News Briefs

Illicit Affair Investigation

A Naga police precinct policeman and a policewoman are under investigation for having an illicit affair.

The policeman  married while the policewoman is single.

Senior Insp. Rolando Eballe, chief of Naga police precinct, told Cebu Daily News that he doesn’t want to comment about the issue because it’s too personal. The complaint was also directed to both parties involved.

The complaint  was sent  directly to Chief Supt. Ager Ontog, regional director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7).

Eballe added that both parties now gave their counteraffidavits to their headquarters in Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO). /Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos

Castro Cleared

THE prosecutor’s office dismissed the libel charges filed against Assistant City Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro and a reporter by Rayford Yap, former assistant regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7).

Assistant City Prosecutor Jesus Rodrigo Tagaan found no probable cause to indict Castro and Sunstar reporter Gerome Dalipe.

The issue stemmed from Castro’s letter to the PDEA director  accusing Yap of several anomalies.

Dalipe wrote about the letter in his article titled “Official accused of ‘wayward’ ways” that was published in Sun-Star Cebu last Feb. 15.

Yap alleged that Dalipe is Castro’s “personal publicist,” an accusation that Tagaan said is “purely speculative.”

Tagaan said Castro’s letter is a private communication made in the performance of a legal, moral or social duty.

“It is a qualified privileged communication and the complaint for libel based on such private communication has no factual and legal basis,” Tagaan said. /Ador Vincent S. Mayol

Abc: Pay Your Dues

ASSOCIATION of Barangay Councils (ABC) in Cebu City president and Councilor Michael Rallota said he wants members to already pay their contributions to the association since it is short of funds to take care of its operating expenses.

In a resolution passed by the Cebu City Council, he said contributions from the association’s 80 member barangays is its only source of funding.

“Up to now there are still some member barangays of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) in the City of Cebu, which have not yet paid and settled for their proportionate share/contributions and/or annual membership dues to the ABC.”

He said article 214 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Local Government Code mandates that ABC funds must be sourced from members’ contributions and that the amount must be prescribed under the constitution and by-laws of the league. /Correspondent Edison A. Delos Angeles

Metro Cebu Board Meets

THE Metro Cebu Development Coordination Board (MCDCB) will hold its meeting at the Capitol tomorrow after its creation during the signing by local leaders of a memorandum of commitment last month.

Domy Chua, chief operating officer of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc (RAFI), said the agenda for the first meeting will be the presentation of structures and committees for the board to become operational, Chua said.

Chua added  they will present the environmental committee, infrastructure and development, integrated development and urban planning design, peace and public safety and  transport committees.

Chua said  an election will be held  to determine who among the heads of member local governments will sit as chairmen in these committees.

Chua said they will propose guidelines for these committees in tomorrow’s meeting. RAFI and Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia met last month to prepare the agenda.

MCDCB was created last April 1 by the governor and mayors of Metro Cebu except the mayors of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cities. /Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus