Suspect in Cebu holdup named; policemen awarded
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 04:42 p.m.CEBU CITY (Updated 4:25 p.m.) -- Police have identified the third suspect who died at the Cebu City Medical Center after a botched holdup of an armoured car that was transporting money to an uptown mall here.
The policemen who were wounded after responding to the incident, which occurred at Robinsons Place in uptown Cebu City around 9:30 a.m. Monday, received awards and cash from Police Regional Office-Central Visayas Director Ager Ontog.
5 dead in holdup
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 03:29 a.m.THREE ROBBERS and two security guards died yesterday in a botched holdup of an armoured car that was transporting money to a mall in uptown Cebu City.
Two policemen, who were part of a team responding to the robbery, and a bank teller were wounded.
LBP offers CH P2B credit line
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 03:26 a.m.THE Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) has offered to extend to the Cebu City Government a P2-billion credit line facility to fund its infrastructure projects.
Land Bank made the offer following the statement of some city councilors that they would not approve the appropriations for infrastructure projects under the proposed Supplemental Budget (SB) No. 2 because the City has no funds for it.
PB commends Superbalita for Camma awards
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:26 a.m.THE Cebu Provincial Board (PB) has commended Superbalita for its recent awards during the 15th Cebu Archdiocesan Mass Media Awards (Camma).
Superbalita is one of the publications named in a pending ordinance of Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale that seeks to ban the sale and distribution of tabloids that are “sexually provocative in nature.”
Cebu City in 9th place of DILG rating
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:26 a.m.CEBU CITY -- Two provinces in Central Visayas made it to the country’s 10 top performing provinces, according to the latest performance report of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The DILG also named Cebu City one of the top performing highly urbanized cities in the country.
WikiLeaks releases report on vigilantes in Cebu
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:25 a.m.ARCHBISHOP Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal was vocal about his opposition to the summary killings of suspected criminals by “death squads,” according to a US Embassy cable released by WikiLeaks.
In cable 05MANILA1774 titled “Latest Vigilante Killings in Cebu - No End in Sight,” Cardinal Vidal criticized Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and condemned the extrajudicial killings in the city.
Wounded cop in robbery rescued by ‘pickpocket’
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:12 a.m.CEBU CITY -- Even in handcuffs, alleged pickpocket Felix Cañete grabbed the collar of PO1 Roy Ceniza and pulled him inside the police patrol car, after seeing a robber aim his gun at the officer.
"I dragged him so he won't get hit. I pitied him," said the 52-year-old Cañete, who has three children with his estranged wife.
‘Kalunasan cemetery will cause more floods’
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:10 a.m.A FORMER official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warned that cutting trees at the Osmeña Shrine in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City to pave the way for the development of a cemetery would cause more floods.
Jose Gapas, a director of the then Bureau of Forestry Development (now DENR), said the trees absorb rain and allow rainwater to seep underground to replenish groundwater, reducing the volume of runoff water that goes down to low-lying areas.
Naga celebrates 4th Charter Day
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:09 a.m.CITY of Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong yesterday delivered his State of the City Address (Soca), which he referred to as his Sona (State of Naga Address), during the City’s 4th Charter Day.
He enumerated the health, education and economic benefits, including job opportunities, his constituents enjoy under his administration.
Many LGUs in region continue to defy law on open dump sites
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:08 a.m.THREE local government units (LGUs) in Cebu Province have yet to close their dump sites, according to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7.
These are the town of Minglanilla and the cities of Mandaue and Naga.
Gullas gets CA post
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:07 a.m.REP. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, first district) got elected to be a member of the Commission on Appointments in plenary to replace Rep. Fergie Biron of Iloilo City.
The CA, which is independent from the Senate, assesses and approves appointments by the President.
Council to regulate dev’t projects
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:07 a.m.THE Cebu City Council is thinking of making regulations on upland subdivision developments to prevent developers from being blamed for the floods in the city.
The council also proposes an amendment to the 1996 Cebu City Zoning Ordinance.
Aloguinsan 39 want protection against police, ‘armed goons’
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:06 a.m.THE family laying claim to a contested parcel of land in Aloguinsan, Cebu is taking the Archbishop of Cebu’s offer to serve as mediator.
Lawyer Rico Tautho said representatives of the family scheduled to visit the Archbishop’s Residence yesterday to set an appointment with Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.
CV employment ‘improved’ from January to April
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:05 a.m.CENTRAL Visayas has the second highest number of workers in vulnerable employment in the country last year, according to a recent Department of Labor and Employment report.
However, employment in Central Visayas improved from January to April this year, according to the latest labor force survey of the National Statistics Office NSO.
VM Durano, councilors file Ombud case anew
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:04 a.m.DANAO City Vice Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III and the City Council have filed a complaint before the Office of Ombudsman-Visayas against Mayor Ramon “Boy” Durano Jr. and other city officials for selling trucks and heavy equipment for a price much lower than per kilo in the junkshop.
Also charged with Mayor Durano is General Services Officer Tita Damiles who declared one compactor truck, one garbage compactor, two dumptrucks, one Kia car, two truckloads of used tires, and several air-conditioning units owned by the City Government as unserviceable.
PB appeals to Ched to allow Cañete’s students to take LET
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - 01:03 a.m.FOR humanitarian reasons, the Provincial Board (PB) passed a resolution appealing to the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) to allow the graduates of a college in Mandaue City to take the teachers’ licensure examination.
PB member Thadeo Ouano, author of the resolution, said the appeal will only cover the Bachelor of Arts in Education graduates of the college under the supervision of Dr. Paulus Cañete, particularly those who graduated in March 2011 and earlier.
5 dead in Cebu shootout
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 11:01 a.m.CEBU CITY (3rd update, 3:46 p.m.) -- The number of fatalities in a shooting incident in Cebu City rose to five after the injured security guard died in a hospital.
The security escort of a bank teller who was brought to the Chong Hua Hospital died after he was shot by robbers, radio dyLA said.
Cebu lawmakers allot 'pork' to infra projects
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:46 a.m.CEBU CITY -- Eight of Cebu's nine district congressmen allocated more than half of their Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) this year for infrastructure projects, according to Department of Budget and Management (DBM) records.
Out of a combined P264.5 million, the legislators earmarked P164 million or 62 percent for infrastructure.
Cebu council wants FOI bill certified as urgent
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:36 a.m.THE Cebu City Council wants President Benigno Aquino III to “certify as urgent” the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill.
In a resolution approved by the council, Councilor Edgardo Labella lamented that unlike the Reproductive Health Bill, the FOI Bill has not been included in the 13 priority bills of the president.
Worry mingles with shoemaker's relief
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:35 a.m.VICENTE Mañego, 46, ignored the flames that engulfed his house so he could save important documents and some money for his family.
“Bahala na og magkapaso-paso ko (I didn’t care if I got burned),” Mañego said in an interview.
Palma to devotees: Oppose RH bill
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:34 a.m.CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma renewed his call for people not to support the Reproductive Health (RH) bill during a gathering of more than 1,000 Marian devotees yesterday morning at his residence.
The statement was issued at the mass he concelebrated with six priests after the “Walk for Mary” procession, an annual activity conducted at the Church celebration of the Virgin Mary’s birthday on Sept. 8.
Worm attack prompts creation of watershed rescue programs
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:33 a.m.ENVIRONMENTALISTS and Cebu City government officials were alarmed at the report of an 80-hectare teak leaf infestation in the Buhisan Watershed Forest Reserve (BWFR) after a prolonged drought last year.
Thousands of teak trees (Tectona grandis) lost their leaves to the gravis moth larva skeletonizer (Eutectona machaeralis).
2 men charged for trafficking
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:32 a.m.STATE prosecutors indicted a man who allegedly acted as pimp to three women, two of them minors, last Aug. 25, 2011.
The Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor charged a 24-year-old resident of Barangay Pardo, Cebu City, with violation of Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
Cop 'asked' for cash, faces graft raps
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:31 a.m.A POLICE officer is facing a criminal case in court for allegedly extorting money in exchange for the release of a man, who was nabbed for possession of an unlicensed firearm in 2008.
The Office of the Ombudsman for the Military and other Law Enforcement Offices (Moleo) found basis to hold SPO2 Edgar Perea, a member of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7, for trial in court for robbery.
'Mission turnout shows government neglect'
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:29 a.m.FORMER senator John “Sonny” Osmeña lambasted the officials of the Toledo City Government for neglecting the plight of the people in the mountain barangays of Loay, Bagacay and Campo 8, where 400 people availed themselves of his “Alagad Medical Mission” yesterday.
Osmeña said the 400 beneficiaries of his medical mission complained to him that the City Government personnel are in their health centers, so nobody is attending to their medical needs.
Cebu mayor slashes consultants from 43 to 24
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:28 a.m.CEBU CITY – Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama made good his pronouncements to cut the number of consultants in the Office of the Mayor.
From 43 consultants, Rama said he will only renew the contracts of 24 consultants, nine of whom have already been given a notice of award.
Make Facebook account, student councils urged
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:27 a.m.SOME teachers may have complained about their students’ addiction to social networking sites, but the Department of Education (DepEd) has urged students to create an online community.
DepEd 7 has instructed supreme student governments (SSGs) in the region to create a Facebook account.
Palma offers self for mediation
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:26 a.m.CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma is willing to mediate between the farmers and landowners involved in an agrarian dispute in Aloguinsan town.
“As always, for me, I am offering for people to come. This is a good way of dealing with government also,” he told reporters yesterday.
Citom asked to list dead traffic lights
Monday, September 5, 2011 - 01:25 a.m.THE Cebu City Council told the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) to conduct inventory on roads or streets that have defective traffic lights or signage so these can already be replaced.
Councilor Michael Ra-lota, in his resolution approved by the body, said he has observed that there are already many defective traffic lights or signs in the city that pose hazards to motorists and the riding public.
Comelec tightens rules on receiving gifts, aid
Sunday, September 4, 2011 - 12:31 a.m.THE local Commission on Elections (Comelec) will implement stricter guidelines on receiving gifts or political contributions, whether from the private sector or government.
Cebu City north district election officer Atty. Marchel Sarno said this is in line with the resolution recently passed by Comelec en banc, when the poll body adopted an “integrity pledge.”
