SP okays P40M additional budget
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan yesterday approved a P40 million supplementary budget for the provincial government, and P300,000 in aid to the recent typhoon victims in Luzon,  Acting Gov. Emilio Yulo IIII said yesterday.

Yulo said the P300,000 in provincial government assistance will be given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for disposition.

Meanwhile, he said the approved P40 million 2009 Supplemental Budget No. 5 is from the Internal Revenue Allotment differential received by the provincial government.

Police yesterday filed murder and frustrated murder charges against three government militiamen before the City Prosecutor’s Office in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, for the recent ambush-slay of an hacienda overseer, and injuries to his companion.

Supt. Jomil John Trio, Victorias police chief, yesterday said the respondents, identified as CAFGU members Arnel Catimbang, Efren Las Pinas and Arturo Endrino, all assigned at the 12th Infantry Battalion’s Ining detachment in Manapla, are now in jail, after their arrest last week.

Trio said the three were positively identified by Norberto Opinion, a survivor of the ambush, as the ones who opened fire at them in Brgy. 10, Victorias City, last month.

The multi-sectoral group Save Bacolod Movement accused Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella of deceptions and lies for insisting that circumstances had forced him to deposit the P50.5 million funds for the hosting of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in 2005 in Bacolod City to his personal current account.

At a press conference held at Sweet Greens yesterday, SBM member Romy Niere said Puentevella lied when he said in media interviews that the BASOC has no legal personality; thus he was forced to deposit the funds from the Philippines Sports Commission to his current account No. 0422-14824 at the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation-Bacolod Branch.

He insisted that, because of time constraint, BASOC could not process Securities and Exchange Commission Registration for its legal personality, thus all four checks issued by the PSC went to his personal account, the group said.