WV governors assail
bishops' accusation
BY NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.

ILOILO CITY - Governors in Western Visayas assailed the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines for saying that the country's leaders are showing "moral bankruptcy" amid the reported distribution of money to officials during a meeting with President Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang last week.

Antique Gov. Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez, chair of the Regional Development Council of Western Visayas, said the bishops were being unfair to all officials.

"It was such a sweeping statement," Perez said in a telephone interview.

Mayor seeks P1B
budget for Bacolod
BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday said he submitted his proposed 2008 annual budget for the city amounting to P1 billion or an increase of 32 percent compared to last year's budget, to the Sangguniang Panlungsod Tuesday.

We have finally reached the P1 billion mark, we are increasing our budget from P755 million last year to more than a billion in 2008, Leonardia said. This means an increase of 32 percent which has never happened in the history of Bacolod, he said. What is very significant is that for the first time the city has a budget that is more of "local income" than the Internal Revenue Allotment, he said.

The IRA now represents only 48 percent of the budget, which in the previous years would average about 60 percent, Leonardia added.

Deadline for
filing of CoCs today
BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

The filing of the Certificates of Candidacy for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan synchronized elections is until midnight tonight, Bacolod election officer Mavil Majarucon said yesterday.

Majarucon said she is reminding those who have filed their COC's that the deadline for submission of their drug test certificates is also until midnight. The COMELEC will not accept drug test certificates beyond the deadline and the names of candidates who failed to comply with the requirement will be submitted to their Legal Office for publication, she added.

There is no law disqualifying the candidates from running if they fail to submit a drug test certificate, the purpose of the COMELEC for requiring drug testing is only for public information, she said. However, if they win, there is a law that requires all government employees to undergo drug testing before they assume office, Majarucon added.