News briefs

Garcia’s Cebu debt-free claim ‘misleading’

FORMER Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s claim of a “debt-free” Cebu province during her  nine-year administration was “misleading” and “filled with lies”, one former ally and a frequent critic said yesterday.

Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who assumed as acting governor from January until early this month following Garcia’s six-month suspension, said the province still had payables worth P900 million. She said these are considered debts.

“People are confused. She (Garcia) qualified that the province has no debt to any financial institution. But how about the payables? It reached almost P900 million? We have lots of financial obligations to settle,” she told reporters yesterday.

“Her (Garcia) claim that the province is debt-free is very misleading. If payables are not considered debt, would that also mean we don’t have to settle our obligations to those who are collecting payment from the province?,” she added.

During her farewell speech and presentation of achievements at the Capitol session hall last Friday, Garcia said “debt” should be differentiated from payables which are incurred by the Capitol in the course of its operations.

Garcia said contrary to claims by her political enemies, Cebu has P791.5 million in cash or about US$ 517,728.35 as of last month.

She also said the province has P28 billion in total assets and P615 million in income.

Garcia said this was way above the P5.3 billion in assets and P101.3 million in income the province generated when she took over as governor from her father former governor and congressman Pablo Garcia in 2004.

Still, businessman and frequent Garcia critic Cris Saavedra said it is an “insult” to Davide to continue the projects that Garcia pursued such as the waste to energy project in the Balili property which is being investigated by the Ombudsman.

“One thing to note here is that Magpale’s financial report was affirmed by an auditor duly requested by Magpale from the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF),” he said. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol and Correspondent Renan Alangilan

Romana good as approved: Garbo

HIS papers are still being processed but this early, the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) yesterday said Senior Supt. Noli Romana’s appointment as Cebu City police chief is already “good as approved.”

“I forwarded the letter of endorsement of Mayor Michael Rama to Camp Crame.  It will undergo a process so let’s just wait for the order for Col. Romana to be the next city director,” Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, PRO-7 chief, said.

With Romana’s appointment, Garbo said Senior Supt. Mariano Natuel, acting Cebu City police chief, will have to be reassigned to a position befitting his rank.

Romana is the Negros Oriental provincial police chief. Rama earlier questioned Natu-el’s May 10 appointment as city police director despite the election ban.

He said he suspects some intervention at the national level but didn’t specify.

In his Cebu visit yesterday, Interior and Local Governments Secretary Mar Roxas denied that he had anything to do with Natu-el’s appointment.

“These people are appointed as officer-in-charge and Camp Crame appoints them. Rama can think what he wants but I know the truth. He is entitled to his own opinion, but he doesn’t have the facts,” Roxas said.

Garbo said Negros Gov. Roel Degamo wanted to appoint Senior Supt. Petronelli Baldebrin as Romana’s replacement. Baldebrin is Mandaue City police chief.

A list of five nominees for Baldebrin’s replacement will later be sent to Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.  Rama said he will ask someone to make follow ups on Romana’s transfer to Cebu City. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac