Newsbriefs
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 office.
A resolution by Ralota, the city’s ABC president, to remind the mayor to relegate the distribution of rice subsidy to the group was passed by the City Council.
Rama said in a separate interview that the ABC doesn’t have the legal personality to do the rice distribution.
“They can’t be responsible for that since they are not even a non-government organization (NGO). It’s always the office of the mayor,” said Rama.
He said not all provisions attached to a budget ordinance could be deemed effective. Rama said his office merely “corrected” deficiencies which they found in the purchase request.
Rama’s ally Councilor Jose Daluz III said that if the ABC cooperated with the mayor’s office the purchase would have been hastened.
Daluz said it was enough that the ABC asked the 80 barangays to submit their list of barangay workers qualified to receive the rice subsidy. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac
SINULOG COMMITTEE SURPRISES
CEBU City Councilor Alvin Arcilla expressed surprise over his replacement as chairman of the Sinulog puppeteers committee by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
He was replaced by Councilor and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation president John Philip Po, who said he too was surprised about his appointment after reading it in a local daily.
Arcilla approached Cebu Daily News after reading about his replacement at the end of yesterday morning’s City Council session.
“But I’m okay with it. So you’re the new committee chairman,” he told Po, who merely smiled.
Arcilla said he has been inviting different schools and universities in the city to encourage their students to join the Sinulog puppeteers competition.
He said he even got in touch with the Young Lawyers Association on their plan to send Star Wars dressed characters to join the Sinulog and made arrangements for food to be served to participants who numbered 26 as of yesterday.
Mayor Rama said Arcilla should have asked his office about his involvement.
“If they want to help, they can still help even if their names are not there (on the committee list),” he said.
In this year’s Sinulog, Rama tapped the help of Councilors Po – puppeteers committee head, Roberto Cabarrubias – devotee city head, and councilor Leah Japson – VIP Food Committee head. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac
NBI OFFICIALS TRANSFER TO DAVAO
AFTER serving Region 7 for almost three years, two top officials of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) will be transferred to their new posts before this month ends.
NBI-7 director Edward Villarta and Asst. Regional Director Lauro Reyes will transfer to Davao. Both will occupy the same posts they held here in the region.
Replacing Villarata is NBI-Naga regional director Antonio Pagatpat while acting NBI Regional Director Jose Dolores of Northern Mindanao will replace Reyes.
The move is part of the agency’s reshuffling of officers which usually happens every three years.
Among the accomplishments of the NBI-7 under their supervision, Reyes said is the arrest and conviction of Kenyan national Asha Ogutu who brought in kilos of shabu in her luggage at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
The NBI-7 also arrested Bella Ruby Santos, the main suspect in the kidnap-murder of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique; and the conviction of a teenager who killed and buried his own mother in barangay Mambaling Cebu City.
Villarta and Reyes were assigned in Central Viasyas in August 2010. “I hope we can duplicate our accomplishments in Davao,” Reyes said. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol
