De la Paz retained

Bacolodnons must be happy with the thought that city police director Ricardo de la Paz, will be retained until January.

De la Paz had earlier been rumored as intended for transfer to Camp Delgado in Iloilo City for a promotion to a vacant position.

Unfortunately, according to Senior Supt. Manuel Felix, regional police deputy director, there is no vacant position in the Region VI office.

In short, De la Paz will hold office as Bacolod police chief until a position for his promoted rank is opened.

Well, I, for one who had always batted for De la Paz, is delighted to know that the police officer who proved his worth as police chief remains with us.

De la Paz remains a professional and a dedicated police chief who has etched a mark in the Bacolod police department.

Salutes.

***

It is a story that will not die down. The arrest Wednesday morning of former Councilor candidate Emmanuel Benares Aguilar, alias “Api”, 50, at his Homesite home.

The team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), led by Chief Inspector Fernando Salvatierra raided “Epi's house on the basis for a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Edgar Garvilles at 6:30 a.m., Wednesday.

The raiders discovered several bullets from Aguilar's house.

Aguilar, according to Salvatierra, has an arrest warrant for four counts of money laundering in Nevada, USA, where he worked as an accountant.

He is the son of the late Con-con delegate Emmanuel Aguilar, and, yes, he is a godson of both my wife, the late Lourdes L. Espina, and myself.

Emmanuel Aguilar, his father, was the salutatorian of Class '52 of the NOHS. My late wife was the valedictorian.

Aguilar was confined at the Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital after his arrest. He is reportedly suffering from a chronic kidney disease.

The CIDG sent information and his pictures to the US Interpol through the international organization's office in Cebu .

How this case will prosper is anybody's guess since Aguilar claimed that the recovered bullets from his residence were not his.

***

What the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital needs is an increased budget and not corporatization.

Since several years back, the CLMMRH had always operated on a budget intended for a much smaller hospital. Thus, over the years, it had never served the purpose for which it had been elevated to the status of a 450-bed institution.

I should know, my late wife was the former director of the tertiary hospital and others listened to my wife moan that the budget for the hospital was much below what was intended for a tertiary hospital of its size.

In short, it should have been exempted from the other hospitals which were corporatized.

In the first place, all that is needed is the fund intended for it to fulfill its role as a tertiary hospital, and not burden the public with higher fees and other expenses that are normally needed by private hospitals.

Gabriela deserves our support.

***

I shall stay a while from commenting on the row over the UNA official bet in 2013 polls. Instead, allow me to mention that we have stakes in the forthcoming July 20 Italy Dragon Boat World Competition in Milan .

Our own dragon boat contingent is due to participate in this event and, if things go right, they have the chances of getting the trophy.

Our own from Silay City Edcer Calimbo Penetrante is a crew member of the team.

They won the gold championship in the Taiwan International Dragon Boat competition, recently, and again participated in the China Asian Beach game. They won again two silver medals and a bronze.

So, we hope you can pray with me that our national team, mostly from the Philippine Navy, will come out again on top of the heap.*

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