Newsbriefs

Pre-trial conference on SHIP collision SET

A pre-trial conference to determine whether to allow the two shipping lines involved in the collision off Lawis Ledge in Talisay City last August to keep their Certificates of Public Convenience will be held this Friday.

Representatives of 2Go and the Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. (PSACC) will be made to present their side on the Aug. 16 incident before the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina). Marina regional spokesperson Jose Cabatingan said the pre-trial conference will be divided into two sessions with the PSACC, operator of the MV Sulpicio Express Siete, presenting their side in the morning while 2Go, which owns the MV St. Thomas Aquinas, will be present their side in the afternoon.

The two shipping companies are still in operation after they passed the inspection and audit conducted by Marina following the fatal incident in which 116 people died.

A Special Board of Marine Inquiry (SBMI) was previously convened to separately investigate the collision. Correspondent Michelle Joy L. Padayhag

Capitol, Osmeña Boulevard boarded up for veco work

TWO areas in the Capitol to Osmeña Boulevard area were boarded up since June this year for the underground cabling project of the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco).

“This is the first phase of the P50 million underground cabling project that we are doing also with other utilities like the telco companies. We intend to do it by phase because it requires a lot of investment,” Veco chief operating officer Sebastian Lacson said.

Once completed, Lacson said that they will be pushing forward with the next phase which will cover the area down to P. del Rosario. Lacson said they are doing their work in the evening to avoid disrupting traffic. “For our next areas, we will be prioritizing those that we really need to beautify like those areas near tourism spots in the city,” he said. Reporter Aileen Garcia-Yap

Benhur wants PDAF TRO LIFTED

ONLY P3 million is left out of the P11 million health assistance budget allocated by Rep. Benhur Salimbangon for his constituents in Cebu’s 4th district.

Salimbangon said he’s hopeful that the Supreme Court lifts its temporary restraining order on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) so he can ask an additional P10 million from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

“I pray to God that the Supreme Court will lift the TRO because I requested an additional P10 million in PDAF funds for the health needs of my constituents,” Salimbangon said in yesterday’s 888 News Forum.

About P25.4 billion was distributed to six government agencies taken from the PDAF or pork barrel funds of legislators. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) got the biggest share at P9.654 billion.

House Bill 2630 that was approved by the Lower House last September required legislators to propose up to five infrastructure projects each to be implemented by DPWH with a budget ceiling of P24.5 million per legislator.

Allocating P2 million per project mean that only 12 barangays in Cebu’s 4th district can benefit from it, Salimbangon said.

The new bill identifies the allocations in the general appropriations act (GAA), unlike before when legislators can propose allocations on projects as they deem fit anytime. Correspondent Christine Emily L. Pantaleon

South Bus terminal manager under investigation

CEBU Gov. Hilario Davide III said he will review operations in the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) after receiving complaints from stall holders, drivers, conductors, vendors and bus operators against terminal manager Vicente Dejoras.

The governor yesterday said he will summon Dejoras to explain the complaints once he finishes reading the petition by 169 stall holders, drivers, conductors, vendors and bus operators in the CSBT.

“It’s in my table but I have yet to read it. We’ll take a look at it and we’ll see.  This is the only complaint I’ve heard about him so far,” he told reporters yesterday.

The complainants accused Dejoras of gross abuse of authority, saying he is easily angered and has an “unreasonable attitude.” Dejoras replaced former terminal manager Carmen Quijano who acted as CSBT head under the previous administration of former Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia. Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos