RAMA TELLS COMELEC ELECTION PROTEST INVALID
LAWYERS of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday questioned the validity of the election protest filed by former mayor and south district representative Tomas Osmeña.
Comelec second division commissioners gave Rama’s lawyers five days to put their contention in writing so that a proper reply could also be made by their camp, said Kirk Bryan Repollo, Osmeña’s counsel.
Mayor Rama was in Manila yesterday for the preliminary conference/hearing of the election protest against him and vice mayor elect Edgar Labella. But Labella did not make it to the hearing.
Rama, who is also a lawyer by profession, was accompanied by Team Rama lawyers led by his uncle Ernesto Rama and Jocelyn Pesquera.
Osmeña, his wife Margot and son Miguel arrived in Cebu yesterday from the US for the former congressman’s medical checkup.
Rama won by about 6,000 votes against Osmeña, leader of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) in the last May 13 elections while Labella won by 184 votes against Young./Doris C. Bongcac
UKULELES FOUND WITH LEAD
THE Cebu City-based Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC) and the Quezon City-based Ecowaste Coalition issued a press statement yesterday to warn ukulele buyers of toxic lead which may be present in the souvenir item.
A ukulele is a small guitar-like musical instrument, commonly sold in souvenir shops found in the cities of Cebu and Lapu Lapu.
“We urge our ukulele and other souvenir makers to ensure (that) only unleaded paint is used on their products, Atty. Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, PEJC coordinator said.
The press statement said that PEJC and EcoWaste Coalition bought six ukuleles samples for P100 to P200 each on July 22 and 23 respectively and had these tested for toxic chemical contents.
Result of their x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer test showed that the ukuleles contained lead, a toxic chemical used as drier or pigment in some enamel paints.
XRF test also showed traces of other toxic metals like arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury.
Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect said that toxic contents in ukuleles could be ingested by children.
In a telephone interview with Islands Group president and chief executive officer Jay Aldeguer, who started his business selling souvenirs under Islands Souvenirs brand, He said that it is understandable that the sampled ukeleles were found with lead contents because these are still “cottage-type” industries. He added that little by little it would be good to be more conscious about the materials used in making these items.
Lapu-Lapu City tourism head Hembler Mendoza said that they would look into the matter. /Doris C. Bongcac and Aileen Garcia-Yap