CA reverses Ombudsman
ruling vs.17 Silay officials
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Court of Appeals 18th Division in Cebu City has set aside a decision of the Office of the Ombudsman ordering the suspension of 17 officials of Silay City for eight months and one day.

The June 25 decision of the CA signed by Executive Justice Pampio Abarintos, a copy of which was furnished the media yesterday, also reversed the Aug. 3, 2010 decision of the Ombudsman stating that the 17 had committed conduct prejudicial to public service.

The Ombudsman’s decision was based on a complaint filed by Silay residents Jose Lindy Chan and Jojo Sumiller against the 17 for the alleged anomalous P18 million computerization project of the Silay City government.

Five Negrenses, four of them incumbent mayors of Negros Occidental, took their oaths as members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition in Quezon City, yesterday.

The four mayors are Isidro Zayco of Kabankalan City, Ma. Teresa Bilbao of Hinobaan, Augustin Ernesto Bascon of Himamaylan City and Melecio Yap. Jr. of Escalante City; and Albino de la Cruz of Toboso, a DAILY STAR source said.

They were former members of the Lakas CMD.

The five were sworn in by NPC president Frisco San Juan at the NPC Club House in Quezon City in the presence of NPC chairman Faustino Dy Jr., Rep. Henry Cojuangco and former Rep. Mark Cojuangco, and other party members, the source said.

More farmer beneficiaries in Negros Occidental received their Certificates of Land Ownership Award from the Department of Agrarian Reform at the Bago City gymnasium yesterday.

A total of 174 land titles covering 74.8394 hectares of land under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program were distributed to 69 farmer beneficiaries from barangays Don Salvador Benedicto, Buenavista and Carmona in Pontevedra and Brgy. Bacong, Bago, Agrarian Reform Regional Director for Negros Occidental, Elmo Bañares, said.

On Wednesday, DAR Secretary Virgilio Delos Reyes led the distribution of 97.1636 hectares of land under CARP to farmer beneficiaries from Kabankalan City, Himamaylan City, and Binalbagan while 33 ARBs of La Castellana City and Moises Padilla received their CLOAs covering 28.5420 hectares on July 19.