News Briefs

Access road opening

AN access road parallel to M. Velez Avenue and connecting Escario Street with V. Rama Avenue would go a long way to dispersing traffic in the area, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said.

Rama said opening a new road parallel to M. Velez Avenue would disperse traffic from the existing road which is being widened by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Rama  directed the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) to make an inventory of private lots and structures that would be affected by the proposed road opening.

Rama said opening an access road won’t cost much.  He said the bigger expense would be in  building a bridge traversing a river in the area and connecting the road to V. Rama Avenue.

“This road will solve the traffic problem along M. Velez Street.  Instead of going to M. Velez, the vehicles can go to Escario through V. Rama,” the mayor said.

The less-than-one-kilometer-long road, which Rama proposed, would pass in front of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Central Visayas office and traverse a portion of the Department of Agriculture (DA) compound.

The DA compound owned by the province connects to V. Rama Avenue.

Rama said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia supports the road opening. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac

Benhur nephew files case against Veco

A NEPHEW of Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of Cebu’s 4th district filed a civil suit against the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) after it cut off power to a subdivision unit he built in Cebu City.

In his complaint Ken Salimbangon, marketing director of CKL Real Estate Corp., sought a temporary restraining order and asked the court to order Veco to restore power at Unit I of Cielo E Terra Subdivision.

He also sought P200,000 in  damages and P30,000 in litigation expenses and attorney’s fees.

Ken said his  family owns and operates CKL Real Estate Corp., which builds town houses and subdivisions.

Last Aug. 8, Ken said Veco cut off power to the unit registered under his name on accusations that he tampered the  electric meter in violation of Republic Act 7834 or the Anti-Electric and Electric Transmission Lines Pilferage Act of 1994.

He said Veco told him to settle his P80,244.98 bill plus surcharges and inspection cost without verifying from him.

Ken said he wrote Veco but the power utility didn’t reply. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol

Septic tank operators nabbed

MANDAUE traffic enforcers  apprehended personnel of a private septic tank service after they were caught disposing human  wastes in a  manhole   of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) last Tuesday.

The septic tanker was driven by Joel Maligmat,  who was with  two  helpers identified as Jack Maligmat and Joramel Labastida.

The three were detained at the Centro police precinct in Mandaue City.

They face charges of violating section 48 of the Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which prohibits the transport of mixed garbage and solid waste without a government permit.

Placido Jerusalem, head of Mandaue City’s environmental enforcement unit, said the operators previously tried to dispose of the septic  wastes in a drainage hole at United Nations Avenue in barangay Umapad, Mandaue City. Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos