Negros solons firm on votes
as Congress okays RH bill
ON FINAL READING IN BOTH HOUSES
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Senate and House of Representatives passed on third and final reading last night the Church-opposed Reproductive Health Bill, with two Ilonggo senators and four Negros Occidental representatives standing firm on their yes votes.

House members voted 133-79 in favor of the RH bill, while seven abstained, Rep. Mercedes Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District) said.

The Negros Occidental representatives entered the same votes as they did on second reading last week when four voted yes, two no and one abstained.

Neg. Occ. wins WV award for best
performing province
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Negros Occidental provincial government, which was the hall of fame awardee as best performing provincial government in Western Visayas last year, for winning the title for three consecutive years, is again the first place winner in the same category, Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said yesterday.

Negros Occidental, Sagay and Silay cities won multiple awards at the Department of Interior and Local Government’s 2012 Pagdayaw Awards for WV given at the Iloilo Grand Hotel in Iloilo City Friday.

The province of Negros Occidental won first place as Best Performing LGU (Province Category), and was the champion in Administrative Governance, Economic Governance, and Valuing Fundamentals of Good Governance; and first runner-up in Environmental Governance, Ma. Lina Sanogal, Provincial Planning and Development Office head, said.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental yesterday approved the P82.5 million productivity enhancement incentives of more than 2,400 Capitol employees, but deferred deliberation on the 2013 budget of the province to its next regular session on Wednesday.

Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko moved to defer the deliberation on the P1.9 billion budget of the provincial government and P690 million for its Economic Enterprise Development Department, which was opposed by Board Members Salvador Escalante, Jose Benito Alonzo, Nehemias de la Cruz, Melvin Ibañez and Miller Serondo.

During the nominal voting, after the division of the house was approved the deferment of the budget was approved with a vote of eight against seven on motion of Board Member Renato Gustilo.