Newsbriefs

OFF TO CEBU CITY JAIL?

The Capitol’s “headache” detainee may be sent to the Cebu City jail.

A Capitol official said they will file a motion to transfer former Aklan town mayor  Alfredo Arsenio to the city jail.

Arsenio, who is charged with the murder of  a Bombo Radyo station manager in Kalibo, Aklan,  put Capitol officials on the spot when he was caught celebrating his birthday party in the office of the jail warden last month.

The warden was immediately placed on 90-day preventive suspension.

Lito Astillero, chairman of the Capitol’s discipline and investigation committee, said they found  a motion filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) which stated that Arsenio be transferred to the Cebu City Jail.

A court order earlier transferred  the venue of the court hearing from Aklan to Cebu City, but Astillero said  there’s no specific order stating that  Arsenio should be detained at the Cebu Provincial Rehabilitation and Detention Center.

A motion filed by the DOJ prosecutor said the inmate would be detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Cebu City, not CPDRC, Astillero said.

“Before if there are transfers of venue from other courts to Cebu City, I guess it  became a usual practice to put the inmate in CPDRC,” he told reporters.

Astillero said the CPDRC should only house inmates from Cebu province.

He said from now on, they will check an inmate’s detention order to verify if he or she is from outside the province.

Arsenio was caught eating lunch in a restaurant after a court hearing last February and holding a party inside the warden’s office on a Saturday, which wasn’t a regular visitation day. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus

COUNCILORS LOSE COMMITTEES

AS expected, three of four councilors allied with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama lost their committee chairmanships in a reorganization of the City Council yesterday.

Only Councilor Ronald Cuenco retained his chairmanship of the hospital services and sanitation committee.

“In fairness to him (Cuenco) never declared that he is leaving BO-PK,” said Councilor Augustus Pe, who replaced Labella as  majority floorleader in the councilo dominated by the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan.

Cuenco’s father, former congressman Antonio Cuenco is allied with Rama and is seeking reelection in 2013.

Mayor  Rama said he intends to give executive functions to the three displaced councilors.

Councilor Edgardo Labella said he wants to help strengthen the barangay justice system. The committee on laws is now headed by  Councilor Sisinio Andales.

Councilor Jose Daluz II no longer heads the agriculture committee  which went to Councilor Alvin Arcilla.

Councilor Edu Rama Jr. is no longer chairman of  the public services and cooperative and livelihood committees.

Rama is still a member in the committees on hospital, games and amusement, trade and youth. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac

LOT TITLE TRANSFER

THE Capitol is preparing its defense of the tax assessment  made on a  64-hectare lot in barangay Uling, Naga City that  is  the subject of an Ombudsman-Visayas inquiry.

Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre said the lot’s declared owner was  Cebu Portland Cement.   He said a certain Leopolda

Cecilio had the land title transferred the Regional Trial Court without the Capitol’s knowledge.

Salubre said Leopolda, a complainant in the case who died in 2010, paid only P100,000 of the P10.1 million in taxes due for the land. The lot was auctioned in Jan.  16, 2007 but there were no bidders.  With this,  Salubre said the lot belongs to Cebu province.

The Ombudsman-Visayas is investigating  the Capitol’s imposition of real estate taxes on the Naga property. The lot is occupied by the barangay hall of Uling and its sports complex. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus