News Briefs
Guardo libel suit dismissed
A COURT dismissed the libel suits filed by Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district against businessman Jonathan Guardo following a settlement between the two.
Last August, Osmeña withdrew the cases he filed against Guardo who then issued a public apology to the congressman and the Cebu City government.
The two political rivals arrived at an amicable settlement during the mediation proceedings.
The libel cases stemmed from Guardo’s statements published in Sun.Star Cebu last Jan. 10 and 11, 2010.
Guardo accused Cebu City Hall of harassing him when barangay officials allegedly told his followers to stop his distribution of relief goods to the fire victims. /Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol
Policies set up for PDAF aid
NEW policies were set up for families wishing to avail of medical aid from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Rep. Luigi Quisumbing of Cebu’s 6th district.
The policies were set up in the wake of irregularities in the disbursement of medicines by some personnel of the Eversly Child Sanitarium and Hospital in Mandaue City.
An investigation by the Department of Health in Central Visayas showed there were several prescriptions made that didn’t bear the signatures of a doctor and Quisumbing’s PDAF coordinator.
The hospital’s pharmacy department headed by chief pharmacist Pyr Jakosalem and her two aides Gay Pacunla and Eden Madis supposedly violated provisions of the Generics Law and Civil Service Law among others.
Some management officials were also accused of lapses in the allocation of medical aid under the congressman’s PDAF.
Hospital chief Dr. Lope Ma. Carabana said a retraining of personnel is essential and a flow chart should be set up to ensure that funds and medicine are properly handled. /Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza
Two weeks notice for families
ABOUT 20 families whose houses were demolished in a clearing operation in Mahiga Creek were ordered by Cebu City officials to vacate Block 27 of the North Reclamation Area (NRA) immediately.
“We cannot allow them continued occupancy in the area. Ideally they should stay in the temporary relocation site for less than a year,” said Collin Rosell, chief of the city’s Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP).
The families have occupied Block 27 since May. Rosell said they are giving the families two weeks upon receipt of notice to leave the site. Most of them came from Mahiga Creek while others came from parts of the NRA.
He said that those wishing to avail of the city’s socialized housing program may be assigned lots at the Kapasar relocation site in Budlaan. Rosell said Block 27 occupants were earlier offered relocation at the St. Michael’s Village in Talamban but no one availed of the relocation site assigned to 32 families whose homes were also demolished in Wisdom Street in Peace Valley Subdivision. Rosell said while the families were given free use of power and water, they only sleep on City Hall-assigned tents. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac
