Flag given to Aleli at funeral;
Grace says, I had Iggy’s love
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The flag draped on the coffin of Rep. Ignacio Arroyo Jr. (Neg. Occ., 5th District) was given to his estranged wife Aleli Arroyo as he was finally laid to rest at his family’s mausoleum at the Manila North Cemetery amid a 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps at about 1:40 p.m. yesterday.

“The flag for me doesn’t matter, what is important is I know I had his love,” his long-time partner, Grace Ibuna, who was also at the funeral told ABS-CBN.

Ibuna was with the congressman when he died at the London Clinic on January 26 after a long battle with cirrhosis of the liver. He was 61.

A former Army sergeant was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in illegal drug peddling activities.

His arrest, incidentally, also led to the capture of a suspect in recent armed robbery and murder incidents in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.

Armed with a search warrant issued by Bago City Regional Trial Court Judge, a team of intelligence operatives fromthe Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, and local policemen, headed respectively by Supts. Leonardo Angcon and Calixto Mabugat, swooped down on the house of former Army SSgt. Violante Fernandez, that,is Brgy. 4, Kabankalan City.

The spokesman of the Commission on Audit yesterday denied that the COA is deliberately delaying a ruling on the deed of sale and contract of lease on the 7.7-hectare Negros Occidental provincial government property to Ayala Land Inc.

Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. had said earlier that the provincial government had submitted the deed of sale and contract of sale for review to the COA in July last year yet, but it had not received any reply on why a resolution was taking so long despite several queries.

COA spokesperson . Gilbert Kintanar, in an interview over Bombo Radyo yesterday morning , said the Commission proper composed of COA chairperson and two commissioners will deliberate on the contracts on March 19.