An ordinance laying down basic guidelines and procedures in the implementation of Section 208 of the National Building Code has been proposed by Bacolod Councilor Dindo Ramos.

The proposed ordinance said the National Building Code of the Philippines in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations mandates the retention by the Office of the Building Official of 20 percent of its total collection from permit fees and other charges.

It said the Department of Public Works and Highways has not yet issued pertinent guidelines on how the retained amount can be transferred to the account of the OBO and how it can be disbursed.

Lopez urges: Make Iloilo
queen city of south again

ILOILO CITY – Business tycoon Oscar Lopez, chairman of the Lopez Group of Companies, called on Ilonggo local officials and business leaders here to make the city's glorious past as an inspiration in moving forward and make Iloilo the "Queen City of the South once again."

"I personally believe Iloilo City can become Queen of the South once again, able to compete against all corners for economic primary," Lopez, who was the keynote speaker, at the 1st Investment Forum organized by the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, said.

Lopez, who was born here in 1930, said he and his siblings Geny and Presy I were raised “in a city then at peak of its grandeur.”

ESCUDERO SAYS
Claim of balanced budget false

Senator Francis Escudero yesterday said Malacañang made false assumptions when it claimed it has submitted a balanced 2008 budget proposal to Congress for consideration.

Escudero, in a press release, said he will seek answers from the national government about what he said were false claims like a balanced budget and the lofty promise of a social payback.

In her budget message, President Gloria Arroyo said that the proposed 2008 budget amounting to P1.227 trillion is a balanced budget. She also declared that next year's budget will be used for payback to the Filipino people who bore the brunt of new taxes and the government's "austerity measures".

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