Land developer wants electricity supply back

A REAL estate developer has asked the court to slap an injunction on the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) to compel the power distributor firm to reconnect power supply to their model subdivision unit.

Ken Salimbangon, marketing director of the CKL Real Estate Corp., lodged a complaint for injunction with temporary restraining order and writ of preliminary injunction against Veco at the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City.

Drivers who ignore PWDs must be apprehended: PB

THE Provincial Board (PB) wants traffic enforcers to apprehend public utility vehicle drivers who deliberately ignore persons with disability (PWD).

On mass motion, the board approved the resolution of PB Member Arleigh Sitoy, who observed that some jeepney drivers ignore PWD passengers to avoid the hassle of loading and unloading them.

4 kids drown, 1 missing in Iloilo due to 'Ramon'

MANILA (Updated 3 p.m.) -- Officials said four schoolchildren drowned and another is missing after they were swept by a rampaging river in Iloilo province amid pounding rains set off by Tropical Depression "Ramon".

Benito Ramos, who heads the Office of Civil Defense, said Tuesday that the five children were crossing the river on their way home from school Monday in Barotac Viejo town when they were swept away by the currents.

'Ramon' to hit land Wednesday

CEBU CITY (3rd update, 12:45 p.m.) -- Tropical Depression "Ramon" is expected to make landfall over Visayas area by Wednesday afternoon, state weather forecasters said.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said "Ramon" may hit Southern Leyte province by 2 p.m. Wednesday.

More Visayas, Mindanao areas under signal no. 1

CEBU CITY (Updated 9:10 a.m.) -- More areas have been placed under storm signal number one early Tuesday as Tropical Depression Ramon continues to move closer and increases its threat to Eastern Visayas and northeastern Mindanao.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) spotted "Ramon" at 360 kilometers east southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao Del Sur as of 4 a.m. Tuesday.

‘Ramon’ bound for north Cebu

CEBU CITY – Tropical depression Ramon is expected to hover some 60 kilometers north of Cebu City on Wednesday night, unless it changes course.

It may dump an estimated five to 25 millimeters of rain per hour, within 300 kilometers. Residents in low-lying areas and mountains should brace for flashfloods and landslides, said the state weather bureau in its bulletin at 11 last night.

LGUs, schools support protest action against proposed power rate increase

CEBU City officials support the nationwide protest action against the proposed 40-centavo per kilowatthour (kwh) increase in electricity.

Association of Barangay Council’s (ABC) president Michael Ralota told barangay officials of all 80 villages in the Cebu City to turn off all electrical devices for 30 minutes, from 7:30 to 8 p.m. today, to support the opposition against another round of power rate increase.

COA: Hiring of consultants by Capitol ‘didn’t follow’ law

THE Provincial Government complied with 16 recommendations in a previous audit, but for 2010, state auditors found the hiring of 45 consultants by Capitol was not in accordance with the procurement law.

The Commission on Audit (COA) noted that Capitol implemented its recommendations, such as the preparation of bank reconciliation statements for all bank accounts maintained by the Province, preparation of journal entry voucher to correct misstatements of affected ac­counts and correction of an erroneous entry made, which resulted in the understatement of the costs of some public infrastructure.

Defense’s motions moot, academic, says Judge Veloso

LAWYERS of Bella Ruby Santos yesterday formally asked Regional Trial Court Branch 6 Judge Ester Veloso to review her order, denying their motion to drop the kidnapping with homicide case against Santos and her British boyfriend Ian Charles Griffiths and to recall the warrants against the two.

“The accused hereby file this motion for reconsideration on the ground that the resolution of this court is contrary to law, facts, and jurisprudence. Both accused are not satisfied with said order,” the pleading signed by lawyers Lyndon Maceren and Ronel Ubod read.

No liquidation reports, no cash aid: City Hall

THE Cebu City Accounting Office has suspended its financial assistance to 10 barangays, after it discovered that they have yet to liquidate previous financial assistance from the City.

Based on its records, Basak San Nicolas failed to liquidate P17.6 million; Guadalupe, P15.9 million; Sudlon I, P11.9 million; Pahina San Nicolas, P9 million; Buhisan, P8 million; Quiot, P6.2 million; Bonbon, P6.1 million; Tisa, P5.8 million; Pamutan, P3.6 million; and Punta Prinsesa, P1 million.

DILG 7 to have new director

REP. Red Durano VI (Cebu, 5th district) is hoping the new Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brilliantes will prioritize Compostela.

Because of election issues, Compostela still has no chief executive to manage their town’s operation and lawmakers to authorize the release of funds.

Interpol ‘joins’ hunt for British national suspect in Ella Joy case

CEBU CITY -- With the capture of Bella Ruby Santos, the Cebu Provincial Anti-Criminality Task Force now has its eyes on her boyfriend, British national Ian Charles Griffiths, who is in the United Kingdom.

Santos and Griffiths are the suspects in the abduction and murder of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique last February.

Brgy. captains to receive P60T for allowance before year’s end

City asks court for status quo

HE Cebu City Government is seeking a status quo on the enforcement of an order to take funds from the City Hall bank accounts as payment for a private lot it used for a public road.

City Hall lawyer Joseph Bernaldez yesterday requested Judge James Stewart Ramon Himalaloan, in open court, to issue an order stopping any attempt to garnish the money of the City Hall from its depository banks, pending the resolution of their omnibus motion to quash the writ of execution and set aside the notice of garnishment.

Rallos heirs already got P56M from gov’t., report reveals

NOT counting the P133 million the court is again attempting to garnish in their behalf, the heirs of Fr. Vicente Rallos have already received over P56 million from the City Government for a downtown parcel of land now used as a road.

Based on court records, the money was obtained in six checks – five issued between December 2001 and January 2002, and the last on Sept. 22, 2009–from five banks with which the City had deposits.

6 cops get award for a ‘good job’

ON HIS way to work, he noticed a traffic jam and decided to find another way.

But fate led SPO4 Alex Dacua to a place where he played a major role in foiling a high-profile robbery inside an uptown mall in Cebu City last Sept. 5.

Tropical depression 'Ramon' targets Mindanao

CEBU CITY (Updated) -- The low pressure area (LPA) spotted east of Mindanao strengthened into tropical depression Monday, the state weather bureau said.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said it its official Twitter account that the LPA already became tropical depression and was named "Ramon".

Suspect in Ella Joy case suffers new setback

CEBU CITY -- Two days before she was arrested while shopping, Bella Ruby Santos suffered another setback.

Judge Ester Veloso denied the omnibus motion the defense lawyers filed that asked the court, among others, to lift the arrest warrant issued against Santos and her boyfriend, Ian Charles Griffiths.

Floods subside, but City braces for more rain

WIDESPREAD floods caused by last Friday’s rains subsided during the weekend, but Mandaue City officials aren’t letting their guard down.

In a resolution last Saturday, the City Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Council (CRRDMC), led by Mayor Jonas Cortes, recommended to the City Council to declare a state of calamity in the entire city.

Cebu City competes for national award from DILG

CEBU City, Amlan town in Negros Oriental and Bohol Province are competing for national prizes in local governance, the Gawad Pamana ng Lahi Awards.

As regional winners, they racked up the most scores among cities, towns and provinces in Central Visayas.

Party-list solon wants more security in 2 towns

A PARTY-LIST congressman yesterday urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the military in Cebu to beef up their intelligence work amid reports that armed New People’s Army (NPA) rebels landed in the towns of Pinamungajan and Aloguinsan last week.

“The CPP-NPA conducted raids and killings in the mining areas in Surigao del Norte as a show of force, and there is no reason they would not do it in Cebu,” said Rep. Pastor Alcover Jr. of the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (Anad).

Comelec opens party registration

NEW political parties may now register at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after the poll body has opened the registration of parties, organizations and coalitions who may want to run under the party-list system for the May 13, 2013 polls.

But Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has not decided yet whether or not he will form a new political party after leaving the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), the group he was identified with when he ran for mayor in 2010 elections.

It will take another poll to realize Urban Poor City

IN the 2007 elections, Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) pledged to build an Urban Poor City in Cebu City. Whatever happened to that pledge, nobody knows.

Former Cebu City administrator Francisco Fernandez admits Cebu City constituents would have to wait for two more years for that to be implemented, that is, when the 2013 elections come.

Crafts, tutors reach kids in ‘hero classes’

AT THE beginning of each week everybody looks forward to Fridays, but not in the same way as the students of Don Calixto Yongco Elementary School in Barangay Tawason in Mandaue City.

This is the day some employees of Aboitizland, the real estate arm of the Aboitiz group, spend two to three hours for tutorial services on subjects such as math, science and English.

35 poor families ask: ‘Where’s aid?’

AT least 35 urban poor families whose houses in Barangay San Roque were demolished last month asked the Cebu City Government for the livelihood assistance the mayor promised them.

The families’ houses near the Cebu Technological University (CTU) were demolished by the City’s Squatters Prevention, Elimination and Encroachment Division (Speed) last Sept. 20.

DSWD launches database of poor households

WITH its limited resources, the government must ensure that anti-poverty programs reach the poor, a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 official said.

To achieve this, the government came up with a database of the country’s poor households.

Ex-DOH chief hits gov’t. for failing to deliver services

REPRODUCTIVE Health (RH) is not the government’s only program on health, but this forms a vital part of efforts to provide the public access to health care services, said a former health secretary.

In 2001, the government implemented a Health Reform Agenda that was supposed to include a family planning program that supports RH, said Dr. Alberto Romualdez.

Judge denies Palcuto’s request for TRO, for lack of merit

FOR lack of merit, retired police colonel Rico Palcuto’s application for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the development of Ciudad project has been denied.

Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Generosa G. Labra said Palcuto has no clear and unmistakable rights to be protected.

Cop cleared of robbery charges

THE failure of the supposed victim to take the witness stand saved a policeman from a jail term of up to 12 years.

A Cebu City trial court cleared PO2 Jaime dela Cruz of the Cebu City Police Office’s Security Service Group, who was sued and tried on charges of demanding money from a suspected drug pusher in 2006 in exchange for the latter’s release.

2 hurt, 1 dead in weekend violence

A MAN died while two others were wounded over the weekend, including a high school student who was shot by an unidentified man just a few meters away from his school.

In Barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City, motorcycle-riding men shot dead a man believed to be a former inmate last Saturday night.