NEWS BRIEFS

‘HAND OVER CADAVER TEST RESULTS’

REGIONAL Trial Court Judge Soliver Peras of Branch 10 pressed officials of the National Bureau of Investigation to turn over to the Public Attorney’s Office results of tests on cadavers of victims of the sunken MV Princess of the Stars on pain of contempt.

The bureau has yet to comply with the court order issued last May 24.

The victims’ data remain confidential as agreed upon by the NBI and the International Police that helped local authorities identify the cadavers, said Dr. Renato Bautista, head of the NBI Disaster Victims Identification team.

But Peras asked, “Why should the court be subservient to somebody who is foreign to this (case)? If the order remains uncomplied with, I may issue a contempt order.”

On Aug. 25, the NBI will meet with the PAO to release the documents. Reporter Ador Vincent S. Mayol

P265.65-M SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET

THE Cebu Provincial Board approved in yesterday’s session Supplemental Budget No. 2 worth P205.65 million which covers bonuses for Capitol employees.

Other appropriations were P12 million for the operations of 16 district hospitals in the province; P240,000 for the Cebu South Bus Terminal and P193 million for the general fund.

During the province’s 442nd founding anniversary on Aug. 6, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia announced cash bonuses of up to P20,000 per employee in top-performing hospitals, departments and towns according to performance evaluation results.

The anniversary bonuses amounted to P24.26 million.

Staffers of offices that were rated “very satisfactory” will each get a P20,000 cash incentive while those from offices that rated “satisfactory” will receive P15,000 each.

The amounts are P5,000 higher than last year’s incentives.

In addition, employees in the five top-performing Capitol offices will receive P15,000 for first place; P12,000 (2nd place); 10,000 (3rd place); P8,000 (4th place) and P7,000 (5th place). Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus

OIL PRICE ROLLBACK WELCOMED

LOCAL transport groups welcomed the recent P2 roll back of fuel prices by oil companies.

Cebu Integrated Transport Services Cooperative chairman Ryan Benjamin Yu said they are pleased with the rollback.

“We are rooting for further reductions on the coming days,” Yu told Cebu Daily News.

The group would assess other operational costs like tire and oil lubricant prices and may reduce fare rates, he said.

Yu said that with reductions in oil prices, they would drop their petition for a fare hike pending with the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas.

However, Edward Geolin, spokesman of the Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbo said the rollback is just a strategy of big oil companies to hide the fact that fuel is overpriced.

Geolin said the rollback should be P8.

“The best way to control the fuel price is to give full control to the government,” Geolin said.  Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya

‘BUILD QUALITY ROOMS QUICK’

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama called contractors to a meeting on Friday to hasten the building of 133 classrooms worth P62.4 million in different barangays.

Building projects are in progress in elementary and high schools in Zapatera, Oprra, and Mabolo (two classrooms each); Tisa II, Tisa I, Basak, Talamban, Inayawan, San Jose and in the Parian Day Care Center.

Rama told representatives of eight contractors that “school building construction should be free from corruption.”

“Secondly, engineering design and construction materials specifications should strictly be followed sans using substandard materials,” the mayor said.

Wilson Limquaico of WIN Construction told Rama that their three-story, six-classroom building worth P4.8 million in barangay San Jose was already 98 percent complete.

City Hall consultant Ester Cubero told the contractors “not to hesitate to ask about the status of their (payment) papers and documents because government officials and employees are mandated to act promptly on any transaction.” Chief Of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac