News Briefs

Budget issue

Don’t drive us to bankruptcy.

Rep. Tomas Osmena (Cebu City south district) is asking Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama not to drive the city to bankruptcy.

Osmena’s reaction came after Rama ordered his department heads to walkout of the budget hearing last Friday.

He claimed that Rama violated the law when he ordered the walkout.

“This is unheard of. This is the first time in the history of the Cebu politics that a local chief executive that will not allow his department heads to be interviewed by the council which is a gross violation of the law,” he said.

“If he wants to dream, okay, dream. But don’t destroy the City. Don’t drive us to bankruptcy,” Osmena said.

“If my son would ask for a down payment to a Mercedes Benz, I should ask him why and tell him that he could dream but I’ll ask him not to drive this family to bankruptcy,” he said.

He said the finances and the stability of the City should be the priority and that’s what the council is making sure of.

“We convert all the money in city and buy lotto tickets and we sure could win but that’s not how the system works and not the way to run the city,” he said. /Correspondent Edison A. delos Angeles

Fluvial parade

The Lapu-Lapu City government is ready for this coming Saturday’s Fluvial procession.

The fluvial procession is in honor of their patron saint the Virgin of the Rule, now on it’s 11th year, to  be held on Nov. 12, marking the first day of the novena leading to the city’s fiesta on Nov. 21.

The fluvial procession will set sail at 7 a.m. from the Pacific Cebu Resort Whart at Suba-Basbas and will end at the Muelle Osmena at 9 a.m.

The image of the Nuestra Senora de Regla, the patroness of Lapu-Lapu City will be brought by motorcade to Pacific Cebu Resort after a 5:30 a.m. Mass at the Marigondon Parish Church. There the image will board a yacht which will sail at the coastal line of Mactan to Punta Engano, and turn to Mactan Channel passing along the first and second bridge and will dock at the Muelle Osmena Wharf.

An estimated 50 vessels are expected to join the fluvial procession. /Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza

Registrar suspended

THE local civil registrar of Lapu-Lapu City was meted a six-month suspension without pay for allegedly forging the signature of a lot.

The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas found sufficient evidence against Cecilia Inso who was found guilty of simple dishonesty.

The issue stemmed from the complaint of Cristobal Gastardo who claimed that Inso falsified a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) dated Oct. 28, 2004 and an Affidavit of Confirmation.

Gastardo said Inso used the SPA to sell his land while the Affidavit of Confirmation made official the sale.

The anti-graft office earlier dismissed Gastardo’s complaint for lack of substantial evidence.

Gastardo filed a motion for reconsideration and presented handwriting expert Romeo Varona of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

After conducting an examination, Varona concluded that the questioned documents were forged.

“The complainant’s claim of forgey against the respondent was sufficiently established upon the presentation of the reports of the PNP handwriting expert which concluded that the signatures in the SPA and the Affidavit of Confirmation are not that of Gastardo,” said graft investigation and prosecution officer Nelia Lagura.

In her ruling, Lagura quoted the ruling of the Supreme Court which states that “the rule is that if a person had in his possession a falsified document and he made use of it…the presumption is that he is the material author of the falsification.” /Reporter Ador Vincent S. Mayol