday that they were hired by Cebu City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete to build a stage at the Plaza Independencia for P350 a day. The 22 meters x 10 meters stage was built...
2/11/2013
On YouTube Flyovers slow down traffic in Cebu City

        TO muster support for their cause, the sectoral group Movement for Liveable Cebu uploaded a video in YouTube to show how flyovers worsen, rather than reduce, traffic congestion in Cebu City. The four minutes and 30 seconds video “Inner City flyovers vs flared intersections” compared traffic flow was better in flared intersections which cost less than 20 percent than concrete flyovers. s. MLC con...
2/11/2013
Metro Cebu board tackles bridge repairs

          ACTING Gov. Agnes Magpale will meet with the Metro Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) on Wednesday to discuss plans for the repair of the Marcelo Fernan and old Mandaue-Mactan bridges. “The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will do the repairs. But first the board should meet. Then work can start anytime after that date,” she said. She said the agency will advance P774,00...
2/11/2013
Courthouse shooting survivor out of hospital

        Asst. Cebu City Prosecutor Ma. Theresa C. Casiño was discharged from the hospital last Saturday afternoon. Her doctors at Chong Hua Hospital gave her a clean bill of health 19 days after she was shot by Canadian expatriate John Pope inside the Cebu City Palace of Justice. The slug that got embedded near an artery at the back of her head was taken out in a three-hour surgery last Monday. “Praise G...
2/11/2013
Talisay City dad wants road widening project stopped after landslide kills 1

        THE Talisay City Council will ask Mayor Socrates Fernandez to order the temporary stoppage of the road widening project in the Talisay-Toledo wharf access road. City Councilor Danilo Caballero will sponsor a resolution to be presented in the regular session Tuesday asking Mayor Fernandez to order the work stoppage. Caballero said the widening project caused massive landslides in barangays Camp 4, ...
2/11/2013
Road work in Mandaue's relocation set next week

        ROADS will be built in the 6.5 hectare Mandaue City relocation site in barangay Paknaan. The development of a road network is a requirement in the building of drainage, and electricity and water lines, said Tony Pet Suico of the Mandaue City Housing and Urban Development Office. There are about a hundred households who resettled in the relocation site that can accomodate 1,200 households. Suico s...
2/11/2013
‘Work hard, don’t rely on zodiac signs’

      “Let's not revolve our lives on a zodiac sign.” John Vincent Castro, the executive director of Sugbo Chinese Heritage Museum, gave this advice yesterday on the first day of the Year of the Snake. Castro, who is also curator of the Sugbo-Chinese Heritage Museum, said that people should work hard to make their destiny and not rely on these astrological factors. “Ninety-percent of these factors will depend ...
2/10/2013
Bring a live snake home

        PEOPLE who want to literally feel the luck that the water snake will bring in 2013 may try to bring home something more than the usual prosperity frog or a waving cat figurine. Along Magallanes Street in Cebu City, Cebu Daily News spotted a group crowding around 62-year-old vendor Fred Librado who is selling water snakes. Depending on its size, a water snake is priced from P75 to P100. He said he bought t...
2/10/2013
Comelec allows trader to run in Tuburan

        THE 2nd Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has given businesswoman Daphne Lagon the green light to run for vice mayor in Tuburan town in midwest Cebu. The poll body junked the petition filed by Antonio Primacion and Lourdes Esmero to disqualify Lagon for “lack of merit”. Commissioners Lucenito Tagle, Elias Yusoph and Maria Gracia Cielo Padaca also set aside accusations of “misrepresentation”...
2/10/2013
Dance troupe keeps ‘sinug’ alive

  Nang Titang’s nephew, Mabolo children continue prayer-dance tradition     When Rommel Diola Borja first picked up his drumsticks, he beat it without any tune. He was nearly four years old then when his excitement for drums led to a lifelong love and pursuit to keep an old beat and dance alive. Now, 41, Borja recalls how he was amused when he took his drum lessons. His teacher was Estelita “Nang Titang” Diola who is c...
2/10/2013
Payment sked eyed for Capitol bills

        A better payment system should be in place to avoid the accumulation of unpaid bills in the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), a Capitol official said. Evelyn Sinajon, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, said they asked hospital chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino to bill the Capitol every 15th and 30th day of the month. She said this system would prevent having the hospital turn ...
2/10/2013
PNP chief backs Garbo on Capitol handling

        CAMP Crame will stand by its officials if they face cases arising from the valid discharge of their duties, the country's top police chief said yesterday. “We are just doing our job,” said PNP Director General Alan Purisima when asked about the string of cases filed against Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo Jr. and other police officials in relation to the recent Capitol standoff. Purisima was in Cebu yesterday for...
2/10/2013
Naga-Carcar road project to be finished in 2014

        WITH his term ending more than four months from now. Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu's 1st district has delegated the completion of the Naga-Carcar cities road widening project to his heir apparent. In a press conference yesterday, Gullas said the road widening project will be completed next year. He also assured that he has taken pains to avoid uprooting the century-old acacia trees to be affected by the proj...
2/10/2013
Ellah Joy’s pa Justice will come

        Two years since the gruesome death of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique, her father, Renante, continues to hope that he will get the justice that he is seeking for his daughter. Renante and the Pique family marked the second death anniversary last Friday of Ellah Joy, who was kidnapped outside the Calajo-an Elementary School in Minglanilla town in Feb. 8, 2011. Her body was found off a ravine in Barili town, sou...
2/9/2013
HOSPITAL BILLS

  P900,000 payable to VSMMC surprises Magpale; indigent patients turned away     Hospital bills left unpaid since 2010 forced the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) to stop receiving indigent patients referred by the Capitol since last week. The payables of P900,000 owed to the government hospital came to light when beneficiaries complained that they were turned away after being referred there. Acting Cebu ...
2/9/2013
Cubicles of fiscals to be off limits to public

        THE cubicles of provincial prosecutors in Cebu will be off limits to litigants in the wake of last month's shooting rampage that killed a doctor and lawyer and severely injured a female prosecutor. Cebu Provincial Prosecutor Pepita Jane Petralba said those wishing to follow up the status of cases are required to proceed to their administrative office instead of heading directly to the prosecutors' area. “Th...
2/9/2013
Rehab work on Mandaue, Fernan bridges set on Feb. 25

        REHABILITATION work on both the Mandaue-Mactan and Marcelo B. Fernan Bridges were scheduled on Feb. 25 by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). But the date for the rehabilitation work on the two bridges will still be subject to approval of the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) chaired by acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale. Engr. Renault Ricardo, asst. DPWH district engineer, said they w...
2/9/2013
Barili Suroy-Suroy bus cannibalized

        A brand new bus which the provincial government acquired for the Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo tourism program is found canibalized of parts in a private lot in Balili town. The bus is one of the 27 buses purchased by the Capitol last year for P67.6 million to promote tourism programs in the towns. Each bus, according to Eva Encabo, provincial general services administrator costs about P2.5 million. Encabo, who also...
2/9/2013
No Rama suspension in case filed by Tomas

        The Office of the Ombudsman refused to order the preventive suspension of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama in the case for gross misconduct, gross neglect of duty and/or grave abuse of authority filed by south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña. The January 4 order signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said the preventive suspension sought by Osmeña does not apply in Rama's case. The order cited Administrative O...
2/9/2013
Plaza Independencia to host UNA rally

        THE newly rehabilitated Plaza Independencia will serve as venue of the February 12 proclamation rally of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of Cebu's fourth district said. Salimbangon said that UNA leaders led by Vice President Jejomar Binay, former president Joseph Estrada and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile are expected to arrive in Cebu on Tuesday morning to lead the rally w...
2/9/2013
Mandaue's oldest dies at 106 yrs old

        Oldest Mandauehanon died of cardio-pulmonary arrest at the age of 106 last Thursday evening. Olympia 'Impyang' Judilla, died in her wooden bed in their house at zone Kalbasa, barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City, around 7 p.m. Prior to her death, Judilla ate rice porridge and milk. "She was just lying in her bed with her eyes closed when she died," revealed Judilla's fifth grandson, Senior Insp. Ramil Morpos, de...
2/9/2013
Cebu, CV sustain growth for 3rd year

        Central Visayas sustained growth rate in at least the last three years with last year's Gross Regional Domestic Production higher than the 6.6 percent national average. For this growth to be inclusive a senior economist at the National Economic Development Authority in Region 7 (Neda 7) said that more investments are still needed in the manufacturing sector. "Manufacturing should be revitalized to develop a...
2/8/2013
‘Student’s wellbeing is our priority’

        Official statement of the Josenian community As read by Rev. Fr. Enrico Peter A Silab, OAR President, University of San Jose-Recoletos EVEN before this controversy reached the media, the school was already steps ahead in helping the person involved. Measures to ensure that she would finish her course with the minimum amount of exposure, so as to protect her privacy, were immediately put in place. ...
2/8/2013
Del Mar confident PNoy will sign Magna Carta for the Poor

        The 15th Congress passed the Magna Carta for the Poor on the final day of their session before the campaign period. The landmark legislation defines the basic rights of the poor, such as their right to food – an often contentious issue in human rights conventions. The law also recognizes the right of the poor to employment and livelihood, to quality education, to shelter and to basic services and medicine....
2/8/2013
Citom tells DPWH to clear Reyes Avenue

        THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was barred from using Archbishop Reyes Avenue in Cebu City to park their heavy equipment especially during daytime. Rafael Yap, Citom executive director, said DPWH, which is doing road widening, was advised to only bring out heavy equipment at night starting 8 p.m. when traffic volume is low. Yap said that the busy Archbishop Reyes Avenue should be left un...
2/8/2013
DSWD warns vs epal in Pantawid program

        THE Department of Social Welfare and Development is safeguarding its core anti-poverty program the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino or 4P’s from the election campaign. Aileen Lariba, 4Ps Information Officer for region 7 said the DSWD is embarking on a “Bawal and Epal” campaign to prevent politicians from taking credit for distributing cash dole-outs to poor families. “We launched the campaign because we noticed ...
2/8/2013
Magpale to file cases vs Gwen’s coterminus staff

        An internal investigation is underway by the Capitol's discipline committee while court charges will be filed against at least two co-terminus employees of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Lawyer Dara Acusar said that “in the next few days,” notices will be sent to the governor’s chief of staff Elizabeth Francia and secretary Amor Sarmiento and five other persons who did not honor the order of Acting G...
2/8/2013
Auditors question Capitol allowances to judges, fiscals

        A TOTAL of P20.48 million was allotted by the Cebu provincial government for allowances of Court of Appeal justices, judges and court staff, as well as law enforcement agencies. But are these allowances properly supported with documents? The Commission on Audit thinks otherwise. After verifying vouchers for the allowances, state auditors in its 2011 report said they did not see proof of an assignment order ...
2/8/2013
Mandaue to get 7 new RTC branches

        President Benigno Simeon Aquino III approved last week the creation of seven new Regional Trial Courts in Mandaue City. “We are very happy with the passage of this measure. Many of our judges, lawyers and litigants will surely welcome this law creating additional courts, which will advance the effective delivery of justice and promote law and order in our society,” said Rep. Luis Gabriel Quisumbing of Cebu's...
2/7/2013
Closure of Gov’s office ‘a gross insult’ to Gwen’s supporters

        Manila – House Deputy Speaker and Cebu 2nd district Rep. Pablo Garcia yesterday assailed the suspension of his daughter, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, as politically motivated and a “gross insult” to her Cebuano supporters. In a privilege speech, he deplored the manner by which lawmen padlocked Garcia’s office, where she had earlier been holed up in protest, as “arrogant, brutal and barbaric.” He said that it was ...
2/7/2013
Gwen’s case not same as Aga’s

        THE lead counsel of Aga Muhlach has described as "baseless and frivolous" the allegations of the camp of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia that the Court of Appeals' speedy issuance of a temporary restraining order in favor of the actor was tainted with "political bias." Lawyer Romulo Macalintal called on Garcia and her daughter and counsel Cristina Codilla-Frasco "to rely on the strength of their own ev...
2/7/2013
Cebu Customs gets award as one of 8 top performing districts

        After overshooting its P8.6 billion target, the Bureau of Customs in Cebu was awarded yesterday as one of eight districts in the country that exceeded collection targets for 2012. The recognition was made during the BOC’s 111th anniversary held at the old Customs Building or Malacañang sa Sugbo near Plaza Independencia. The Port of Cebu collected P8.766 billion out of its P8.6 billion target. “Cebu has gr...
2/7/2013
Cebu City readies tax bills of telecom firms

        TELECOM firms operating in Cebu City will receive their tax bills soon. City Treasurer Emma Villarete said she “already has a figure in mind” but has to confer with Mayor Michael Rama and City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete on the matter. Rama directed Villarete and Poblete to review the tax dues of telecom companies so they can be assessed their taxes. Mobile phone service providers Globe, Smart and D...
2/7/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        MANDAUE TO REVALIDATE TAX MAP The Mandaue city government is set to check its data on the exact number of business establishments in the city. The City Treasurer's Office counted 8,000 businesses in a tax mapping campaign last year, but City Administrator James Abadia said their estimate is actually about 15,000. The revalidation process will take 18 months in four phases: trainers training, actual phase...
2/7/2013
Radioman rues ‘Chona Mae’ scare

        It was exactly one year yesterday when Cebuano radio blocktime host Danilo “Danny” Cogtas was blamed for shouting “tsunami” and causing panic in the streets two hours after an earthquake hit Cebu City. Cogtas and his lawyer Ruphil Bañoc yesterday went to court for a pre-trial conference on the charge of tumult and public disturbance filed against him. The private complainants, the police, were not around. B...
2/7/2013
DPWH admits info lapse in road project

        THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) apologized for not informing the public beforehand about work to be done for the P12.5 million road concreting project in Canduman road in Mandaue City. Engr. Renault Ricardo, DPWH district office spokesman, said the project started last Jan. 31 and has caused caused heavy traffic along H. Abellana Street. He said signages were placed and that six traffic e...
2/7/2013
Vidal turns 82, gets 2 new assignments

        Life is good for Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who celebrated his 82nd birthday with a Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral yesterday. About 30 priests and six bishops in red vestments joined Vidal's birthday Mass which ended with the congregation singing “Happy Birthday.” “Every year added is a gift. It is never an achievement. I thank the Lord, therefore, for giving me another year. Life has ...
2/6/2013
IS GWEN FIT TO SERVE?

  Saavedra, Visayas Ombud question if she can still run for office     Businessman Crisologo Saavedra, one of the complainants in the Balili lot case, said he would file a petition to disqualify Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia as a candidate. “Gwen does not deserve to be elected because she has a lot of cases,” said Saavedra. The move came after Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales declared Garcia and five other provincial of...
2/6/2013
Capitol’s P27-M calamity aid donations bypass Board

  Bottled water, rice, cash went to areas outside Cebu without PB approval     State auditors red flagged the Cebu provincial government after they discovered that P27 million worth of donations in cash and goods released in 2011 to calamity-hit areas had no clear recipients. The donations of bottled water, rice and aid were made to localities outside Cebu without the approval of the Provincial Board and the local disa...
2/6/2013
Finance execs group to help Salubre

        MEMBERS of the Regional Association of Treasurers and Assessors (Regata) expressed sympathy for Cebu provincial treasurer Roy Salubre who was among those found guilty of grave misconduct in the 2008 Balili lot purchase. Cebu City Treasurer Emma Villarete said members of the group are saddened with Salubre's suspension. At the same time, Villarete said the decision of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales was a...
2/6/2013
Agnes, 8 others sued over Governor’s Office closure

        THE chief of staff and security assistant of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia filed a complaint against Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale and eight other police and provincial government officials over the Jan. 30 closure of the Governor's Office. Elizabeth Francia and Amor Sarmiento asked the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas to investigate the officials for grave abuse of authority, gross misconduct, conduct u...
2/6/2013
Ombud to probe P1.7 M ‘defective’ tables, chairs

        THE Ombudsman-Visayas decided to conduct a formal probe over the alleged irregularities in the purchase of P17.7 million worth of school furniture for public schools in 2007 in Cebu. Facing charges of four counts of falsification of public documents are Schools Division Supt. Serena Uy as well as Department of Education (DepEd) staffers Gervasia Sanchez and Judiana Corriente. Uy, Corriente along with Divisi...
2/6/2013
Filinvest pays P50 M share to Cebu City

        ABOUT P50 million was paid by Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) to the Cebu City government last December as part of its joint venture share from the pre-selling of condominium units being built at the South Road Properties (SRP). “It might not be the same amount as projected but at least we are now getting our share from FLI,” acting City Treasurer Emma Villarete said in a press briefing held at the mayor's office ...
2/6/2013
Rama undergoes checkup, updates Jack’s status

        ASIDE from completing a physical checkup, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is also checking on the overall health of his slate ahead of the March 29 campaign schedule. While results of his checkup have yet to be disclosed, Rama said he's been checking up on former councilor Sylvan Jakosalem who was again admitted to the Chong Hua hospital after recovery from surgery. Rama said Jakosalem will undergo skin grafti...
2/6/2013
Comelec urges voters to check their site’

        THE Commission on Elections in Central Visayas (Comelec-7) urged voters to log on to their website for any information concerning this year's midterm elections. Outgoing provincial elections supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano said voters can visit their website at www.comelec.gov.ph to know where their polling precincts are and the list of national and local candidates. Voters can click on the precinct fin...
2/6/2013
BOC Cebu surpasses P8.6 billion target in 2012

        Despite a sharp decrease in revenue collection in the last four months of 2012, the Bureau of Customs Cebu District was able to surpass its P8.6 billion target. Behind this solid revenue collection was Kepco-SPC Power Corp. which operates a 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Naga City and SteelAsia Manufacturing Corporation, Cebu Customs District Collector Ronnie Silvestre said. Also notable in 2012 is ...
2/5/2013
GRAVE MISCONDUCT

  Ombudman finds Gwen, 5 others guilty in administrative case of Balili land purchase  When it rains, it pours. The Office of the Ombudsman has found suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and five other officials guilty of grave misconduct for the 2008 purchase of the Balili beach property in Naga City. The decision in the administrative case signed on Jan. 25 by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said public funds were misus...
2/5/2013
NFA Badian exec to face crime raps over missing rice

  The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas has found “enough grounds” to upgrade its fact-finding on the disappearance of over P10 million worth of imported rice from the National Food Authority's (NFA) warehouse in Badian town last year into a criminal case. Benedicto Bernal, warehousing officer of the NFA in Badian town, will have to answer charges of malversation of public property and grave misconduct. The investigation s...
2/5/2013
‘We were caught in the crossfire’

TWO other respondents in the Balili case – long-serving Capitol officials – expressed shock and disbelief in the decision of the Ombudsman finding them guilty of grave misconduct for their involvement in the 2008 land purchase. Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre was surprised upon learning that he was ordered dismissed from the service by the Ombudsman. “Labaw pa sa kurat. I was very shocked. Lisud kaayo. Ang ato mao lang ang pagpanarba...
2/5/2013
Ombud Lamppost cases to be re-filed

Rep. Arturo Radaza of Lapu-Lapu City is not yet off the hook in the multi-million peso lamppost case. Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol yesterday said his office would refile the criminal charge against Radaza and other persons in court over the controversial purchase and installation of the decorative lampposts in Cebu. Though the Sandiganbayan recently dismissed the case against Radaza for lack of evidence, Apostol sa...
2/5/2013
Bullet removed from fiscal’s head after successful surgery

The bullet lodged in the head of Asst. City Prosecutor Ma. Theresa Casiño was removed yesterday in an operation that lasted about three hours. Her husband Rhett said the surgery in Chong Hua Hospital was successful. “God is good. Talked with Dr. Briones and the slug was taken out with no bleeding. Dr. Vergara also said that there were no complications,” Rhett said in a a text message to Asst. City Prosecutor Liceria Lofranco-Rabillas ...
2/5/2013
News Briefs

Senior citizens aid to be distributed quarterly Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants a quarterly distribution of senior citizen's assistance. Rama said he will issue an executive order that would give senior citizens a P2,500 cash dole-out every quarter. Cebu City Hall allocated P10,000 annual assistance to senior citizens living in the city. Previously, the distribution of the assistance was done twice a year. Rama said the quarterl...
2/5/2013
NBI’s focus Cybercrime, trafficking, drug cases

Officials of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) yesterday paid a courtesy call on Cebu Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale. Newly appointed NBI-7 Regional Director Antonio Pagatpat and his predecessor Edward Villarta also met with Acting Vice Gov. Julian Daan. “We look forward to working with you,” Pagatpat told Magpale. Pagatpat said the NBI-7 will prioritize cases on cyber crimes, child exploitation, human traf...
2/5/2013
PNoy names new disaster manager

  President Benigno Aquino III has officially tapped Eduardo del Rosario to replace Benito Ramos, the media-savvy head of the Office of Civil Defense and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The President designated Del Rosario as acting administrator of OCD last Friday, the same day that Ramos’ resignation became effective. Ramos, who as OCD administrator and NDRRMC executive director presided over em...
2/5/2013
Gwen’s Balili cases not covered by election ban

Suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia isn't exempted from the penalties cited in the charges levied against her in relation to the P98.9 million purchase of the Balili property in barangay Tina-an, Naga City. Provincial Commission on Elections (Comelec) supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano said the election ban on the sanctions of officials and employees does not cover Garcia. “The case of suspended Governor Garcia stems from her violat...
2/5/2013
UNA chides Liberal Party on ‘color branding’

  MANILA— Are they calling the Vice President black? There was nothing gray about the United Nationalist Alliance's potshots at the Liberal Party yesterday. It questioned the ruling party's reference to the upcoming elections as a battle of "black and white," saying the allusion could be directed at Vice President Jejomar Binay's far from fair skin color. "It's okay if we are not fair (skin tone), if they are now basing it o...
2/5/2013
SWAT questioned on presence in gathering

  CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama questioned the alleged presence of policemen from the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) and Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) in a gathering of Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) candidates in barangay Sapangdaku last Sunday afternoon. “When you bring the police there should be the occurrence of crime or crime is about to be committed or there is continuing lawlessness. But in the absence of those...
2/4/2013
MOTION DENIED

  Ombudsman drops Gwen’s appeal on Balili case for lack of merit    Suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia is facing a double whammy. While serving a six-month suspension by the Office of the President, Garcia is heading for trial before the Sandiganbayan. Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol said a 90-day preventive suspension awaits Garcia and the other active governments officials who were impleaded in the case. ...
2/4/2013
Gwen lawyer defends Motion to Inhibit, slams LP

   The lead counsel of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia branded as “unfair and inaccurate” statements from the Liberal Party in Cebu that they want a Court of Appeals justice to inhibit in the usurpation case because they are losing. Lawyer Tranquil Salvador said their motion to inhibit against Justice Vicente Veloso, presiding justice of the 12th division of the CA is based on “clear and repeated acts” against the interest of the s...
2/4/2013
Abu Sayyaf frees Pinoy staffers of Jordanian journo clashes with MNLF

   ZAMBOANGA CITY – Kidnappers have released the two Filipino crew members of Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani, just as reports surfaced that members of the Moro National Liberation Front have clashed with Abu Sayyaf in its bid to pressure the bandit group into releasing more of their captives. Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan, in a phone interview earlier, confirmed the release of Rolando Letrero and Ramelito Vela. “They are now ...
2/4/2013
Palace of Justice shooting survivor to be operated today

   ASSISTANT Cebu City Prosecutor Ma. Theresa Casiño is scheduled to undergo surgery today to remove the bullet slug lodged in her head. The surgical procedure will begin at around 7 a.m. at Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City, said Casiño's close friend, Assistant City Prosecutor Liceria Lofranco-Rabillas. “For everybody concerned of Fiscal Casiño, please pray because anything could happen,” Rabillas told Cebu Daily News. “In our co...
2/4/2013
Expansion of Manduaue child sanitarium, creation of Cordova hospital sought

   The government-owned Eversly Child Sanitarium in barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City may double its bed capacity, while a 25-bed hospital may soon rise in Cordova town. With three more session days left, Cebu 6th district Rep. Luis Gabriel Quisumbing remains optimistic the counterpart Senate Bills to his House Bill 1801 which would increase the bed capacity of Eversly Child Sanitarium and House Bill 5200, creating the Cordova Distri...
2/4/2013
Child rights advocates oppose lowering age of criminal responsibility

   CHILD protection advocates are making a last ditch call on lawmakers to preserve the country's gains in advancing children's rights by opposing moves to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility. "We appeal to our Congressmen and Senators not to undo the positive achievement that our country has reached in protecting the rights of children in conflict with the law," said Roldan Gonzales, convenor of the national coordina...
2/4/2013
College teachers, professionals will be hired to teach in K to 12

   College faculty members, professionals and other non-education graduates will be hired to teach in high school with the passage of the law on the new kindergarten to Grade 12 (K to 12) basic education curriculum. The K-12 Law, which the Senate and the House of Representatives passed last week, has eased the 1994 rule under Republic Act 7836 wherein only education graduates who have passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers ...
2/4/2013
Brooms zoom in Mandaue amid overcast skies

   Overcast skies and occasional rains did not the dampen the spirits of people who participated in yesterday’s Silhig Festival in barangay Pakna-an in Mandaue City. Mayor Jonas Cortes and Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede graced the festival spearheaded by Pakna-an barangay captain Malaquias Soco. Cebu Provincial Board Member Arliegh Sitoy also graced the event. “Pakna-an is one of the most developed barangays in the city, it used to be a...
2/3/2013
GETTING READY TO PACK UP

  Gwen’s furniture, portraits to be sorted out in inventory     Assorted furniture made by exporter Maitland-Smith “on loan” to former governor and now Rep. Pablo Garcia. Framed paintings and photos of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Religious images of the Sto. Niño and San Pedro Calungsod on a side table. The Office of the Governor has Garcia’s personal touch in every corner. This will all change when a new, but temporary...
2/3/2013
‘Bar Magpale’s use of governor’s office’

        LAWYERS of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia called on Capitol security and top police officials to bar acting Gov. Agnes Magpale from transferring to the Governor’s Office in the east wing. “Demand is hereby made on you to prevent any person other than the duly elected Governor from holding office at the office of the Governor,” said the Jan. 31 written notice issued by lawyers Tranquil Salvador III and ...
2/3/2013
LP-Cebu Why get mad at judge if you’re losing case?

        Why get mad at the judge if you fear you’re losing a case? With this, the Liberal Party Cebu chapter criticized the bid of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to seek the inhibition of Justice Vicente Veloso of the Court of Appeals. “Just because she didn't get the TRO, Garcia is now accusing Justice Veloso of being biased and prejudiced against her,” Cebu-LP spokesman Democrito Barcenas told reporters yesterda...
2/3/2013
Limited P50 Saint Pedro bills on Apr. 4

        THE P50 commemorative bills bearing the image of Saint Pedro Calungsod is more than just a collector's item. Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Cebu Archdiocese, said the limited-edition bills serve as a reminder to Filipinos to emulate the life of Calungsod. “He (Calungsod) was a young man who offered his life for others. Why can't we make it happened in our country? Perhaps, we don't have to sh...
2/3/2013
Sugbo TV to be renamed ‘Cebu TV’

      THE Capitol's reorganized TV channel and magazine will go by different names as they re-open on Feb. 14, said Provincial Board (PB) member Arleigh Sitoy yesterday. Sitoy said the "Cebu TV" will replace the defunct Sugbo TV and will air its pilot episode on the said date. He said the new name is aimed at servicing the international market.  "Cebu TV because it is supposed to cater also to the international mark...
2/3/2013
Two cheat death in freak SRP accident

        A spare tire which fell from a trailer truck caused a sport utility vehicle (SUV) to hit a center island, lose control, and overturn at the South Road Properties (SRP) in barangay Pasil, Cebu City. The accident slightly injured a nephew of a judge and his driver, who were aboard the Isuzu Crosswind, which was tailing the truck at the SRP viaduct yesterday. Chris Para, nephew of Judge Estela Alma Singco of t...
2/3/2013
Truck hits man, rams house, post

        A speeding truck hit a man, rammed the side of a house and a power utility pole in sitio Tak-an, barangay Ibo, Lapu-Lapu City yesterday. A vehicle parked nearby was also damaged after a steel bar from the truck fell on it. The truck driver, Edwardson Padayhag, 37, of Lapu-Lapu City, and Eliseo Demotor, 28, were rushed to the hospital after sustaining injuries. Investigation showed that Padayhag was driving...
2/3/2013
Outpost in Engaño

        AS the May elections draw near, the police in Lapu-Lapu City is setting up an outpost in barangay Punta Engaño to maintain the peace in the area. Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, Lapu-Lapu City police chief, said yesterday that this would be the only new outpost to be set up in the barangays in the city. In October 2010 a few hours before the barangay elections started, Punta Engaño was the scene of a shootou...
2/3/2013
Not enough cops to secure Lapu-Lapu

        POLICE in Lapu-Lapu City on Friday said they lacked manpower to secure vote-count machines for the May elections. “We need more authorities to be deployed to polling centers to ensure security,” said Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, chief of police of Lapu-Lapu City. He came from a multi-agency conference where security arrangements for the May 13 elections were discussed. He said based on data provided by ...
2/3/2013
Mock polls ‘successful’ in Dumaguete but...

        THE mock election in Dumaguete City encountered various problems from low turnout of voters to failure in transmitting voting results. But Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials in Negros Oriental says the exercise was successful as they learned lot of things on how to improve the system to make the May 13 midterm elections successful. Two schools – Camanjac Elementary School and City Central Elementary...
2/3/2013
Team PNoy, UNA in tug of war for common candidates

        Can the three candidates common to the senatorial tickets of Team PNoy and the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) show up at two proclamation rallies some 570 kilometers apart? That appears to be the predicament confronting Sen. Loren Legarda, Sen. Francis Escudero, and Grace Poe-Llamanzares, who are all running on the each of the two competing senatorial tickets in the May elections. The problem is Team P...
2/2/2013
SWAPPING OFFICES

  Magpale to bring in own trusted staff when she moves to Governor’s Office     The fate of eight trusted employees of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, including her chief of staff Elizabeth “Bess” Francia, hangs in the balance after her office was padlocked on Wednesday. Where will they work? Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale suggested a “swap” of confidential staff members to avoid the awkwardness of having them report to ...
2/2/2013
No more TRO ruling as Gwen drops petition

        The 12th division of the Court of Appeals will no longer issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) being sought by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to stop Malacañang from suspending her for six months. In a three-age resolution issued yesterday, the appellate court's noted that Garcia has stated that she was abandoning her petition for a TRO, which would last only 60 days. She said she would instead ask for th...
2/2/2013
‘I’m angry at Garbo’

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama is still upset with the chief of police of Central Visayas. The mayor said his lawyers are studying how to hale Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo to court for “encroaching” on Cebu City territory when he fielded almost 200 policemen to the Capitol at the height of the standoff triggerd by the Dec. 19 , 2012 suspension of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. “This has nothing to do with the gove...
2/2/2013
Rama Use Malacañang sa Sugbu as 911 command center

        CEBU City Mayor Michael yesterday proposed to locate the planned emergency response command center somewhere within the Malacañang sa Sugbu compound in Cebu City's port area. He said this was “strategically located” and “closer to the north and the south district.” Permission will have to be sought from the Office of the President which has jurisdiction over the two-storey structure beside Plaza Independen...
2/2/2013
Extra five days for flyover repair

        The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) asked for a five-day extension to finish its rehabilitation of the Maguikay flyover in Mandaue City. Engr. Roy dela Cruz of the DPWH-7 said he anticipated that rains may slow down their progress which was reported at 70 percent completion. He said they asked Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and the Traffic Enforcement Agency in Man...
2/2/2013
Lumber seized, four arrested

        OPERATIVES of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) yesterday arrested three men who unloaded lumber from a pumpboat in Talisay City yesterday and a tipsy Talisay police officer who tried to intervene in the operation. The shipment was believed to have come from Surigao City. One of the arrested men, 68-year-old Alfredo Rolido of Lapu-Lapu City claimed to be an asset of ...
2/2/2013
Comelec exec admits Poll rules difficult to enforce

        A Commission on Elections official admitted that the poll body cannot fully implement laws governing the conduct of the 2013 elections. That’s why voters need to be educated on what the laws say. Comelec Regional Director Temie Lambino said that lack of manpower makes it difficult for them to implement all election laws and rules. Implementing Comelec Resolution 9616 is a real challenge, Lambino admits. Ac...
2/2/2013
Tagle to spearhead voters recollection

        A church-citizens group is organizing a recollection in Cebu to guide voters to choose the right leaders in the May 13 elections. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle will lead the recollection on Feb. 15 in the Sacred Heart Center in D. Jakosalem Street, Cebu City. “Elections are upon us again. People will be choosing leaders while others will be presenting themselves to be their choice, said the ...
2/2/2013
Citizen action sought against illegal campaign materials

        SINCE the Commission on Elections (Comelec) lacks the personnel to remove every poster and streamer plastered and hung throughout Cebu, it's time for the public to remove these materials themselves. “They can remove it on their own. I encourage them to take photos through their cellphones then post them on Facebook, put the date and caption,” said Fr. Carmelo Diola, executive director of the Dilaab Foundatio...
2/2/2013
Mandaue mulls stipend for health volunteers

        Ruffa Ela Cababan, a volunteer nurse at the Mandaue City Hospital is looking forward to the approval of a proposed ordinance that would give them P20 per hour of service. The proposed measure said Cababan would ease her parent's burden of spending for her daily transportation and meals while gaining work experience. “Okay rana at least naa. Volunteer baya ko kinsa'y magdahum nga naay ihatag,” Cababan said. ...
2/2/2013
Radaza asks students to help in collecting P1.5B from Mactan Airport

        LAPU–LAPU City Mayor Paz Radaza has urged students to help her convince Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIAA) to pay their taxes to address the shortage of classrooms in the city. Radaza made this appeal during the turn over of a school building in the Marigondon National High School built with funds from the city's Special Education Fund (SEF) last Tuesday. The MCIAA has been levied real estate tax by ...
2/2/2013
Shooting points to flawed system

        Corruption in the country's justice system -- and even the perception of graft -- should be exposed so that the deaths of Dr. Rene Rafols and lawyer Jubian Achas would not be in vain. This challenge was posed by Associate Justice Gabriel Ingles of the Court of Appeals in Cebu City after the Jan. 22 courthouse shootings in the Palace of Justice. “If we reflect on what contributed to the murder of these inno...
2/2/2013
CCPC lauds policy against parading suspects

        CEBU media asked and law enforcers agreed not to require crime suspects to carry cards or wear shirts identifying them as suspects when they are presented to the media. Officials from the Commission on Human Rights, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and Cebu Province, Cebu City, and region police made that commitment to the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) last Aug. 31, 2006 when CCPC requested local...
2/1/2013
Locked out Gwen insists she was going back to Capitol

        Suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday denied that she was merely looking for a graceful exit, saying she had plans to return to her office until she learned that acting Gov. Agnes Magpale had already closed it down. She said she left her office to answer to the “clamor” of the people who wanted to see her. Instead, Magpale was “ungraceful” and closed her office. “This is a political nightmare for them, ...
2/1/2013
Capitol stand-off good for Cebu’s democracy

        FOR a political science professor, acting Gov. Agnes Magpale was right in locking out suspended Gov. Gwendolyn.Garcia from the Governor's Office. Grace Magalzo, head of he Political Science Department of the University of San Carlos, said Magpale was only exerting her authority as acting governor because Garcia's stay in the Capitol is already overdue. She said what has been happening in the Capitol is “ext...
2/1/2013
Public - private tie-up for Cebu 911 hotline

        The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council CCDRRMC) will tap the private sector in setting up an integrated emergency call system similar to 911 in the US. In a consultation meeting held yesterday, representatives of the private sector pledged support to the project which would speed up emergency response in the city. Doctors and leaders of civic organizations sat together and came up with th...
2/1/2013
Food poisoning spawns safety checks

        THE Lapu-Lapu City Health Office will inspect restaurants in barangay Mactan following reports that 30 Taiwanese tourists suffered food poisoning last week. The tourists who were brought to a private hospital in Cebu City tested positive for bacteria found in sea shells. Before they fell ill, the tourists ate seafood in a restaurant in barangay Mactan. Now that that the laboratory results confirmed that b...
2/1/2013
Rama Citi Center ordinance wrong

        THE ordinance imposing moratorium on the planned demolition of the Citi Center Complex in barangay Kamagayan is a “wrong ordinance” and unnecessary, said Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. Rama yesterday asked his office staff to make sure that they monitor the submission of the copy of the ordinance to his office for his signature. Without saying that he will veto the ordinance, Rama said its passage was an enc...
2/1/2013
Davide says Cebu-LP won’t use Capitol funds

        Even if they now hold the reins at the Capitol, officials and allies of the Liberal Party Cebu (LP-Cebu) won't use the province's resources to stage their campaign sorties, its chairman said yesterday. “We are different from the Garcias,” LP-Cebu chairperson Hilario Davide III said in reference to suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and her family who occupy seats in Congress and local positions in Cebu. Davide...
2/1/2013
Palma Don't be dictated by surveys

        BE wary of surveys. With the election season heating up, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma urged the public to be critical when interpreting survey results last Wednesday. Palma, also concurrent president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said voters should be discerning when reading about survey results because some of these might be skewed to favor certain candidates. He added that...
2/1/2013
Mandaue brooms to sweep world market

        Avillage in Mandaue City wants to promote their local product, the silhig lanot (soft broom) into the export market. To do this, the barangay council of Paknaan in Mandaue will showcase their product in the Silhig Festival this Sunday, Feb. 3. Barangay Captain Malaquias Soco said silhig lanot producers in their barangay will showcase the broom made from buri. The silhig showdown will be held in the open sp...
2/1/2013
CCMC opens own animal bite center

        THE Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) now has an Animal Bite Center, which will be amply stocked with anti-venom serum. It will also have more sophisticated equipment to ensure the improved delivery of services to their patients, said hospital chief Dr. Gloria Duterte. Duterte added the animal bite center which opened last December also has specialized equipments to treat poisonous animal bites. The Departme...
2/1/2013
Broadcast group opposes Comelec ‘prior notice’ rule

        MANILA — The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) sa insisted that requiring TV and radio stations to notify the Commission on Elections about their interviews with candidates in the 2013 elections was unconstitutional. Rudolph Jularbal, counsel of the KBP, told Comelec commissioners in a public hearing that the requirement of “prior notice” would violate the constitutionally protected right of fr...
2/1/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        RAMA TO COUNCILORS: YOU'LL HAVE CONSULTANTS, BUT Be patient. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said yesterday that members of the City Council will be getting their consultants. But first he will have to go over their list and exercise his prerogative as mayor. “I pity them because they are so insecure, but I can share with them the P5 million budget for consultancy contracts,” said Rama who also corrected Vi...
1/31/2013
LOCKED OUT

  Gwen threatens to sue Agnes     For the second time since she was suspended, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia stepped out of the Capitol Tuesday evening to visit the southern part of Cebu. She was confident that she would be able to return to her office and resume her stay-in protest. But the doors of the Governor's Office were shuttered by police yesterday afternoon reportedly upon the order of acting Gov. Agnes Magpale...
1/31/2013
Rama bonuses also benefitted non-teaching staff

        The additional cash incentives which Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama authorized did not only benefit public school teachers but also non-teaching personnel of the Local School Board (LSB) which included carpenters, office personnel and even drivers. State Auditor Romuelda Lagunay said in a report that the release of the incentive amounting to P48.2 million was “not a mandatory requirement of the Department of E...
1/31/2013
USC graduate places 9th in Nursing board

        A 21-year-old graduate of the University of San Carlos placed 9th in the December 2012 Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE). The results were released by the Professional Regulations Commission yesterday. Christina Ligaya Jalandoni Iway from Opao, Mandaue City got an 84.00 rating in the NLE which was topped by Glicyl Arante Alvero of Colegio de Sta. Lourdes of Leyte Foundation Inc. who got a rating of 85.80. ...
1/31/2013
MCIAA approves P61M settlement for employees

        Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority has approved the P61 million for the settlement of a class suit filed by its employees during their board meeting yesterday. MCIAA General Manager, Nigel Paul Villarete said that the initial demand of the union was P73 million which was whittled down P61 million through amicable settlement. “We will comply with the Supreme Court decision and there only remains the...
1/31/2013
Homecoming for new UP-Cebu dean

        As the ninth dean of the University of the Philippines-Cebu, lawyer Liza Corro said her installation is a “homecoming” of sorts for her. “I’m sure that having accepted this position, I have come home. This is where I belong. This is where I am needed. This is where I can make a difference,” she told the audience at the Cebu Cultural Center The audience consisted of UP system officials led by President Alfre...
1/31/2013
Rama, Binay reps talk on rally

        Vice President Jejomar Binay will send his “confidante” to Cebu City today to discuss with Team Rama leaders the details of the Feb. 12 proclamation rally in Toledo City. Councilor Jose Daluz III, Team Rama campaign manager, said Mayor Michael Rama authorized him, former councilor Jocelyn Pesquera and businessman Rene Mercado to meet with Binay's representative. “It is also important for them to know what a...
1/31/2013
Sitoy rival’s building, home face demolition

        A THREE-STOREY commercial building and house occupied by a rival will soon be demolished to give way to a road widening project, Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy said last Tuesday. “We have the waiver here signed by Johnson Tan that they will voluntarily remove their structures if the government claims the lot,” the mayor told reporters. He said the existing Day-as road where the building is located is concreted...
1/31/2013
Airport fee included in airline ticket by March 1

        BY March 1, after checking in for a domestic flight out of Cebu, one no longer needs to fall in line to pay the terminal fee at the Mactan Cebu International Airport. Yesterday, the management of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) signed an agreement with five domestic airlines servicing the airport for the integration of the P200 Domestic Passenger Service charge or airport terminal fee into the p...
1/31/2013
City council freezes renewal of Rama consultants

        Uncertain of how much Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was willing to allocate for their consultancy needs, councilors have agreed to temporarily defer action on any consultancy contracts brought before them. Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young expressed concern whether there will still be enough money to pay for legislative consultants following reports that Mayor Rama intends to hire a total of 78 executive consulta...
1/31/2013
Council bars Citi Center demolition

        The City Council yesterday passed an ordinance stopping the demolition of the City Center in barangay Kamagayan. The passage of the ordinance on final reading was unopposed even by councilors Jose Daluz III and Edgar Labella, allies of mayor Michael Rama in the city council, in attendance. Mayor Rama who was on an official travel to Bohol province yesterday was not available for comment. But he said in an e...
1/30/2013
‘EXPLAIN P56M’

  COA orders Rama to justify why he used SEF to fund teachers’ bonuses     Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama fulfilled his promise to double the cash incentives for public school teachers assigned in the city. In fact, City Hall worked overtime on the last working day of the year on Dec. 28, 2012 to distribute the P10,000 bonus. Now, the Commission on Audit has tasked Mayor Rama to explain why he should not be held li...
1/30/2013
Pique identifies attacker Charges, security sought

        The father of slain six-year-old student Ellah Joy Pique identified the man who tried to stab him outside the Palace of Justice last Monday. Renante Pique pointed to the suspect’s photo which was published in a local tabloid yesterday but was unable to name him. He will meet with the regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-7) to discuss his security. “My family is afraid. We pray to God ...
1/30/2013
Court workers undergo counseling in wake of rampage

        FOR three hours, 13 employees of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 6 underwent a debriefing to help them cope with the shock of witnessing the Jan. 22 shooting rampage that claimed three lives. Fr. Monico Catubig, a priest of the Cebu Archdiocese, spearheaded the debriefing held inside the MTCC Branch 6 courtroom last Monday. Kim Solon, the designated spokesman of the employees, said the de...
1/30/2013
Slow ID claim processing irks court visitors

        WHILE there wasn't a long line of visitors at the Palace of Justice in Cebu City yesterday, the visitors who were at the building were inconvenienced over the long wait to claim their ID cards. “I feel inconvenienced. The system for claiming our IDs is not well-organized,” an angry 75-year-old Elsa Jumao-as said. A fellow senior named Conception Mapa felt the same. “I'm hungry. It took a long time before ...
1/30/2013
Garcia staff, solons slam closure of Capitol rooms

        While they remain unaffected, staffers of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said the padlocking of three meeting rooms at the Capitol ordered by Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale was a “show of tyranny.” Garcia’s chief of staff, Elizabeth Francia, said they were merely concerned about Garcia's personal belongings inside the three conference rooms at the Capitol’s main building. The rooms were padlocked by person...
1/30/2013
‘Fiscal entitled only to PhilHealth coverage’

        IS Asst. City Prosecutor Ma. Theresa Casiño, who remains in critical condition in the wake of last week's shooting incident, entitled to financial help from the government, particularly the Department of Justice (DOJ)? Except for an allocation from Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Regional State Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane said Casiño may not get receive anything else. “The government doesn'...
1/30/2013
Council approves 2013 investment plan

        THE P222 million annual investment plan (AIP) for Cebu City was approved by the Cebu City Development Council (CDC) in a special meeting yesterday. Engr. Oscar Abordo of the City Planning and Development Office told CDC members said the AIP only included projects proposals from 30 of the city's 80 barangays. The P222 million will fund road widening, road improvement, soil protection and financial assistance...
1/30/2013
Rama wants review of telco tax payments

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday ordered a review of the tax payment records of telecommunications companies doing business in the city. He said failure to reach an agreement with the telecom companies may result in legal action. Telcos and utility firms refused to pay franchise taxes but they agreed to a compromise in which they will each pay P20 million a year to the city. Poblete told the city co...
1/30/2013
Early enrollment launched

        WITH school year 2013-14 still five months away, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched its early enrollment program in all public schools in the country as part of its Education for All (EFA) goal last Saturday. “Our goal is a 100 percent participation rate of all school age children to attain education,” DepEd planning officer Fe Catingub said. She said their emphasis is on increasing enrolment of ...
1/30/2013
Palma Celdran long forgiven

        The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said yesterday, the bishops have long forgiven tour guide Carlos Celdran but the court has spoken and they could only respect its decision. "We can only love and forgive but the decision of the court is the court's verdict on the matter ... we just say amen to the decision," said CBCP President Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma at a Church forum in Intramuros, Ma...
1/29/2013
Tight security results in long beeline

  Edito Bacaya of Consolacion town didn't want to be late for a court hearing yesterday. But the 71-year-old litigant had to fall in line, a longer one that usual leading up to the the entrance of the Palace of Justice in Cebu City where strict security measures have been implemented following the tragic shooting inside the four-storey building exactly a week ago today. “Ma-late ta. Pero unsaon man nga mao man kini ang policy. ...
1/29/2013
911 hotline proposed for Cebu City alarms

  An integrated emergency call system similar to the 911 in the United States will hopefully be put up in Cebu City. Calls made through an emergency three digit number will be handled by a telephone operator who will connect the call to government agencies or volunteer groups for immediate response. Medical emergencies, for example, will be transmitted to the Emergency Response Unit Foundation (Eruf) or the Basak Pardo Emergenc...
1/29/2013
Pope death probe officially closed

THE investigation into how Cebu courthouse gunman John Pope died is closed. Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el Jr., acting chief of of police of Cebu City, said investigators have concluded that the 66-year-old Canadian expatriate shot himself in the head. “We conclude that beore he died, he was shot twice by the police and then he shot himself,” he said. The conclusion was based on a post -mortem examination of Pope's body and the testimo...
1/29/2013
Fight not over 5 cases still pending

  “The fight is not over yet,” said Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol after the Sandiganbayan dismised the graft case against Lapu-Lapu City Rep. Arturo Radaza and nine other persons for the purchase of decorative lampposts that were allegedly overpriced. Of seven cases filed in the Sandiganbayan over the lampposts, five remain in the anti-graft court. Radaza was accused in only one case as mayor of Lapu-Lapu Ci...
1/29/2013
PB wants to verify Balili property status as ecozone

The Provincial Board will formally ask the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to clarify the status of the Balili property in barangay Tina-an, Naga City Cebu in relation to its proposed re-classification as a special economic zone. “The Department of Environment and Natural Services (DENR) said any economic development in the property should meet the conditions of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC),” PB Member Arle...
1/29/2013
Rama won’t lobby for BRT project approval

WHILE he still believes in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system project, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama won't lobby for its approval before the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). “I've had enough embarrassment on what the (national leadership) have not acted on, on what is for the good for Cebu City,” Rama said, referring to the government's decision to bypass his choices for city police chief and treasurer. Besides,...
1/29/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

Treasurer gets six month extension Acting Cebu City Treasurer Emma Villarete was given a six-month extension by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, a decision Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was glad to accept. “They have to be clear about their policies. It's not about Emma but territorial operations. The mayor's prerogative to chose his city treasurer,” the mayor said. Rama, who wanted to retain former Cebu City treasurer Ofelia Oliva, ...
1/29/2013
PNoy warned vs political ‘suck-ups’

The United Nationalist Alliance yesterday warned President Benigno Simeon Aquino III against what it described as "pseudo reformists" among his allies. UNA secretary general Toby Tiangco protested the statement of Liberal Party member Ben Evardone, who had accused UNA of straddling two horses by claiming to support the Aquino administration while attacking its programs. UNA's bets are going head to head with the candidates of the LP-...
1/29/2013
Cortes renews Fortuna, 27 others

  MANDAUE City Mayor Jonas Cortes may be consolidating further his political influence by renewing for another six months the contracts of 28 consultants. On top of the list of consultants is former vice mayor Carlo Fortuna, a known political nemesis of Cortes. The move of Cortes in hiring opposition stalwarts as consultants is one way of unifying political clans in the city. Fortuna was first hired as consultant on legislativ...
1/29/2013
Rama wants separate UNA rallies for city, province

IF Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama will have his way, he will have the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) hold two proclamation rallies -- one for their provincial candidates and a second one for their Cebu City candidates – “in order to avoid confusion.” Rama said that Cebu City and Cebu province have different sets of voters whom UNA candidates should also court for support. Last week, UNA senatorial bet Juan Miguel Zubiri said they mig...
1/28/2013
PEOPLE’S HERO LAID TO REST

  Emotions pour at Requiem Mass   He was a hero to many people; a hero especially to us.” Isabella Rafols summed up how his father, Dr Reynold Rene Rafols, is regarded by his family and the general community he conscientiously served before he was gunned down last Tuesday by an embittered Canadian expatriate at the Marcelo Fernan Palace of Justice. Rafols and his lawyer Jubian Achas were laid to rest yesterday, less than a...
1/28/2013
NegOcc ambush kills nine

   Nine people were killed while nine others were wounded at past 3 a.m yesterday when armed men believed to be communist insurgents, opened fire at a truckload full of policemen and village watchmen in a hinterland village of La Castellana town, about 82 kilometers south of Bacolod City. The fatalities included a policeman, three members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT), two barangay tanods (village watchmen), two ...
1/28/2013
Sandigan drops raps against Radaza on lamppost scandal

   THE Sandiganbayan 5th division dismissed the graft charges filed against Lapu-Lapu Rep. Arturo Radaza in relation to the 2007 multi-million peso lamppost controversy. The Sandiganbayan cited the need to further investigate the allegations raised against Radaza, then mayor of Lapu-Lapu City at the time the lampposts were purchased in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit. The Sandiganbayan decision d...
1/28/2013
Gwen’s defiance ‘going too far’, Sitoy says

   CEBU Provincial Board (PB) Member Arleigh Sitoy yesterday said suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia's insinuation that she has rights to her office is "going too far.” "That's going too far. But I will abide by the decision of Governor. Magpale," he said in response to the statement by Garcia's daughter Christina Codilla-Frasco that the governor can return to her office despite being suspended by the Palace. President Benigno ...
1/28/2013
‘Offer new tourism packages for Cebu’

   Cebu should continue to bank on its strengths and explore more offerings to help achieve the higher national target and remain among the top destinations in the country. Rowena Montecillo, Tourism regional director, said this last Saturday to tourism stakeholders in the region as they discussed ways to achieve this year’s tourism targets. "The regional target has also been raised to 2.6 million this year which is 100,000 highe...
1/28/2013
Balili lot is ‘zone of broken dreams’

   A Cebu town mayor laughed at reports that the Capitol’s application for the declaration of the controversial Balili property in Naga City as a special economic zone was already approved. Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy, an erstwhile ally of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said the property should be aptly declared “economic zone of broken dreams.” He said he thinks the land titles of the 24.7 hectare property in barangay Tinaan, Na...
1/28/2013
PB tackles ordinance to rationalize Provincial Information Office

   AN ordinance strengthening the Public Information Office of the Cebu provincial government is set to be filed before the Provincial Board today. The ordinance's author, PB member Arleigh Sitoy said the ordinance will define the structure and function of the Provincial Information Office (PIO). The PIO under the proposed ordinance will have delineated functions in terms of its administration and public communications function. ...
1/28/2013
Journalist laments police rejection of rob complaint

   Cebu Daily News columnist and TV host Jude Bacalso laments the police’s refusal to respond to his distress call after his house in barangay Lahug was robbed. “Although, the police responded within minutes of our call, and (Scene of the Crime Operatives) SOCO dusted for prints, we first ran to the police post just across us, but they flatly refused to help because it wasn't in their jurisdiction,” Bacalso said. Bacalso was refe...
1/27/2013
‘LET GOOD COME OUT OF THIS’

  Slain doctor’s family, friends to continue his charity work; decry ‘senseless murder’ by foreigner     Grief and gratitude. Anger and a call to honor his wish for peace. Indignation over the “Hall of Injustice” where he was killed. A challenge to make “change” happen. A mixture of emotions spilled out in Friday evening's memorial service for Dr. Reynold Rene Rafols, who was shot dead along with his lawyer Jubian...
1/27/2013
Gunman’s body cremated ashes go to ex-girlfriend

        The remains of John Holdridge Pope, the Canadian expatriate who went on a shooting rampage in Cebu's Palace of Justice courtroom last Jan. 22, were cremated Friday evening. His ashes were placed in an urn and handed over to a Ires Adiong of Sagay City, Negros Occidental, a woman Pope earlier described in his journal as his former lover and the mother of a young girl he considered “the light of my life.” A ...
1/27/2013
Feud with Rafols was ‘about children’

        THE “real reason” Dr. Reynold Rene Rafols was tracked down and killed by an angry Canadian ex-neighbor has to do with children, said one of the doctor's lawyers, Mat Jo. Speaking in a memorial service for Rafols on Friday, Jo was emphatic that the general impression that the Jan. 22 shooting was due to a “personal conflict” between the two former neighbors was incorrect. “That's not true!” Jo said in his eu...
1/27/2013
‘Troubled and unhappy’

        FORMER colleagues of John Holdridge Pope in Canada described him as a “good reporter” but he was “troubled and unhappy” and had a dark side. "He was a very unhappy guy, a troubled guy. He was kind of a crazy man," Doug Martin, former features editor at Prince George Citizen, was quoted saying in a report by the Vancouver Sun. Pope, who introduced himself in Cebu as a retired journalist, was a staff reporter...
1/27/2013
78 stranded in Bohol sea rescued

        About 50 passengers of Super Ferry Shuttle 5 and 28 crew members were left afloat in the waters off Bein Unido town in Bohol province for eight hours after the vessel’s engine conked out shortly after midnight on Saturday. Cebu Coast Guard commander Rolando Punzalan said the boat capain Romeo Berdos will be ordered to explain why he failed to immediately inform their office about the incident. “Technically ...
1/27/2013
Gwen to attend UNA rally at Capitol, plan town visits

        While suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia still has to finalize her visits to Cebu's towns, she voiced commitment to attend the proclamation rally of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party at the Capitol on Feb. 12.  Garcia met with mayors affiliated with her family's One Cebu party in her office and discussed the details of the rally. She said committees will be organized for the event. She reiterate...
1/27/2013
Citom staff to receive stipend this week

        PERSONNEL of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) can collect their honorarium this week after the Human Resources Development and Office (HRDO) issued their appointment papers last Friday. Citom head Rafael Yap said he already ordered the processing of appointment papers for his 537 personnel so they could receive their honoraria computed to start from Jan. 1. But Yap said the contracts of 1...
1/27/2013
Magpale, Sitoy declared ‘persona non grata’ in Dumanjug

        FOR “maligning” the reputation of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, the Dumanjug municipal council passed a resolution declaring Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale and Provincial Board (PB) member Arleigh Sitoy as “persona non grata.”  "We find it unacceptable that they continually malign Governor Garcia who brought much development to our town. They aren't welcome in Dumanjug for what they did to a child of...
1/27/2013
PCOS machine tests ‘successful’

        There were no major glitches in yesterday's field testing for the Precinct Count Optical Scanners (PCOS) machines in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu, said local supervisors of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Despite a 30-minute delay in the transmission of results to the Capitol due to signal problems from telecommunications networks, Comelec provincial supervisor Marco Lionel Castillano said. “Still...
1/27/2013
Tangub shares formula for Sinulog victories

        What makes Tangub's Tribu Sinanduloy dance troupe win so often in the Sinulog? It helps that the city government of Tangub, Misamis Occidental, gives scholarship grants to all 180 performers by enrolling them in the city college. The support of Mayor Philip Tan is key in harnessing local talent. The city has a Performing Arts Center that trains local talent for various competitions all year round. It cos...
1/27/2013
After Sinulog, Lumad Basakanon eyes Aliwan Fiesta in Manila

        LUMAD Basakanon may have landed second place in Sunday's Sinulog grand parade but Basak San Nicolas barangay captain George Rama said he would make sure that his group would be able to outshine Tribu Lingayan of Alang Alang, Leyte when they face each other in the Aliwan Fiesta to be held in Manila in April. Rama said that they wrote Aliwan organizers early this month to inquire if the Basakanons would alread...
1/26/2013
NO NEED FOR NBI HELP

  Police chief allays fears of whitewash, Pope shooting probe 95% done   The investigation is nearly closed. There's no need for the National Bureau of Invesigation (NBI) to come in. Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el, chief of police of Cebu City, yesterday made this assessment in reaction to reports that a regional official of the Commission on Human Rights wanted the NBI to conduct a parallel probe on Tuesday's tragic courthous...
1/26/2013
Strict security measures in place Monday

  Regional police chief backs proposal to let judges, prosecutors carry guns     The “No ID, No Entry” policy shall be strictly implemented at the Palace of Justice in Cebu City starting Monday. No court employee or visitor shall be allowed to enter the premises of the four-storey building unless they present identification cards to security. Even members of the media and lawyers are not exempt from the security requir...
1/26/2013
Whistleblower tells Gwen Stay-in protest not good for you

        BUSINESSMAN Crisologo Saavedra yesterday advised suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to get out of her office as staying in a confined space for long periods will not be good for her health. “Staying in this office is not healthy for her,” the self-proclaimed anti-graft crusader told reporters as he emerged from the Governor's Office yesterday. Saavedra, a former government contractor who blew the whistle on al...
1/26/2013
Maguikay flyover repair snarls Mandaue traffic

        Traffic in the barangay Maguikay portion of the highway in Mandaue City was a mess yesterday morning due to the ongoing repair works on the flyover. Steel plates used by the contractor to cover flyover joints being repaired got displaced and blocked vehicles. Work on the flyover which included replacing its asphalt overlay and joint repairs are supposed to be done on night time only. The gridlock affected ...
1/26/2013
DEPW Only half of projects bid out in 2012

        ONLY half of the projects funded by the 2012 Local Development Fund have been bid out an official of the Cebu City Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) said. Engr. Joel Reston of the DEPW said the Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) from the City Treasurers Office have yet to be released for the other half of project. “But that is already the call of CTO (City Treasurer’s Office),” he said. The...
1/26/2013
Lapu gov’t offers free rehab for drug addicts

        THE Lapu-Lapu City government is encouraging residents who are hooked on illegal drugs to undergo rehabilitation by offering to pay for their treatment. The city government has appropriated funds for rehabilitation in the facility in Argao town for those who would voluntarily seek treatment. Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, City Police Director of Lapu-Lapu, said they noticed a drop in illegal drug trade in ...
1/26/2013
Cold front to bring more rains in E. Visayas

        MANILA — Eastern Visayas will continue to experience moderate to heavy rains and was alerted against flashfloods and landslides due to a diffused tail-end of a cold front, the state weather bureau said yesterday. “Eastern Visayas will experience cloudy skies with moderate to heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flashfloods and landslides,” the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomi...
1/26/2013
Groups slam ‘right to reply’ in Comelec rules

        The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has inserted the right to reply provision in the rules and regulations for the May 2013 election. Under the right to reply provision, candidates who feel aggrieved by news stories can demand to have their side published in the same prominence or in the same time slot as the first statement. The Cebu Citizen's Press Council (CCPC) is opposed to the provision. According ...
1/26/2013
Comelec to test voting machines in Cebu and Lapu

        THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will field test today Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) and Canvassing and Consolidating Systems (CCS) machines in the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu. The PCOS machines will be taken to Camp Lapu-Lapu Elementary School, Basak (Lapu-Lapu) Elementary School, Looc Elementary School and Lahug Elementary School. Mock elections will be held in these schools to see how the machi...
1/26/2013
Rama still clueless on UNA Cebu rally Tomas doubts

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama is still awaiting word from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) on their reported plan to kick off the 2013 election campaign in Cebu City on Feb. 12, but he said however that they are ready to host the opposition coalition. But for the Liberal Party's mayoralty bet, south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña, UNA's allies in Cebu may not be able to muster a huge crowd. “Just remember t...
1/26/2013
Rains, cold front usher ‘Hubo’ Mass

        “Deepen your faith.”   This was the message of Fr. Jonas Mejares, OSA, rector of the centuries-old Basilica del Sto. Niño in downtown Cebu City, in yesterday’s “Hubo” (undressing) dawn Mass that officially marked the end of Fiesta Señor 2013. “The feast of the Sto. Niño has passed. As we witness the Hubo of the Sto. Niño, may we deepen what we have learned as well as our faith,” Mejares told the peopl...
1/26/2013
Pardo group conquers 1st Sinulog Choral Competition

        THE Sta. Maria – Sunrise Village Choir ruled the 1st Sinulog Choral Competition. The choir which represented the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish wowed the crowd and impressed the judges with their rendition of Manny Lapincao's “Sto. Niño Gugma Ko” and an African worship song “Bonse Aba”. The first Sinulog Choral Competition had its grand finals last Thursday at the Plaza Sugbu. “I am so happy since the la...
1/26/2013
Laid back, full of sun and sand, local stories, food

        The feeling of being welcomed and the local enthusiasm kept the participants alive all throughout the three-day Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo Southern Getaway. Aside from the provincial tourism tour guides, local tour guides, mostly students and teachers hop in the Suroy-Suroy bus as it enters town. They would then start their spiel – stories that makes their town interesting and unforgettable. The festive mood -- ...
1/25/2013
SHE SMILED AT POPE

  Wounded city fiscal can now speak but bullet still in head     Assistant City Prosecutor Ma. Theresa Calibugan-Casiño had no idea that two people have been fatally shot by a litigant at Cebu's Palace of Justice when she came in for work on Tuesday morning. As she inched her way to Branch 1 of the Metropolitan Trial Court in Cities, she saw a familiar figure in white long-sleeved shirt. She smiled at the burly foreig...
1/25/2013
More detectors, guards sought

        A walk-through full body scanner may have to be installed at the entrance of the Palace of Justice as part of security measures to avoid another shooting incident that broke out last Tuesday. Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Meinrado Paredes said it's not enough to have two security guards detailed at the entrance to inspect the visitors everyday. “The guards are doing their jobs. We can't totally blame the...
1/25/2013
Debriefing for court personnel shooter faced ‘unresolved anger’

        LAST Tuesday's shooting rampage waged by Canadian John Pope in the Palace of Justice that claimed two lives and injured another person can be considered a form of “impulsive suicide”, an expert on human behavior said Wednesday. Dr. Renato D. Obra, chief of the Behavioral Sciences Department of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMCC), said Pope's decision to kill himself may be his way of appeasing ...
1/25/2013
Balili property declared economic zone? Resolve case first -- NGOs

        An official of the provincial government said the application to convert the controversial Balili property into a special economic zone has been approved. Adolfo Quiroga, chief of the Provincial Planning and Development Office said he got a call from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) confirming the approval of the Capitol’s application. But civil society groups said the approval of the Balili pr...
1/25/2013
City Hall may cut contract for Carbon II project

        CEBU City government engineers are now looking into the possibility of terminating the contract of Young Builders Corp. for the Carbon Market Unit II reconstruction because of delays. Engr. June Nadine Sison, head of the construction division of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), said the winning contractor has not yet started the construction work which Mayor Michael Rama started in Octo...
1/25/2013
Donation boxes for Mandaue street kids proposed

        THE Mandaue City Council is deliberating on an ordinance that would address the proliferation of street children in the city. If approved, business establishments in the city will be required to have donation boxes where people can drop their donations for the street children. The ordinance authored by Councilor Demetrio Cortes Jr. said having these donation boxes is a better alternative to people directly ...
1/25/2013
‘Less is more’ theme for Suroy

        Except for a hardy few in San Fernando town, there were no flag-waving students to welcome 140 tourists at the start of the Capitol's Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo Southern Getaway tour last Wednesday. “The only thing I asked (local government officials) is not to use the students. I don’t want them to miss their classes. If they want to set up a festive atmosphere they can always put in banners,” said acting Cebu Go...
1/25/2013
Rama tells allies Don’t campaign yet

        Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama urged members of Team Rama to fight the temptation of premature campaigning. Rama said his group should set the example for other politicians to follow. The mayor was reacting to complaints against Team Rama posters along major roads. “My directive is that if they can still control it, they have to wait for the proper time (for the campaign period to start). Ug dili na gyud ma ...
1/25/2013
Comelec Magpale can still hire and fire until March 28

        THE Commission on Election said that the start of the election period last January 13 did not include the ban on hiring and firing of employees. Cebu elections supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano made the clarification amid questions from the Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale if she can hire new employees to work in her office. Acting Vice Governor Julian Daan wanted the employees of the vice governors office to rem...
1/25/2013
UNA wants to open campaign in Cebu

        MANILA — The United Nationalist Alliance's journey to the 2013 senatorial election will officially begin at the "doorstep" of an embattled ally. UNA senatorial candidates are planning to jump-start their campaign on Feb. 12 with a massive proclamation rally in Cebu province where the governor, Gwendolyn Garcia, is serving a six-month suspension order issued by President Aquino. Mr. Aquino is leading the c...
1/24/2013
‘DON’T KILL US’

  Fearing for their safety, fiscals seek gun ban exemptions     Do not kill us.” Regional State Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane made this appeal to people who bear a grudge against state lawyers and other members of the legal profession following Tuesday's shooting that killed a private lawyer and seriously injured a government prosecutor at Cebu's Palace of Justice. Gubalane, in an interview, said the incident caused fe...
1/24/2013
Fund raising, prayers for fiscal

        Cebu City Asst. Prosecutor Ma. Theresa Casiño remains under observation for at least a week before doctors proceed with the surgery to remove the bullet in the nape of her neck. “Fiscal Casiño is still in the intensive care unit (ICU). Her condition is delicate. I understand there are major blood vessels to be affected,” said Mae Elaine Bathan, vice president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Ce...
1/24/2013
Shooting a grim reminder for gun control police

        LAST Tuesday's shooting rampage that killed two people and severely injured another at the Palace of Justice in Cebu City is a wake-up call for tougher gun control and an intensified campaign against loose firearms. Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) chief, said they were verifying how the shooter, John Pope, managed to sneak in two guns despite the presence of sec...
1/24/2013
Shooter, a ‘good man’, benefactor of children

        BENEFICIARIES of John Pope's generosity planned to visit him in his house in barangay Calunasan yesterday to mark his 67th birthday. According to Jessica Villamora, the late Canadian invited them to his house where they were expecting him to host a party. She said they didn't expect that their benefactor planned to go on a rampage at Cebu's Palace of Justice where he shot three people before shooting himsel...
1/24/2013
City Council to take up lot swap deal with Magpale

        The Cebu City Council decided yesterday to revive the land swap proposal with the provincial government. In a resolution filed by Councilor Alvin Dizon, the City Council wanted to initiate “genuine” dialogue with Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale on the lot swap deal involving the Capitol lots in Cebu City under Provincial Ordinance 93-1. However, Mayor Michael Rama warns the council not to overstep on the function...
1/24/2013
Rama to DOF Respect my choice for treasurer

        THE disagreement between Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and the Department of Finance over the appointment of Tessie Camarillo as head of the City Treasurer's Office may be history repeating itself. Just like in January 2012, Rama asked the Department of Finance (DOF) yesterday to respect his decision to appoint Emma Villarete as acting city treasurer. Last Jan 18, Director Carmelane Tugas of the Bureau of Lo...
1/24/2013
Abellanosa welcomes Batuhan suit

        CEBU south district congressional candidate Aristotle Batuhan filed a case in the Office of the Ombudsman against rival Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa for conflict of interest last Tuesday. Abellanosa is accused of conflict of interest because the school he owns, the Asian College of Technology (ACT) is also a beneficiary of the Cebu City scholarship program. But the councilor said the charges against him is ...
1/24/2013
Six-month stay of Citi Center eviction sought

        The chief of barangay Kamagayan yesterday asked he City Council to stay the eviction of the occupants of the Citi Center Complex. Barangay Captain Celestino “Tony” Avila asked the council to defer the eviction of the occupants in the City Hall-owned property since there is still no available funding to build the urban poor condominium which Mayor Michael Rama wanted built in the area. Avila said 300 familie...
1/23/2013
KILLED IN COURT

  Canadian retiree shoots 3 then kills himself in Cebu Palace of Justice     A 67-year-old Canadian was killed yesterday after he went on a shooting rampage in the Palace of Justice in Cebu City, where he shot dead a doctor and a lawyer in a court room filled with litigants, then walked to another court room where he shot a female prosecutor past 8 a.m. John Holdridge Pope, who was embittered by several criminal cases...
1/23/2013
More guards, CCTV cameras to secure Palace of Justice

        After yesterday’s shooting in the Cebu Palace of Justice, officials are seriously looking into adding closed-circuit TV cameras, metal detectors and more guards. Court Administrator Midas Marquez said he was informed that the contract with Eagle Matrix Security services requires the use of metal detectors. “When I get back to Manila, I’ll get a copy of that contract,” he told reporters in Cebu. Starting to...
1/23/2013
Who is John Pope?

        “I have spent helping single-parent mothers and their children. And I will continue this sponsorship until the day I die. The other part of my life will be fighting for justice and against corruption. And I will continue this fight until the day that I die.” John Holdridge Pope, who lived in Cebu for over 15 years,made good the promise he wrote in a personal journal entitled “Justice Denied” where he express...
1/23/2013
Neighborhood dispute triggered it all

        A LINGERING neighborhood dispute was the root of the fatal shooting death of three persons and the wounding of another inside the Palace of Justice in Cebu City yesterday morning, sources and authorities said. Dr. Rene Rafols and John Pope had been at odds since they were neighbors in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City. Based on court records and neighbor accounts, Pope used to own a condominium unit at Reside...
1/23/2013
Sugbo TV, Sugbo News to be rebranded, depoliticized

        Cebu Provincial Board Member Arleigh Sitoy yesterday said Sugbo TV and Sugbo News will be renamed aside from undergo a major reformat to shift the emphasis to programs and information that promote Cebu, instead of a few personalities. He clarified that the cable TV show and newsletter, which used to prominently feature Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, has been “laid to rest”. In an interview, Sitoy said officials ha...
1/23/2013
Waiver of tent owner in robbery case miffs Garcia camp

        THE camp of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia branded as an “obstruction of justice” the issuance of a waiver and quit claim of the owner of the tents which were confiscated by police from the Capitol grounds last December. 19. They accused Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale of “forcing” the owner to waive his right to sue over the confiscation, an incident whiich is the subject of robbery charges filed against po...
1/23/2013
Alcoy road mishap kills 1, injures 3

        A third passenger vehicle figured in deadly road accident in Cebu in a week. This time, one was killed and three were injured in barangay Pasol, Alcoy in southern Cebu. The fatality, Alvin Legaspi was on board a Honda Civic sedan that was rammed by a Ceres Bus Liner past 7 a.m. yesterday. The car driver Emmanuel Nabarrete, and passengers Gerome Carungay and Romel Rodriguez also suffered head injuries. Th...
1/23/2013
Cebu City project funding at P222.6 M

        Cebu City will only have P222.6 million in its Local Development Fund (LDF) to finance projects worth P5 million and less in 30 of the city's 80 barangays. In yesterday's press conference, Engr. Oscar Abordo of the City Planning and Development Office said P701 million worth of projects proposed by the other 50 barangays may still be implemented this year. The projects can be funded by supplemental appropri...
1/23/2013
A more ‘relaxing’ Suroy-Suroy set

        With fewer Cebu towns to visit, the first Suroy-Suroy Sugbo countryside tour of the Cebu provincial government for 2013 will have a “relaxing” itinerary for tourists and guests, an official said. Capitol tourism officer Grace Paulino yesterday said guests will have more time for swimming and relaxation in the seven towns hosting them. The two-night-three day swing through south Cebu, which begins today, wil...
1/22/2013
‘OUR HEROES'

  Victory of Sinulog winners inspires those outside Cebu    A proud Tangub City Mayor Philip Tan raised in the air the trophy for the grand prize in the Sinulog-based dance competition won by his contingent. “They are our heroes,” he said of the performers from Misamis Occidental. “I've always told them - win the heart of the Sto. Niño first. And they did.” A command performance by winners of the Sinulog 2013 competition...
1/22/2013
PB OKs P3.2B Capitol budget

   THE budget of the governor's office and the legislative asssitance fund of each Provincial Board (PB) member were among the items trimmed down in the P3.2 billion budget approved by the board yesterday. The PB's decision to reduce P400 million from the proposed P3.6 billion budget for the province stemmed from the contention of the PB budget and appropriations committee that the Capitol will be unable to meet its revenue targets...
1/22/2013
Comelec Magpale is ‘incumbent’ Cebu gov

   The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has recognized acting Gov. Agnes Magpale as the “incumbent” chief executive of Cebu province, entitling her to the services of police escorts during the election period. “Between suspended Provincial Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Acting Provincial Gov. Agnes Magpale, we submit that the incumbent provincial governor is the latter,” Esmeralda Ladra of the Comelec Law Department said. Comelec Comm...
1/22/2013
‘Sugbo News, Sugbo TV like an unwanted child’

  PROVINCIAL Board Member Arleigh Sitoy has decided to withdraw his proposal to institutionalize Sugbo News and Sugbo TV. In a privilege speech on the PB's first regular session for this year, Sitoy likened the establishment of the two Capitol media entities to the birth of an unwanted child. "Sugbo News and Sugbo TV sprang out from the womb of the Governor's Office without a vision or a mission or an office order. In other words,...
1/22/2013
Sinug lives on

   In the garden, boys and girls dressed as natives and Spanish soldiers danced the “sinug” to the beat of a two drummers. A mock battle between two groups representing Christians and Moro natives was played out with wooden swords and shields. A boy with a red cape, representing the Batang Hari or Holy Child, offered prayers before a table altar in Cebuano and Latin. The prayer-dance taught to neighborhood kids in barangay Mabolo...
1/22/2013
Injured dancer treated, lost children found after Sinulog

   ALL'S well that ends well for an injured lead dancer of Zamboanga Sibugay and two kids who were reunited with their parents after they were reported missing in last Sunday's Sinulog Grand Parade. Sinulog Foundation executive director Ricky Ballesteros said Zamboanga Sibugay dancer Chloe Harris was covered by insurance when she was released from Chong Hua Hospital after being treated for a cut on the chin last Sunday. Ballestero...
1/22/2013
Sinulog peaceful but garbage woes persist

   By morning, most of the trash left by Sinulog revelers was cleared from the parade route. A total of 113 tons of garbage was left in the six kilometer route leading to the Cebu City Sports Center. Randy Navarro, chief of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill operations, said 500 street sweepers and garbage collectors collected 90 percent of the litter left by revelers as of 6:30 a.m. yesterday. Most of it were plastic items. The sani...
1/22/2013
Agnes turns 71

   OTHER than the customary wish for good health, acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday wishes for a “peaceful resolution of things that are needed to be resolved” as she turned 71 yesterday. "I need your prayer for good health, perseverance," she said. Dressed in a golden yellow blouse and pants, she welcomed visitors who called on her at her office. Among her prominent well-wishers were: Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas O...
1/22/2013
Boy died of injuries in head, says doctor

   Police will look into the revenge angle in the death of a three-year-old boy after the second autopsy results showed that there was foul play involved in the child's death. Dr. Nestor Satur, medico-legal officer of the PNP Crime Laboratory at the Cebu City Police Office, made a second autopsy last Saturday after the mother contested the first autopsy results which said that the boy, Jian Jumawan, died due to snake bite in his ja...
1/22/2013
Proposed measure on mentally-ill persons pushed

   A PROPOSED ordinance banning mentally-deranged persons from staying in public areas in Mandaue City is being pushed at the City Council. The proposal would authorize police to apprehend mentally-deranged persons and bring them to the City Health Office for tests to see if the persons was really mentally-ill. If he is, then he will be referred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center for treatment. penalty and fine The prop...
1/22/2013
Security for Gwen a ‘judgement call’

   Providing security escorts to suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in last Sunday’s Sinulog finale was a “judgement call” on the part of the Cebu City police chief. Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, Police Regional Office-7 (PRO-7) chief said this after questions arose over the legality of the police protection. While the Commission on Elections (Comelec) recognized Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale as the Capitol's chief executive, they saw...
1/22/2013
After Sinulog dance, Garcia may visit Cebu towns

   AFTER joining last Sunday's Sinulog Grand Parade and dance competition at the Cebu City Sports Center, what's next for suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia? Her younger brother, Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district, told reporters that the Garcia family may consider the possibility of her visiting Cebu's towns during the campaign period. "We have been discussing... the Cebuanos probably want to see her in the towns. T...
1/21/2013
Leyte, Tangub on top

   Thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the grandstand were an early sign of the victory of Alang-Alang from Leyte province, which was adjudged champion of the Sinulog 2013 in free-interpretation dancing. Flower props, a fast beat and synchronized movements created a “visual feast,” said Nestor Jardin, chairman of the board of judges, in the annual competition which is usually dominated by out-of-town visitors. “The dis...
1/21/2013
Gwen dances sinulog for 9th and last time as governor

   Suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia last night got her wish to dance for the last time in the 33rd Sinulog Festival at the Cebu Sports Center as thousands in the crowd cheered. Dressed in a crystal-studded white gown by high-fashion designer Cary Santiago and holding an image of the Sto. Niño, Garcia blazed on stage where she was introduced by emcee Sam Costanilla as the “governor” of Cebu, as “Mabuhi Ka Sugbuanon”, the song of...
1/21/2013
Good weather, happy tourists favor Sinulog parade

   “THIS is the best festival I’ve sen in the Philippines,” said Polish tourist Wesley Dudzinski. He watched the Sinulog parade for the first time with his wife Neri Papas yesterday. They also attended the fluvial parade last Saturday and two novena Masses in the Basilica del Sto. Niño. He said he’s glad he followed the advice of his friends abroad, who come to watch the Sinulog every year. Australian Amanda White was another fi...
1/21/2013
Reporters Notes

   Star Wars “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away …” The phrase which usually precedes each Star Wars movie came to mind when a group of participants dressed in costumes of characters in the iconic sci-fi movie joined yesterday’s parade. Behind the masks and costumes were members of the Young Lawyers Association from Cebu and Manila. Cebu City Councilor Alvin Arcilla said the 12 participants spent P110, 000 for their cos...
1/21/2013
Vote with conscience, faithful urged

   The Catholic Church will not impose their influence on the electorate. With the May 13 elections drawing closer, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma exprssed hope that people would vote based on their conscience, not because of any mandate from the Church. "Is there such a thing as a Catholic vote? No and Yes," said the 62-year-old-prelate during his homily at the pontifical Mass for the feast of Holy Child Jesus at the Basilica del S...
1/21/2013
Banca ride leads family to Sto. Niño

   A BANCA ride in the 2001 fluvial procession of the Sto. Niño set the Seville family on a one-year journey to embracing the Catholic faith. Rasty Seville, 62, and his wife Lilibeth, 52 , said they were Protestants when they attended their first Sto. Niño fluvial procession in 2001. A friend invited them to join them in a banca ride with 20 people on board in barangay Pasil, Cebu City. Out of curiousity, they went along. The ov...
1/21/2013
Tops offers a breathtaking view of Cebu

   A CORNER in barangay Busay is one of must-see places in Cebu. Called Tops, the place situated atop a hill about 610 meters above sea level, gives tourists a breathtaking view of Cebu City and Mactan Island. Early mornings and sunset are the best times for tourists to get the best views of the city. The rustic ambience as well as the fresh cool air will be a welcome treat from the heat of and noisy city below. Tops has cottage...
1/21/2013
UNA leaders attend Sinulog, visit Gwen

   THE “three kings” of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance were in Cebu again yesterday during the Sinulog to visit their ally suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, nearly a month since their last visit. They wished her well before she stepped out to join the Liloan municipal contingent in the Sinulog and watched her perform later in the evening. Vice President Jejomar Binay said he repeated his advice to Garcia to continu...
1/21/2013
Magpale, PJ extend aid to Naga, Toledo victims

   Despite their differences, both acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale and Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district quickly extended cash assistanceand medical services for victims of vehicular crashes in Naga and Toledo cities last week. Magpale went to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) to arrange for blood transfusions and CT scans for victims with severe injuries hours after the Jan. 16 collision of a bus and tra...
1/21/2013
They come home to experience Sinulog

   They left for the United States in 1975 with only two suitcases. Ten years later they came home spreading their blessing in time for the Sinulog festivities. Engineer Romeo S. Jurani and his wife, lawyer Nadia Catarata-Jurani were among the 400 balikbayans, and guests who attended last Thursday’s Balik Cebu welcome dinner held at the Ayala Center Cebu Terraces. The Juranis have been coming home to Cebu for the past 12 years to ...
1/20/2013
Bigger, better parade

        Rain or shine, the Sinulog parade will roll out this morning as gates of the Cebu City Sports Center open early at 6 a.m. for spectators. A bigger and better Sinulog awaits spectators, promised Ricky Ballesteros, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI). “From what I’ve seen in the rehearsals, the performances have greatly improved along with the costumes, production, and concepts,” he said. ...
1/20/2013
Sto. Niño procession draws 2.7 million

        Under cloudy skies, 2.7 million people yesterday took part in the five-hour solemn foot procession of the Sto. Niño de Cebu. It ended with evening Mass for an overflowing crowd at the Pilgrim Center and one hour of joyous sinulog dancing by people from all walks of life shouting “Pit Señor!” for a litany of prayer intentions ranging from parents and politicians to the sick and loveless. Devotees walked beh...
1/20/2013
Organizer ‘Show respect if Gwen dances’

        WILL the audience in the Sinulog grandstand – and on the street – welcome the sinulog dancing of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in today's grand parade? Ricky Ballesteros, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc., appealed for good manners and courtesy if Garcia actually shows up. “I'd like to appeal to the public to show the respect due her (Garcia) as the governor and as a woman,” he told Cebu D...
1/20/2013
Maguikay flyover repair work starts on Jan. 24

        MOTORISTS who use the Maguikay flyover in going to the north or going to the city from the north are advised to take alternate routes starting Jan. 24 until Feb. 3 because the flyover would be closed for repairs. Edwin Ermac, head of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM), gave the advice because the schedule of repairs for the Maguikay flyover would be done during those days. He advised motorist ...
1/20/2013
PB to tackle Capitol job issues Monday

        A proposed resolution to specify the job description and designation of all employees in the provincial Capitol especially those who occupying non-plantilla positions will be filed before the Cebu Provincial Board next week. Provincial Board Member Arleigh Sitoy said he will submit the proposed resolution to clear issues concerning non-plantilla employees. Sitoy cited as example the Sugbu TV employees whose...
1/20/2013
‘Faster, earlier processions’

        YESTERDAY’s annual Sto. Niño processions by sea and land stayed on schedule. It was even one hour shorter for the fluvial parade down the Mactan Channel due to extra efforts to avoid letting the “galleon” carrying the image of the Sto. Niño make crowd-pleasing detours by the coastline. Fine weather helped the sea journey along. Not everyone appreciated the efficiency. “Paspas ra kaayo ang fluvial processi...
1/20/2013
Bohol contingent wins fireworks competition

        The contingent from Bohol, Wow Fireworks, won the judges' approval and was crowned “Sinulog Pyro King” in last night's fireworks competition hosted by SM City Cebu. Cebu's Avila Fireworks placed second while the fireworks makers from Rizal, Sky Intensity, landed third. Diamond Fireworks of Bulacan and JVZ of Laguna placed fourth and fifth. Judging this year’s competition were artistic director Douglas Nier...
1/19/2013
Garcia sounds game ‘I’m ready to face the risk’

        Suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday dropped broad hints that she would dance in tomorrow’s Sinulog grand finale. “I am ready to face all risks even if they will embrass me or throw anything to me. I would be ready to take that. I'm ready to sacrifice even to the point of being a recipient of pain and embarrassment,” she told reporters yesterday. “My devotion to the Sto. Niño should take precedence ov...
1/19/2013
Icons arrive in Mandaue for overnight vigil

        MARYJOY skipped school to join the multitude of devotees who welcomed the images of the Sto. Niño and the Lady of Guadalupe as it made its way through the boundary of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue yesterday. Waving her hand as the glass-encased icons passed, the young girl was among thousands who lined M.J. Cuenco Street close to noon yesterday. “Ni-absent lang ko karon kay napanaad na nako ni. Akong pray ...
1/19/2013
Are you ready for Sinulog?

        For candidates and political teams: No handshaking by politicians or display of political banners or distribution of campaign materials. These are not allowed on the Sinulog parade route tomorrow, said Ricky Ballesteros, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI), who warned that rules will be strictly enforced. Any candidate or his representatives caught politicking along the parade route wil...
1/19/2013
Dancing for a ‘better Masbate’ and peaceful elections

        AT 2 a.m., people were still awake at the Cebu City Sports Complex. Dance troupes took turns rehearsing on stage and on the track and field, all aiming to get the judges' best scores. Masbate province sent two contingents as defending champion of the Sinulog-based category and 2nd placer for the Free Interpretation Category. When they cry “Pit Señor!” and dance, they also implore the Sto. Niño for blessing...
1/19/2013
Barry leads Lanao Norte contingent

        LANAO del Norte, one of eight out-of-town contingents in the Sinulog 2013 , will highlight its Sarimanok Festival with the theme “For Peace and Unity in Mindanao” and the blending of different cultures. The contingent is led by Cebuano choreographer Mark Barry Luche, who formerly trained dancers of Masbate province through their winning streak of four years of Sinulog awards. The 400-member delegation from ...
1/19/2013
Lumad Basakanon to sport wings, not tattoos

        Cebu City's popular Lumad Basakanon dance contingent will do away with tattoo body paint and instead put on wings for Sunday's grand parade. They aim to recapture the championship in the Free Interpretation category which they last tasted in 2008. Watch out for a “Malakas at Maganda” theme with gold costumes and birds in the retelling of the Filipino legend of the first man and woman who sprung forth from a...
1/18/2013
ALL SYSTEMS GO

  Traffic, church officials ready for Sinulog weekend     Be prepared to walk and pray for good weather. Traffic and church officials yesterday issued their respective advisories to the public in the run-up to the grand Sinulog weekend. Rafael Yap, acting head of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), said it would be best for people to just walk to their destinations as traffic is expected to be heavy ...
1/18/2013
EMB questions Capitol move to backfill Balili property

        The Capitol failed to comply with the conditions of its Environment Compliance Certificate (ECC) for its secured landfill project in its 24.7 hectare Balili property in barangay Tina-an, Naga City. This was stated in a memorandum sent by the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) to the Provincial Planning and Development Office yesterday. In his memorandum, EMB-7 Regional Director Ferna...
1/18/2013
Gwen’s son drops theft charges vs DILG chief

        ROBBERY charges against Interior and Local Governments Secretary Mar Roxas were dropped by the son of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday. In a manifestation submitted to the Cebu City Prosecutors' Office, Pablo “Paolo” Garcia III chose to remove Roxas from the respondents and included Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale instead. Paolo accused Magpale of ordering the removal of the three tents used by Garc...
1/18/2013
Binay, UNA leaders to grace Sinulog sans P-Noy

        EVEN without President Benigno Aquino III, Cebu City will still have its share of top national officials as guests for this Sunday's Sinulog Grand Parade and dance competition. Ricky Ballesteros, Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) executive director, said he was only waiting for the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) to coordinate with his office on the visit of Vice President Jejomar Binay. Despite t...
1/18/2013
Boy dies in Naga bus crash on 15th birthday

        Lyle Hecx Adrian Firmeza and his mother attended the novena Mass and lit candles for his 15th birthday at the Basilica del Santo Niño in Cebu City last Wednesday morning. A few hours later, the bus that he and his mother rode in was rammed by a trailer truck at sitio Gaway-gaway, Uling, Naga City at 4:45 pm. Lyle was one of 11 people who died in the accident. His mother Mary Aileen survived with minor inju...
1/18/2013
Most Sugbo TV equipment found to be defective

        MOST of the equipment used for Sugbo TV, the Capitol's cable TV program, are defective, results of an inventory done by IT professionals and personnel from the General Services Office (GSO) showed yesterday. “The cameras worth P200,000.00 each were defective along with the computers and hard disks. I don't know why these things happen, considering how much these equipment cost,” said Provincial Board (PB) me...
1/18/2013
Beauty queen to dance in Sinulog grand finale

        Aside from the Sinulog Grand Parade competition, organizers also promise a grand finale with Ms Tourism International 2013 winner Razini Alexis Gomez performing with about 500 dancers in the finale at the Cebu City Sports Center on Sunday. The grand finale will carry the theme of Cebu City's 75th Charter Day celebration on Feb. 24. The grand finale worth P2.5 million will feature the different eras of Cebu ...
1/18/2013
Lawyers, doctors to join Sinulog fest

        LAWYERS from Manila dressed like characters in the sci-fi movies Star Wars and Terminator and 100 doctors and nurses wearing clothes worn in the 1930s and 1940s including the World War II years will join Sunday's Sinulog Grand Parade. Cebu City councilor Alvin Arcilla, said that the presence of the members of the Young Lawyers Association in Manila would be an added attraction to the grand parade. About 100...
1/18/2013
Cebu City jail inmates welcome Sto. Niño

        The Sto. Niño offers hope to inmates as it visits the Cebu City Jails —the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center and the Operation Second Chance Center at barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City today. Over 160 minor detainees yesterday welcomed the image of the Senor Sto. Niño at the Operation Second Chance Center, the first stop of the activity called “Duaw Niño”. Yearly activity The activity initiated by the priests...
1/18/2013
Cluster 4 wins Mandaue’s 1st Panagtagbo festival

        THEY wore American inspired costumes and they showed their glamor in executing basic dance steps of the Panagtagbo and mixed it with steps from an American influenced folk dance. The ladies wore black and white silk and lacy dresses while the boys wore black shirts with white collar. The group also used tarpaulins showing the delicacies of Mandaue like bibingka were used as a backdrop together with some lan...
1/18/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        UNPAID CASUALS IN CEBU CITY HALL ABOUT 1,000 casual workers in Cebu City Hall have yet to be paid since Jan. 2 due to the non-renewal of their contracts, the Human Resources and Development Office (HRDO) said yesterday. Sonny Gimenea, asst. HRDO chief, said these employees are detailed at the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF), Market Operati...
1/17/2013
P-NOY TO SKIP SINULOG

  ‘I wasn’t invited’, says Aquino; Cebu City mayor put on the spot     President Benigno Aquino III yesterday greeted Cebuanos ahead of Sunday’s Sinulog but stirred a controversy by commenting that “I wasn't invited.” "Bagamat wala ho'ng nag-imbita sa akin (Even if nobody invited me), Viva Pit Señor!” he told a crowd of 5,000 at the Mandaue City Sports Complex where he introduced senatorial candidates of the Liberal Pa...
1/17/2013
Aquino No Capitol standoff

        President Benigno Aquino said the Cebu provincial government was functioning smoothly under Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale and that “there is no standoff” in the Capitol. The President made his position known yesterday morning as suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia's defiance of a Malacañang order suspending her for six months enters Day 27. Mr. Aquino was in Cebu yesterday to inaugurate a Filipino-Australian ...
1/17/2013
Tourist police set up for Sinulog

        TOURIST police, saturation campaigns and Kaohsiung buses were among the security measures set in place in the runup to the Sinulog Grand Parade and Dance competition this Sunday. Supt. Clifford Gairanod, public information officer (PIO) of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) said tourist police were designated to especially deal with both unruly domestic and foreign tourists. Some of these...
1/17/2013
15 million for Australian shipyard venture in Balamban town

        YESTERDAY'S opening of an Australian defense contractor's shipyard in Balamban town, southwest Cebu highlighted the country's growing reputation as world-class shipbuilders, President Benigno Aquino III said. The President was he guest of honor in the opening of Austal Philippines’ shipyard facility in barangay Arpili, Balamban town located 43 kms west of Cebu City. He said the Philippines is now the fourt...
1/17/2013
No rights violated, says Sun Star officer

        There was no censorship as far as the management of Sun Star Publishing Inc. is concerned in its decision to suspend columns of broadcaster Bobby Nalzaro. Lawyer Raymond Alvin Garcia, asst. vice president for legal affairs and administration of Sun Star Publishing Inc., said writing a column was not a right but a privilege given by the management. Garcia responded to a statement by the National Union of Jou...
1/17/2013
Wakee, eight others booted out of poll race

        WITH no court order or ruling, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) canceled the certificate of candidacy of boxing manager Rex “Wakee” Salud effective last Jan. 15. Comelec provincial supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano said Comelec Resolution 9614 issued by Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes also removes Salud from the list of national and local candidates for this year's elections. Salud's disqualificatio...
1/17/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        RICE SUBSIDY QUARREL A total of 6,575 sacks of rice purchased from the National Food Authority (NFA) as food subsidy for the city's barangay workers have yet to be distributed. In yesterday's Cebu City Council session, Councilor Michael Ralota alleged that while the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) started to process the purchase request (PR) worth P8.2 million, the PR was “tampered” by the mayor's...
1/17/2013
‘My best birthday gift ever’

        Biology student Namrata Neesha Murjani, a Cebuana of Indian descent, was crowned Miss Cebu 2013 last night. Joining Murjani’s court are 1st runner-up Therese Christine Llamada, 2nd runner-up is Maria Gigante, 3rd runner-up is Patricia Ann Estuart, and 4th runner-up Ely Rose Apple Angcon. Special prizes went to Marivee Ann Velasquez as the Miss Photogenic and Ely Rose Apple Angcon as the Kapamilya Star of ...
1/17/2013
Balikbayans arrive for Sinulog festival

        The Sinulog beat, leis and smiles greeted Philippine Airlines passengers on a flight from California as they went down the escalator past 9 a.m. yesterday in the Mactan Cebu International Airport. Leandro Lupa, a retired US Navy serviceman, said he looked forward to his first experience of Cebu and the Sinulog. "I'm alone in this vacation and I plan to enjoy. After a very long time of not being able to com...
1/16/2013
‘Let Sinulog unite Cebu’

        As tourists, pilgrims, out-of-town contingents, and balikbayans stream into Cebu, public focus shifts to events leading up to the province's biggest festival – the Sinulog. Despite the intense media attention on the six-month suspension of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who continues to defy the order of President Aquino, the chief organizer of the festival said the conflict in the Capitol has not dampened enthu...
1/16/2013
Agnes to Gwen Have no fear, go dance

        SUSPENDED Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia can dance during the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday without any fear of getting barred from going back to her office at the provincial capitol. Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday gave this categorical assurance to her former political ally who have been having second thoughts on joining the celebration amid the standoff that has gripped the Capitol for almost a month. “Y...
1/16/2013
New Sugbo TV chief named Gwen keeps car

        The 22-year-old daughter of Provincial Board (PB) Member Arleigh Sitoy will manage Sugbo TV for the next few months. Natileigh Sitoy, a graduate of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, is entertaining applicants for positions in the Capitol's cable TV channel. “We won't feature politicians except for our news program. But we won't take sides. The purpose of Sugbo TV is to promote Cebu,” she told report...
1/16/2013
Comelec confused over security detail at Capitol

        THE ongoing Capitol standoff has caused some confusion at the provincial Commission on Elections (Comelec) office. Comelec provincial supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano said he wrote Regional Director Temmie Lambino to verify who would be considered the incumbent governor. The clarification concerns the assignment of security escorts for either suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia or Acting Gov. Agnes Magp...
1/16/2013
Aquino to attend shipyard’s opening ’

        PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III will be in Cebu today for the opening of the Austal Philippines Shipyard at the West Cebu Industrial Park in barangay Arpili, Balamban town. Aquino will be given a tour and inspection of the shipyard’s assembly area by company officials led by Joselito Turano, general manager of Austal Philippines Shipyard. The shipyard is two hours away by road from the Mactan Cebu Internation...
1/16/2013
Devotee City Free shelter for pilgrims, transients

        About 110 empty container vans will be ready for occupancy when City Hall opens the Devotee City on Friday for pilgrims and out-of-town Sinulog visitors who can’t afford to book a room in a pension house or hotel. The site beside the Compania Maritima building of the Cebu Ports Authority is equipped with portable toilets, shower rooms, lights, Wi-Fi and 24-hour security. Ten container vans will be set aside...
1/16/2013
BO-PK councilors help out in Sinulog program

        DESPITE being on opposite sides of the political fence, three councilors of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) are involved in the Cebu City government’s Sinulog preparations. Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias heads the Devotee City committee, while Councilors Leah Japson and John Philip Po head the VIP food committee and puppeteers committee respectively. Po, also chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan (S...
1/16/2013
BRT delays seen to cost World Bank support

        WHILE still on schedule, Cebu City's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project may lose the support of financial institutions like the World Bank if it gets delayed further. Rafael Yap, Cebu City Integrated Traffic Operations Management (Citom) chief, said the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) board has yet to convene this year to discuss the BRT project again. Yap, who also heads the BRT technical worki...
1/16/2013
Archbishop to lead foot procession

        When the general is away, someone should take his place. A new feature of this year's solemn foot procession of the Señor Sto. Niño during the vesperas or eve of the feast day is a ceremonial turnover at the Basilica del Sto. Niño. When the image of of the Holy Child is taken out of the basilica to board a flower-decked carroza at 1:00 p.m., for the procession that will go up to four or five hours on Saturd...
1/16/2013
Mandaue’s own dance showdown in Panagtagbo

        Mandaue City has its own street dancing and religious rites for the Panagtagbo Festival tomorrow, days ahead of the Sinulog grand parade. The Thursday event will have seven contingents from the city’s 27 barangays competing for a P100,000 cash prize. It starts with a 4:30 p.m. Mass and rededication of images of the Holy Family in the National Shrine of St. Joseph in the city center. The Jan. 17 festival co...
1/16/2013
Must-see Calungsod templete, chapel at SRP

        Two of the new sights in Cebu for Sinulog visitors is the San Pedro Calungsod templete and the new Calungsod chapel at the South Road Properties (SRP). With the arrival of guests for the Sto. Niño fiesta on Saturday and the Sinulog grand parade on Sunday, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he expects visitors to check out the pyramid-style open air templete used for the Nov. 30 national thanksiviing Mass for ...
1/16/2013
Velvet clothes, capes for Niño in demand

        VELVET clothes and capes are in demand by Sto. Niño devotees. Christina Barrera and her husband Raul, occupy one of several stalls along Jakosalem Street in downtown Cebu City, where they make and sell clothes for icons of the Holy Child. As the Jan. 20 feast day nears, orders pick up. As early as August, families started placing their orders and Christina gets busier, seweing eight sets of clothes and ca...
1/16/2013
Nalzaro column’s suspension is ‘censorship’ says media watchdog

        The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said it “deplores the apparent censorship of veteran columnist Bobby Nalzaro of Sun.Star by the newspaper's owners.” Nalzaro’s hard-hitting column Saksi in Sun.Star Cebu and Sun.Star Superbalita was suspended at the start of January after the owners complained about his criticism of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. “The suspension comes at the...
1/15/2013
MORE WAITING

  Gwen’s lawyers ready for Supreme Court   “We are ready to fight all the way to the Supreme Court.” Gwendolyn Garcia's Manila-based lawyer made this statement yesterday as he laid down their legal options ahead of the possible release anytime this week of the decision of the 12th division of the Court of Appeals. Garcia's lead counsel, Tranquil Salvador III, said elevating their petition for a temporary restraining order...
1/15/2013
No more suspensions, Except Gwen

Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. yesterday said the Office of the President is already barred from imposing administrative suspensions against elective officials. The prohibition, however, does not benefit Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia who was suspended administratively by the Office of the President last December. Brillantes said the prohibition is provided under election laws. However, he clarified that the Office...
1/15/2013
Magpale says Capitol bills reach P900 million

Unpaid bills of the Cebu provincial government reach nearly P1 billion to date. Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday showed various bills to reporters, saying the Capitol would have to pay the obligations on a staggered basis since the General Fund as of January is only P90 million. Magpale said the Capitol owes P900,969,789.48 to about 40 companies and institutions as of today. An inventory of payables is still ongoing as some v...
1/15/2013
Probe on tax records of official’s school

THE Cebu City Administrator's Office will examine the records of the Asian Institute of Technology (ACT) to verify if the school has been paying the right amount of taxes. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said he ordered City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete to coordinate with concerned offices in response to a request from congressional candidate Aristotle Batuhan for a probe on ACT's tax records. Batuhan, Team Rama's candid...
1/15/2013
Slight rains seen for Cebu during Sinulog weekend

As in the past three years, devotees of the Señor Sto. Niño can expect some rain during the fluvial and foot processions on Saturday. The forecast for Central Visayas is fair weather on Saturday and Sunday with slight rains, said Pagasa Mactan weather analyst Alfredo Quiblat. Cebu will continue to experience three to five hours of rain today until Friday due to the tail-end of a cold front. According to accuweather.com, a global Web ...
1/15/2013
Help for Titang

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said the city government would take care of the hospital bills of Cebu's oldest sinulog dancer, Estelita “Nang Titang” Diola. She may be hobbled by a hip fracture and can no longer dance the “sin'ug” but the mayor said she is assured of a good seat in the grandstand of the Cebu City Sports Center grandstand if she can watch the parade on Sunday. Diola was due for discharge yesterday, but had to w...
1/15/2013
Woman contracts rabies from cat monitoring sought

A 52-year-old woman from barangay Parian, Cebu City was infected with rabies after being bitten by her pet cat last Jan. 2. The case is the first of its kind in the city under her watch, said Dr. Alice Utlang, chief of the Department of Veterinary Medicines and Fisheries (DVMF). The cat's head will be sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for confirmatory testing. She also urged all cat and dog owners in the ci...
1/15/2013
Comelec receives escort requests cops nab violators

WITH last Sunday's official start of the election period, several requests for security detail were received from candidates, the Commission on Elections in Central Visayas (Comelec-7) said yesterday. Cebu city police also made their first few arrests of violators of the election gun ban. Comelec-7 Regional Director Temie Lambino said six politicians from Negros Oriental filed requests. There were no requests from Cebu officials or ...
1/15/2013
Rama Wider roads first before bike lanes

CEBU City needs wider roads before it can accommodate bicycle lanes, Mayor Michael Rama said yesterday. The mayor said he pushed for road widening precisely to allow bike lanes to be set up in the city's roads. Rama said wider roads are a viable alternative to flyover projects lobbied by Rep. Rachel del Mar of Cebu City's north district. Rama clarified this in response to a City Council resolution approved last Wednesday asking the ...
1/15/2013
1,000 Sinulog tickets still available

Only 1,000 color-coded grandstand tickets are left for the Cebu City Sports Center where contingents will perform their dance routines on stage in Sunday’s Sinulog. Tickets are usually sold out by the weekend, said Sinulog Foundation Inc. executive director Ricky Ballesteros based on past experience. Ticket sales in-charge Lerma Binaoro said tickets left for sale are for the green and pink sections which cost P500 each. These seats...
1/15/2013
Clean, shaved heads for Sibugay’s male dancers

Three of seven out-of-town contingents arrived in Cebu City to get an early start for Sunday's Sinulog parade. All the male dancers from Zamboanga, Sibugay in Mindanao showed up with clean, shaved heads. That makes it easier for them to put on their feather headresses, said choreographer, Diosdado Evangelio Jr. He said they borrowed the idea from the Mayan tribe. For Samuel Recorte, it was the first time he we went bald. “It's unco...
1/14/2013
PEACEFUL END

   Cebu archbishop visits Gwen for third time   Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma yesterday called on people to pray for a "speedy and peaceful resolution" of the political stalemate at the Capitol which has dragged on for almost a month. The prelate spoke shortly after visiting suspended Gov. Gwen Garcia at her Capitol office where she’s been holed up for 26 days. It was Palma's third visit there to see her since the stando...
1/14/2013
Garbo ultimatum is illegal, Gwen insists

      The prospect of being “physically removed” from her office by police prompted suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to file her complaint beforeCamp Crame. In a letter to PNP Director-General Alan Purisima, copies of which were distributed to media, Gov. Garcia complained that Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo's ultimatum for her to leave office on or before Dec. 31 last year was both unethical and illegal. "Imagine the i...
1/14/2013
Politicos welcome to attend Sto. Niño feast, Palma says

      EVEN if it's largely a religious event, politicians are welcome to join the feast of the Sto. Niño, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said yesterday. Palma told reporters that some of these politicians who are running in this year's elections are devotees of the Sto. Niño. "I know that many politicians have devotions for the Sto. Nino, you are most welcome," he said. "Come and enjoy the devotion to the Sto. Niño. We k...
1/14/2013
Wakee’s allies form own slate for elections

      WITH uncertainty clouding his mayoralty bid, allies of boxing manager Rex “Wakee” Salud decided to form their own group to run in this year's elections. Led by businessman Johnson Tan, the group dubbed as “Team K” styled themselves as an opposition group to incumbent Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy in its launching yesterday. “We cannot wait until March (for Wakee to resolve his appeal to the Commission on Elections)...
1/14/2013
Titang Diola Frail but won’t miss the Sinulog

      The oldest sinulog dancer and “heritage keeper” of the original drum beat of Cebu’s biggest festival is too frail to dance for the Sto. Niño this year. If she gets to attend the Sinulog on Jan. 20, she’ll have to sit back and watch from a wheelchair. Estelita “Titang” Diola, 87, is recuperating at the Cebu City Medical Center after she broke her hip in a fall while trying to switch on the light at her home last D...
1/14/2013
Street kids have names, dreams

      DARYL, a 13-year-old boy from Sibonga town flashed a big smile after getting his share of food in last Saturday's Sinulog feeding program at the Senior Citizen’s Park in Cebu City. Although homeless in the city, Daryl has dreams for himself and his family. He said he ran away from home because his father, a jeepney driver, would beat him. Daryl was among 40 children treated to a sumptuous dinner, parlor games an...
1/14/2013
Mabolo, Apas schools win

      Colors of the jungle and performers in blue outfits that resemble humanoids from the sci-fi movie Avatar helped the Mabolo Elementary School contingent bag first place in the elementary division of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan. Mabolo bested five other contingents in the elementary category and also won Best in Musicality at the competition held at the Cebu City Sports Complex yesterday. Apas National High...
1/14/2013
New playground opens at Plaza Independencia

   Play area named after Canadian diplomat’s late son who was at home and loved Cebu   TWELVE-year-old Chris John Lopez grew up in the pier area with the streets as his playground. Yesterday, he and other children in San Roque, Cebu City were excited with the inauguration of a  new playground in the renovated Plaza Independencia. “Sukad kaniadto, karon pa gyud ko makaduwa-duwa og tarung nga playground (It's only n...
1/13/2013
5 HURT IN FIRE

  11 houses destroyed in Bulacao, Cebu City     At least five persons, including a 10-year-old girl who was nearly crushed by a speeding fire truck, were hurt in a fire that destroyed at least 11 houses in barangay Bulacao, Cebu City yesterday afternoon. The fire marshal said investigators are verifying reports that children of the owner of the house where the fire reportedly started were playing with matches. Residen...
1/13/2013
Checkpoints go up

        Election period starts; PNP to pull out bodyguards assigned to politicians The election period officially starts today. However, candidates for national positions can only start campaigning on Feb. 12, said Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. yesterday. Up for grabs are 18,053 elective posts, including 12 Senate seats, 233 House of Representatives seats, 58 party-list seats and...
1/13/2013
Gwen to decide on Sinulog dance Monday

        SHE repeatedly smiled, waved her hand, and at one point flashed a thumbs up sign. A jovial Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday took time off from her 25-day stay-in protest over her suspension as governor of the province and stepped out of her Capitol office to watch student dance contingents assemble outside to start their annual parade of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan. Garcia heard the beat of drums, went ...
1/13/2013
Festive T-shirts, bargain buys at Sinulog booths

        There’s a lot to offer from children’s toys to festive T-shirts in the booths that opened along Osmeña Boulevard for the Sinulog. If you walk down the street near Abellana National School and City Central Elementary School, more than 40 booths are open from 10 a.m. to 12 midnight. T-shirts are always a hit. To get better sales vendors strive for new designs. Booth keeper Nino Manila uses gold, silver and m...
1/13/2013
Carcar, Talisay win with books, angels

        Fresh concepts, colorful props, smooth execution, and unique choreography are what made the Carcar City division and the Talisay City Central School the top winners in yesterday's annual Sinulog dancing contest among public schools in Cebu province. Carcar students wearing checkered baro at saya danced on stage with books in their arms against a backdrop of huge bookshelves. The Sto. Niño was still the cen...
1/13/2013
Abellanosa faces new rap for scholarship row

        Cebu City Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa faces a complaint of grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority filed by his rival for Cebu City's south congressional seat. In his complaint, lawyer Aristotle Batuhan asked the Office of the President to investigate Abellanosa for allegedly using his position and influence to corner a substantial share of the city's college scholarship program. The councilor, who o...
1/13/2013
Alert status raised in Cebu City for Sinulog

        A HEIGHTENED alert status was raised over Cebu City in anticipation of the large crowd that will attend the 2013 Sinulog activities, particularly the Sinulog Grand Parade on Jan. 20. Police identified critical security areas as Juana Osmeña Street where youths hold street parties and the Fuente Osmeña circle. Metal railings at the center of Mango Avenue and at New Imus road were removed to give more room f...
1/13/2013
South bus terminal set to be moved to SRP for Jan. 20 parade

        THE South Bus Terminal will be temporarily relocated to a portion of the South Road Properties (SRP) near the Calungsod templete during the Sinulog grand parade on Jan. 20. Rafael Yap, Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) chief, said the relocation will give public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers enough room to load and unload passengers. Tents will be set up to serve as waiting areas for commuters...
1/12/2013
‘LET GWEN DANCE’

  Magpale: Sinulog performance OK for suspended governor ‘as a devotee’     Suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia “can dance her way out” of the Capitol, if she wants to. Acting governor Agnes Magpale made this remark after she was asked if she would allow the embattled governor to participate in Cebu's biggest festival and lead the province's contingent in the Jan. 20 Sinulog parade. “Not as governor but maybe as a d...
1/12/2013
Capitol cash position still tight, awaits IRA

        Until the Province of Cebu receives its monthly share of national taxes for January, cash flow will be tight and expenses will have to be carefully managed, said Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday. She was referring to the P133 million Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the province. "We are now IRA-dependent,” she said, after meeting with officials of the Bureau of Local Government and Finance of the Dep...
1/12/2013
Byron to face raps for recent ‘bullying’ incident

        ACTING Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said the Liberal Party (LP) will include Byron Garcia in the 16 cases they want to file against the Garcias. Magpale told Cebu Daily News they will file a complaint against the brother of suspended Gov. Gwen Garcia for harassing Provincial Administrator Eduardo Habin. Habin was accused of being an “ingrate” by Byron in a verbal confrontation in Habin’s office last Wednesday. ...
1/12/2013
Subangdaku flyover closes for repair

        The Subandaku flyover in Mandaue City will be closed for repair 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday. Motorists were advised to avoid the area, where the flyover crosses Hernan Cortes Street and the Mandaue highway. The weekend repair is needed to fix a defective expansion joint to avoid accidents and ensure its strucural integrity, said Renult Ricardo, assistant district engineer of the Dept. of Public Works ...
1/12/2013
Talisay City’s girl-hero gets scholarship award

        The 9-year-old girl from Talisay City who saved her younger brother from a fire that destroyed their house and four others last Monday is assured of a free education until college. Rhea Tisoy was given a full scholarship by Cebu City Councilor Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba to study in Southwestern University. Alcoseba said the girl’s courage and sense of filial loyalty deserved praise and a reward. Rhea, a grade 3...
1/12/2013
Mandaue police eyes vendetta in boy’s death

        POLICE are looking into vengeance as a possible motive in the death of a 3-year-old boy whose body was found in a grassy portion of FF Cruz, Reclamation Area, Mandaue City. The lifeless, naked body of Jian Jumawan was found by personnel of the Saint James Amusement Park who were clearing a grassy portion behind the park past 4 p.m. yesterday. The boy's mother Grace said she had been looking for their younge...
1/12/2013
Rama to ask Comelec for retention of police bodyguards

        CITING threats on his life, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is asking the Commission on Election to allow him to have police escorts during the election period. Having security escorts he said is necessary for him function fully as mayor of the city. “I have lots of concerns now because of politics. My political opponents will look for ways to eradicate me,” he said without elaborating on the source of the thr...
1/12/2013
Basilica open 24 hours for devotees

        The Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño will be open for 24 hours starting Jan. 17 to give more time for pilgrims who come to Cebu City. It’s a tradition for devotees to light candles, approach the image of the Holy Child, pray and kiss the glass-encased icon. Fr. Jonas Mejares, rector of the basilica, said this marks the first time the Agustinians who are custodians of the 16th century image, believed to be mir...
1/12/2013
Sinulog ’13 gets started

        Vintage cars drove down Osmeña Boulevard with pageant beauties of Miss Cebu waving at the crowd. Young men and women in stylized Filipiniana attire danced to the distinctive Sinulog beat in a parade that kicked off Sinulog 2013. “This parade so colorful and the Sinulog jingle just makes me dance,” said Larry Casinillo, a Bank of Makati employee, who watched from the sidewalk. A woman took photos of the co...
1/11/2013
NO TRO ISSUED

  Court asks who would suffer more injury – Gwen or gov’t?     The Court of Appeals is not inclined to stop the government from implementing the six-month suspension order against Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. In yesterday's oral arguments, Associate Justice Vicente Veloso said that in weighing both sides, that of Garcia and the government, irreparable injury is greater on the part of the government. “Irreparable inju...
1/11/2013
Visayas Ombudsman to probe gov’t vehicle misuse

        The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas will look into reports that government-owned vehicles were used to ferry supporters of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to and from her prayer rally at the Capitol last Wednesday. Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol yesterday said graft investigators will determine whether there is basis to develop the reports into a full-blown case “Media reports can b...
1/11/2013
Gwen ‘hopeful’ 2 lawyers say TRO chances ‘dim’

        SUSPENDED Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said she remains “hopeful” the Court of Appeals 12th Division would rule in her favor while her lawyer-daughter Christina Frasco said she was happy with the proceedings yesterday. However, two other lawyers, including one present in the hearing yesterday to represent Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, said chances were “dim” that a Temporary Retraining Order would be issued. “They ar...
1/11/2013
Thousands of devotees join Walk with Jesus

  They pray to thank Sto. Nino, for health, family     A wet, chilly dawn didn’t stop thousands of people from joing the annual “Walk with Jesus” that opened the religious feast of the Sto. Niñi de Cebu. People from all walks of life joined the procession, including aheart attack survivor, a polio victim on a wheelchair, and a married couple from southwestern Cebu pushing their toddlers on strollers. Neil Cañete, 50, ...
1/11/2013
Osmeña Blvd. parade launches 2013 Sinulog

        AFTER yesterday’s religious procession, comes the kickoff of the the Sinulog festival. It starts at 2:30 p.m. today with a Mass at the Sto. Niño Basilica and a launch parade to the Cebu City Sports Center for an opening program. Dance troupes from different colleges and univiersities will fill Osmeña Boulevard joined by the reigning Miss Cebu, Pierre Anther Infante. Watch for students from Ginatilan town w...
1/11/2013
Gwen’s dilemma Dance in the Sinulog for last time or stay in Capitol

        I really want to dance,” said suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia about the coming Sinulog fiesta. Her final decision, however, still hangs in the balance as she enters her 24th day of staying inside her Capitol office to defy a six-month suspension order. “This will be my ninth and final year if ever if I will be dancing as governor of Cebu so I am seriously contemplating my options,” she told reporters at he...
1/11/2013
Son defends Acting Gov. Magpale

        THE youngest son of Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale said the family stands behind her in her tasks as a public servant ”to help maintain the order of things” no matter how the Court of Appeals rules on the suspension case of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Provincial Board Member Miguel Antonio A. Magpale, in a statement, said the acting governor, who was sworn in three weeks ago, “has to face all odds in the service of ou...
1/11/2013
Rama mulls stay of acting treasurer

        CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama has developed a liking for Acting Treasurer Emma Villarete whose terms ends on January 17. Although he went to court to stop Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima from replacing Ofelia Oliva by Villarete in July last year, Mayor Rama is now all praises for the acting treasurer. “The lady has been doing fine,” Rama said. Although he did not say he would ask for Villarete's stay as h...
1/11/2013
Unfinished Mandaue road repair may worsen Sinulog traffic

        Delays in the asphalting of roads in the Mandaue Reclamation Area may result in traffic congestion in major intersections. Edwin Ermac, head of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) said the unfinished asphalting of inner lanes of the 1.9 kilometer road from the Cebu Port Authority to the intersection of the Cebu International Convention Center may cause traffic gridlock. Ouano Avenue is a vital ...
1/10/2013
Show of force, peace

        A sea of red blanketed the front of the Capitol yesterday as an estimated 3,000 supporters of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia held a rally on the eve of an appeals court hearing of her petition to stop Malacañang from suspending her for six months. Supporters in red shirts gathered at Fuente Osmeña and marched to the Capitol, where policemen watched from barricades. Garcia left her office, stood atop a makeshift stag...
1/10/2013
Gwen’s hold order stays

        Suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia remains grounded and will not be allowed to leave the country pending the resolution of the graft cases filed against her. The Sandiganbayan 2nd Division sealed Garcia's fate after it dismissed her petition to revoke the hold departure order (HDO) issued against her. A report in radio station dzMM's website said the eight-page resolution dated Jan. 2 emphasized that the ...
1/10/2013
Gov’t vehicles ferry rallyists

        Several government vehicles were used to fetch supporters of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia from Cebu towns in yesterday's prayer rally at the Capitol, including brand new tourist buses bought for the Suroy Suroy tourism caravan. Among the vehicles photographed by radio station dyLA were vehicles from Liloan, Oslob, Dalaguete, Tabuelan and Moalboal towns. One Ford truck had a red lettered plate SJC 54...
1/10/2013
Byron confronts Capitol official for turning back on Gwen

        BYRON Garcia, the tough-talking brother of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, yesterday barged into the office of Provincial Administrator Eduardo Habin and called him an an “ingrate” for cooperating with Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale. Habin, one of the Capitol’s oldest career officials who has served several governors, including Byron’s father, Pablo, chose to distance himself. He asked permission to hold office...
1/10/2013
Same procession route, different Sto. Niño icons

        A different replica of the Sto. Niño de Cebu image will sail on a galleon down the Mactan Channel for the fluvial procession on Jan. 19. The sea procession will start in Mandaue City at 6 a.m., an hour earlier than in previous years. And the icon will no longer stop by the Ouano residence for prayer rituals in order to avoid crowding and schedule delays. For the solemn foot procession in Cebu City in the a...
1/10/2013
Balik Cebu welcome dinner, cultural show

        BALIKBAYANS due to arrive from all over the world for the Sinulog can look forward to a a warm welcome with Balik Cebu 2013. Aside from an airport welcome by a rondalla band, they will be treated to a fiesta dinner and cultural show at the Ayala Terraces on Jan. 17, Thursday. Now on its tenth year, the Balik Cebu welcome dinner hosted by Ayala Center Cebu will be serving native dishes that bring out the nos...
1/10/2013
Council overrides budget veto

        The Cebu City Council yesterday overrode the mayor’s veto in a resolution that ensured that a leaner 2013 budget of P5.2 billion would stand. There was no opposition to the action of the Bando Osmeña – Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) dominated City Council in overriding the partial veto of Mayor Micheal Rama. “It’s better than nothing,” said an irked Mayor Rama later. “But it will only emphasize that they (the co...
1/10/2013
Radazas win support of brgy Basak chief

        FOR 11 years, Isabelo “Belong” Darnayla, barangay captain of Basak was a thorn in the side of the Radaza family in Lapu-Lapu City. That’s history as Mayor Paz Radaza announced a turnaround in loyalty and welcomed Darnayla and the barangay Basak councilmen saying they now support her administration. “Sa atong paningkamot nga maserbisyohan ang atong mga constituents sa barangay Basak, amo gyu'ng giduol si Bel...
1/10/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        COUNCILOR SLAMS SUB-STANDARD TIRES A Cebu City councilor yesterday complained that he was given low quality car tires by City Hall for his official vehicle. Councilor Alvin Arcilla raised his complaint in the countil’s regular session, saying the sub-standard tires caused him inconvenience twice last month. The first time, a month-old car tire exploded while he was visiting the upland barangay of Binaliw...
1/10/2013
Talisay fire victims to undergo trauma debriefing, recieve aid

        Victims of the fire that hit a Talisay City neighborhood Monday night will undergo psycho-social debriefing to help them recover from the trauma. Felipa “Beth” Solana, head of the City Social Welfare and Development office, said they would give special attention to 3-year-old Mark Anthony, whose twin brother Mark Lester perished in the fire. They will also look look into the needs of Rhea Tisoy, the 9-year-o...
1/9/2013
GIRL HERO IN FIRE

  House of Sto. Niño makers burns down     A 9-year-old girl in Talisay City has been hailed a hero after she ran into a room that was about to be overrun by flames and pulled her younger other out to safety . The fire that broke out Monday night also killed Rhea Tisoy’s 3-year-old cousin, Mark Lester, who was trapped inside. Rhea, a Grade 3 pupil at Bulacao Elementary School, rushed to her one-year-old sibling's loca...
1/9/2013
Pro-Gwen rally at Capitol today, anti-Gwen party to offer Mass

        Two gatherings in Cebu City today will show the strength of supporters and critics of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Police said they will exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with her supporters when they hold a prayer rally at the Capitol grounds, the second demonstration there since she went out to address a Dec. 30 rally of about 1,000 people. At 3 p.m., the Liberal Party in Cebu will celebrate Mass ...
1/9/2013
Garbo to face damage suit

        PABLO Garcia III, son of suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, said he would sue the chief of the regional police for recommending the revocation of his gun licenses. “Sige lang, see you in court (Chief Supt. Marcelo) Garbo sa imong pagka garboso,” Garcia said. Garbo, who was in Manila yesterday, finalized his recommendation to Camp Crame to revoke the firearm licenses of Garcia and two of his companions over th...
1/9/2013
Activist groups End ‘state of uncertainty’ in Capitol

        Various activist groups yesterday called on the national government to stop the “state of uncertainty” in the Cebu Capitol and to implement the six-month suspension of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Leaders of Sanlakas, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), Phil. Earth Justice Center (PEJC) Inc. and Kongreso ng Maralitang Lungsod (KMLP) in a press conference yesterday. They said Garcia should respect the law and s...
1/9/2013
Rama okays P5.2 billion budget, but retains veto

        While he signed the P5.2 billion budget for Cebu City this year, Mayor Michael Rama said he isn't finished arguing with the City Council. In a veto letter sent to the council dated Jan. 7 Rama outlined his objections to the council's reduction of several items he made a priority. “The reduction or putting zero budgets on programs that protect the welfare of constituents an act prejudicial to public welfare,...
1/9/2013
Suroy Suroy to south Cebu without Gwen

        The Suroy Suroy sa Sugbo will continue this month with a south Cebu trip, this time without Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia leading it. The tourism caravan will be held Jan. 23 to 25 or three days after the Sinulog parade. “I won't oppose anything which is intended to promote Cebu,” said Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, who announced the resumption of the tourism caravan yesterday after meeting with town mayors. Instead o...
1/9/2013
Legal aid for Joavan

        LEGAL assistance will be provided to Joavan Fernandez, adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez to defend him in criminal charges filed against him and two companions by a sand and gravel operator. Joavan faces charges of carnapping and usurpation of authority filed by hauler Julius Abad. The mayor said Joavan and his companions are entitled to legal aid since they were doing their job as environ...
1/9/2013
NEWS BRIEFS

        BATTERED VESSEL DOCKED AT DUMAGUETE PIER The MV Zamboanga Ferry was towed back to the Dumaguete City port last Monday afternoon, a week after it wast battered by strong waves and winds caused by tropical storm “Auring.” Cebu Coast Guard station commander Capt. Rolando Punzalan said the vessel “extracted by itself” or floated during high tide after they unloaded cargo. Coast Guard Dumaguete issued an eme...
1/9/2013
Castillano, others in shuffle of poll chiefs

        A new Commission on Elections (Comelec) supervisor will be appointed in Cebu as part of the reshuffling of election officers throughout the country in time for the election period which begins on Jan. 13. Comelec provincial supervisor Marco Lionel Castillano will be transferred to Bohol starting Jan. 21. Replacing him in Cebu is Negros Oriental election supervisor Eddie Aba. “That is made to prevent famil...
1/9/2013
‘Walk with Jesus’ to start Sto. Niño’s celebration

        Thousands of devotees are expected to join the “Walk with Jesus” from Fuente Osmeña to the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino in downtown Cebu City at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow. The more than two-kilometer walk will usher in the 447th fiesta celebration in honor of the Sto. Niño de Cebu. Fr. Jonas Mejares, OSA, rector of the centuries-old church, will preside over a e 5:30 a.m. Mass which includes the installation of t...
1/9/2013
Capitol to give P500,000 aid, lend buses

        FROM P3 million last year, the Cebu provincial government is giving financial assistance of P500,000 to the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) this year. “We computed our finances and that's the only amount we can afford to give,” said Cebu Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday. Magpale who earlier assured that the province would continue to support the festival, said the amount may be released next week. LEND BU...
1/9/2013
Cebuana beauty to dance in Sinulog

        Another beauty titlist has committed to dance in the 2013 Sinulog finale in the Cebu City Sports Center on Jan. 20. Rizzini Alexis Gomez who won the recent Miss Tourism International (MTI) at Sunway Resort and Spa in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia , is the second Cebuana beauty queen in recent years to dance in the Sinulog after 2008 Miss Earth winner Karla Henry. At the Mactan airport, where she arrived yesterday...
1/8/2013
PNP LOOK INTO BYRON

  Police chief sizes up ‘threat’ of governor’s brother, seeks son’s gun license cancellation     After Byron Garcia dared Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo to a fistfight and warned of a riot in the provincial jail, the police will have a closer look at whether Byron's present and past actions fall squarely within the law. The chief of the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) yesterday ordered his staff to study the record of the br...
1/8/2013
Capitol doors open Rename e-Gwen?

  The Capitol building's main doors were opened to the public yesterday for the first time since the Dec. 19 standoff when a Malacañang suspension order was defied by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale led Capitol employees in Monday’s flag raising ceremony, her first since assuming the post. No speeches were delivered and the morning ceremony was over after the singing of the national anthem. Magpale later anno...
1/8/2013
PB to slash Capitol budget

  THE Cebu Provincial Board will reduce the P3.6 billion budget for 2013 proposed by suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to make it “more realistic.” “We will have a budget of less than P3 billion but more than P2 billion,” said PB Member Peter John Calderon, chairman of the committee on budget and appropriations. “Our basic services will not be affected because we don't have zero allocations for specific purposes. We made sure o...
1/8/2013
‘Press freedom assault’ Gwen denies hand

  SUSPENDED governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday denied having a hand in Sun Star’s decision to suspend the column of her frequent critic, Bobby Nalzaro. “Wala ko’y labot ana kang Nalzaro kay sa mga elder Garcia na nga decision ug ako wa ma-belong sa 'elder' (I'm not involved in Nalzaro's case. It was the decision of the Garcia elders and I don't belong to that circle),” she said. Liberal Party Cebu spokesman Democrito Barcenas ...
1/8/2013
Gwen allies vow bigger rally

  Allies and supporters of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia promised a bigger crowd in a prayer rally tomorrow at the Capitol grounds. The rally is set on the eve of the Jan. 10 oral arguments in the Court of Appeals in Manila, where Garcia is seeking a temporary restraining order. Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of Cebu's 4th district said they will pray for “an honest decision” fom the court. At least 24 mayors of 52 Cebu towns a...
1/8/2013
Six displaced Tejero families to get aid

  SIX families who voluntarily dismantled their shanties to give way to a Cebu City government drainage project in barangay Tejero will each receive P10, 000 cash assistance from Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City's south district. Osmeña said even if the families live in the north district, he can allocate part of his pork barrel for them. He chided Mayor Michael Rama for pushing through with the demolition in the area. “What th...
1/8/2013
Raps filed against Joavan, two pals

Charges of carnapping and usurpation of authority were filed yesterday against Joavan Fernandez and two others for the confiscation of a truck carrying sand and gravel in barangay Lagtang, Talisay City last Friday. Businessman Julius Abad said he filed the charges against Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez's adopted son and his companions Jeffrey Sy and Benedict Gabasa, even as he appealed to haulers who are similarly aggrieved to d...
1/8/2013
Hotel rooms full for Sinulog fest

As early as October last year, most hotels in Cebu City were fully booked for the Sinulog weekend from January 18, Friday to January 20, Sunday for the grand parade and feast day of the Sto. Niño. This is particularly true for mid-size city hotels and pension houses. In Dynasty Tourist Inn, general manager Melanie Guanzon, said all their 37 rooms were reserved by guests for the Sinulog weekend. “We have guests mostly from Manila comi...
1/8/2013
Noynoy, Erap, Binay invited to Sinulog

THE country's top officials are expected to come to Cebu to attend the Sinulog Festival on Jan. 20. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he sent invitations to President Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, and former President Joseph Estrada. There’s no confirmation or reply yet, he said. “Ug muadto sila, salamat. Kung dili, maytag muadto gihapon sila (If they come, thank you. I...
1/8/2013
Nalzaro Second columnist dropped

    “BLOOD is thicker than water,” said radio-TV broadcaster Bobby Nalzaro, explaining why his column no longer appears in Sun Star Cebu and Superbalita. Nalzaro, an arch critic of suspended governor Gwendolyn Garcia, said he did not receive any warning before from Sun.Star editors to stop his attacks against Garcia, a cousin of the chairman of the paper's board of directors. In fact, according to Nalzaro, a ranking Sun Star C...
1/7/2013
RIOT IN JAIL?

  Swat units sent to reinforce Cebu city, province jails    Police yesterday scrambled to secure the Cebu provincial jail and the adjacent city jail after rumors spread that a riot or a jail break would occur apparently to embarrass acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale who was scheduled to visit the penal facility. About 10 members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) unit of the Cebu City Police Office arrived at the Bagon...
1/7/2013
Sun. Star suspends columns of broadcaster Nalzaro

  Columnist says management accommodated request of Garcia elders    Did the camp of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia finally gag veteran Sun.Star columnist Bobby Nalzaro? Since the start of the new year, Nalzaro’s Saksi column no longer appears in Sun Star Cebu and its Cebuano tabloid Sun Star Superbalita. Asked yesterday if it was true that his 15-year-old column was discontinued in 2013 because of his critical stand against th...
1/7/2013
Soldiers, cops kill 13 suspects in Quezon clash

   MANILA — Philippine army special forces and police killed 13 suspected criminals in a fierce gunbattle yesterday on the main northern island of Luzon in the latest violence to erupt in the country in the last week. A police officer was wounded in the shootout, which raged for 20 minutes in the coastal town of Atimonan in Quezon province, about 140 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Manila, the capital. The gunmen, who were r...
1/7/2013
DOF seeks quick action on tax evasion cases

   MANILA—The Department of Finance is pushing for quicker action on cases against alleged tax evaders, smugglers and erring government employees as the department vowed to go for a more aggressive anticorruption campaign. In a statement, Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares said the bureau’s Run Against Tax Evaders (RATE) would now focus on self-employed professionals, specifically those who were not filing the proper tax re...
1/7/2013
Caraga church stands up to ‘Pablo’

   Caraga, Davao Oriental—For 128 years, the old church here has been standing like a sentinel near a promontory facing the Pacific Ocean, as if guarding this seaside town from intruders from the sea. But the old stone and wooden structure, which started as a mission station of Recollect priests in this part of the country during the 19th century, surprised residents for surviving unscathed the recent onslaught of typhoon Pablo ...
1/7/2013
Sugbo TV employees mull options

   With their program closed until further notice, what's to become of the employees of Sugbo TV and Sugbo News who decided not to renew their contracts? One of them, 35-year-old Dioneses Canonigo, said he plans to work as an English teacher in one of the schools here. "It was a personal decision not to renew my contract after (the closure) last Dec.21,” he said. Canonigo said he can't help but feel that he was accused of stealing...
1/7/2013
Solons urge Aquino to certify FOI bill as urgent

   MANILA—Sen. Loren Legarda, one of the co-sponsors of the freedom of information (FOI) bill in the Senate, has called on President Aquino to rally his allies in the House of Representatives behind the government transparency measure. Legarda joined the clamor of her Senate colleagues for the President to certify the FOI bill as urgent. The bill is known as the proposed People’s Ownership of Government Information (POGI) Act. ...
1/7/2013
Lahug’s all male choir makes it to finals

   An all male choral group called the “Cebu Male Singers” of St. Therese Parish from Lahug, Cebu City is one of the top 5 groups in the first Sinulog Choral Elimination at the Plaza Sugbu last Saturday. “Our group was created to have a common goal to sing, to promote different genres of songs, and the aspects of choral,” said Jandel M. Cabasura, Cebu Male Singers conductor. Their rendition of the song “ Someone Like You” was a hi...
1/6/2013
MAYOR’S SON STOPS TRUCK

  Joavan plays eco-warden; truck owner to file carnapping raps     Joavan Fernandez is back in the limelight after a businessman complained that the adopted son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez, illegally confiscated his truck loaded with sand for the second time. The apprehension was made Friday evening in barangay Lagtang where the truck was stopped on the road about 6:30 p.m. The driver, Leandro Jaberina, s...
1/6/2013
Gwen taps Corona’s lawyer to contest her suspension

        Suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia met yesterday with her lead counsel from Manila to prepare for oral arguments to be made before the Court of Appeals on Jan. 10. She met behind closed doors for more than two hours with lawyer Tranquil G.S. Salvador III of the Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & Delos Angeles (Romulo) law firm. Salvador told reporters later they have a strong case and are confident t...
1/6/2013
Magpale vows to dispense aid to LGUs in need

        ACTING Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said the provincial government has an obligation to extend help to any town or city within its jurisdiction. “The province has an obligation to help the LGUs who form Cebu. We assure that we will give you a little something,” she said. While declining to cite names, the acting governor said some mayors claimed that Garcia snubbed their requests for fund assistance because they...
1/6/2013
SWAT men in Capitol alarm Gwen

        About 20 Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) members entered the Capitol compound yesterday morning. They stood at attention, had a group formation, counted off attendance, then left. The sight of the uniformed elite police alarmed suspended Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, who said they could be getting ready to evict her. Garcia, who has been holed up at the Capitol since December 19 when a six-month suspension ord...
1/6/2013
‘Standoff’ affects public access to Capitol building

        People transacting business at the Capitol were asked to be patient with the current security setup which has restricted entry to the public since mid December. “I'm asking the public to bear with the inconvenience because peace and order will eventually return to the Capitol,” acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said. ENTRANCE The main wooden entrance doors to the Capitol building remain closed since Dec. 19, ...
1/6/2013
Hole found in ferry’s bottom

        A hole at the bottom of the MV Zamboanga Ferry is preventing retrieval teams from the Coast Guard and the ship owner from towing the vessel back to Cebu City. This was uncovered in an underwater inspection done yesterday at 9:10 a.m. by Uni-Orient Pearl Ventures Inc., a Cebu-based salvage firm hired by George and Peter Lines. Based on the incident report of the Coast Guard Dumaguete station, surveyors foun...
1/6/2013
Mandaue to build monument to late senator Briones

        A MONUMENT in honor of the late senator Manuel Cabahug Briones will soon be built at the plaza grounds beside the Rizal-Bonifacio Memorial Stage in Mandaue City. Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes announced this during the celebration of the 4th Manuel C. Briones Day last Friday. He said the city government set aside a budget for the project this year. Mandaue City marked Briones's 120th birthday last Jan. 1. The...
1/5/2013
UNPAID BILLS

  Travel agency, food caterer, others seek payment     Anxious to get paid, more suppliers went to see Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale yesterday to present their bills for services rendered before she took over last Dec. 19. They include a travel agency which said the Province of Cebu owed P1.5 million for local and foreign trips, and a food caterer with unpaid catering bills for P1.5 million. “Before, we were paid by the p...
1/5/2013
PNP to reduce Gwen’s guards during gun ban

        Fewer policemen at the Capitol to avoid making it look like a “garrison”? No problem for Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo Jr. He welcomed as “very good suggestions” the appeal of Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama to remove barriers and pull out policemen in the Provincial Capitol. “If you can remember, we first deployed 200 policemen in the area. It's down to 50 personnel and lower than that now,” said Garbo. “Even befo...
1/5/2013
Capitol’s P30,000 bonus out on Monday

        THE Cebu Capitol may be having cash flow problems with bills suddenly presented at yearend, but its 5,000 employees won’t suffer. A P30,000 Christmas bonus, which was announced last Dec. 21, will be released next week. Provincial Administrator Eduardo Habin issued a memorandum to all department heads and employees informing them that their bonuses will be released on Monday, Jan. 7. Boo Sungcad, chief of ...
1/5/2013
Marina suspends ferry stranded by waves in Dumaguete

        THE Maritime Industry Authority in Central Visayas (Marina-7) suspended the safety certificate of MV Zamboanga Ferry a day after it failed to dock at the Dumaguete City port due to strong waves. Marina-7 legal officer Jose Cabatingan said the suspension will be lifted only after there are satisfactory results in an inspection of the vessel's seaworthiness. The ship remains docked several meters from the Du...
1/5/2013
33 election ‘hot spots’ in C. Visayas revealed

        Police and military presence will be intensified in 33 towns and cities in Central Visayas which were declared election hot spots. Nearly half of the number of election watchlist areas (EWAS) in the region are in Cebu province. The 14 hot spots in Cebu were classified as Category 1 which means the place had previous election-related incidents, said Senior Supt. Paul Labra II, chief of the Regional Intellige...
1/5/2013
Kintanar, former Cebu City vice mayor, passes away

        FORMER Cebu City Vice Mayor Vicente “June” Kintanar Jr. passed away yesterday morning. He was 73. His son, Boobi, said his father “died a peaceful death”. Several close friends said Kintanar suffered a heart attack. Kintanar left behind his wife, Paula “Lee” Boholst and four children : Sheldon, Han Christopher, Niel Richard and Carla. A vigil is behing held at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Nivel Hil...
1/5/2013
Wakee not giving up on poll bid

        REX “Wakee” Salud is not giving up his mayoralty bid just yet despite a ruling by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila granting the petition of Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy to cancel the boxing promoter's Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for lack of residency. “I've told my supporters not to worry. It''s not final yet. There are still legal remedies available out there and it will be a long process,”...
1/5/2013
Rama No papers, no 2013 budget

        Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama won't sign the 2013 budget ordinance until he's furnished a complete copy of the papers for his review. In yesterday's noontime press conference, Mayor Rama said he was interested in seeing the breakdown of the P1.5 billion which the City Council cut from his P6.7 billion budget proposal. The council dominated by former allies of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) only ...
1/5/2013
Last year’s P1.6 M loss a ‘learning experience’ Ballesteros says

        Almost a year has passed, but the Cebu City police have yet to solve the theft of about P1.6 million cash taken from the vault of the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI). “The police should have looked at all angles,” said SFI executive director Ricky Ballesteros, who said he was frustrated with the unsolved case which took place in the early hours of Jan. 16 last year or a day after the Sinulog Grand Finale. It...
1/5/2013
Dance one last time, Sinulog exec urges Gwen

        WITH 2013 being her last term in the Capitol, can Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia join the Sinulog parade on Jan. 20 with a suspension order encumbering her? Sinulog Foundation Inc. officials hope so. They invited her to join the parade in a closed-door meeting yesterday in the governor's office where Garcia has been staying since Dec. 19. “She joined the Sinulog Grand Parade in 2004 at the start of her term. O...
1/5/2013
Holidays blamed for road work delay

        Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said the inavailability of laborers who went on a Christmas break and the traffic gridlock it would have created during the holidays were the reasons why the road concreting projects in the city did not push through as scheduled. The mayor said she had wanted the road projects to start right away and have even directed the City Traffic Management System to mount an information...
1/4/2013
228 RESCUED

        DUMAGUETE CITY — Strong waves spawned by tropical depression Auring prevented a Cebu-bound passenger vessel from immediately docking, but all 228 passengers — many of them students returning to this university town from the holidays — were rescued unharmed, authorities said. "Auring," the first weather disturbance of the year, slammed across Davao Oriental at midnight Wednesday and plodded across Northern M...
1/4/2013
Are Gwen, Agnes, ready to dialog with cardinal?

        Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said she is open to a dialogue with Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, archbishop emeritus of Cebu, who earlier expressed willingness to mediate between her and suspended governor Gwen Garcia if both parties ask him. “You know I'm just doing my job. I have nothing to do with this case. It just so happens that I was the vice governor. I have no problem. If the cardinal wants to talk to me,...
1/4/2013
Sugbo TV may reduce staff, lose satellite feed

        NO more satellite connection. Fewer staff. An ongoing “review” of the province-owned Sugbo TV cable station, which was temporarily shut down by Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale, may end up reducing its 35-member workforce by half and its broadcast coverage “I think 35 workers is too many. My target is to slash it by 50 percent so we can save expenses,” said Provincial Board Member Arleigh Sitoy who was tasked to ...
1/4/2013
Comelec cancels Wakee’s mayoral dreams

        BOXING promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud is out of the mayoralty race in Cordova town, Cebu. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) granted the petition of Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy to cancel Salud's Certificate of Candidacy (COC). The Comelec's second division in Manila ruled that Salud’s evidence was insufficient to prove that he already abandoned his house in barangay Punta Princesa in Cebu City for him to be ...
1/4/2013
Financial woes won’t stop Capitol from giving Sinulog aid - Magpale

        Even with its cash flow problems, the Cebu provincial government will try to give financial assistance to the foundation that stages the annual Sinulog Festival. Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said yesterday she will find a way to help the Cebu City government defray the cost of hosting the Sinulog. “The amount may not be that huge but we will try to give something because we don't want to break the traditi...
1/4/2013
Foundation starts sale of Sinulog tickets

        Tickets for the Sinulog Grand Showdown on Jan. 20 are available for sale at the Sinulog Foundation office in Cebu City Sports Complex. Preparations for the grand parade are already 80 percent complete, said organizers. Many spectators have bought tickets to watch dance contingents perform on stage and compete for cash prizes and trophies. Edilita Dampor was among the early birds in the Sinulog Foundation ...
1/4/2013
Cebu mayor wants Capitol police, barriers removed for Sinulog

        Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he wants the police to remove metal barriers from the Provincial Capitol and pull out uniformed policemen before the Jan. 11 kickoff of the annual Sinulog Festival. “I do not want (people) to be seeing the Capitol like a garrison or to have the impression that the city is under siege,” said Rama, a staunch ally of suspended Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. He said he wants Polic...
1/3/2013
AGNES DROPS TREASURER

  She seeks cash examination of Capitol: ‘I won’t touch trust funds’     Cebu Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale started the New Year with a decision yesterday to replace the provincial treasurer for loss of trust, and asking for a cash examination by the Department of Finance (DOF). “I need people I can rely on,” she said, after emphasizing that she would not touch trust funds of the province to settle over P200 million in...
1/3/2013
Gwen to seek relief even after TRO bid

        If the Court of Appeals doesn’t issue a temporary restraining order to stop the suspension of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, her camp is prepared to take the legal battle to a highe