Reps who voted yes
deny getting threats
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Negros solons who voted yes to the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust yesterday denied claims of her allies in the House that threats had been made, which led to the overwhelming 212-46-4 result.

Minority Leader Edcel Lagman claimed that a text message circulated over the weekend purportedly from Cavite Rep. Emilio Abaya, chair of the committee on appropriations, warned lawmakers that they would get “zero” pork barrel if they vote “no” or abstain from voting.

Abaya denied having sent the message.

Robbery is now being eyed as the motive behind the brutal killing of two teenaged household helpers at Banyan-Pinyan streets of the Villa Angela Subdivision in Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod Sunday, City Police Officer-in-charge Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said yesterday.

De la Paz said at a case conference at the Bacolod City Police Office headquarters yesterday, he was informed by Station 4 chief, Senior Insp. Leilani Garcia that Aleph Esparagoza, the victims' employer, had reported that they discovered some of their properties missing.

Garcia said that among the items said to be stolen from the house of Esparagoza were three cellular phones, a digital camera, a DVD handy camera, a game boy, an I-pod and a .45 caliber pistol and its two magazines loaded with ammunition.

Silay gov’t shuts
down building
BY CARLA GOMEZ

A two-storey wooden building at the corner of Burgos and Gomez streets in Silay City, and eleven business establishments in it were closed down yesterday, City Legal Officer Aimee Quevenco said.

The Malijan Buiding was shut down based on the recommendation of the Office of the Building Official of Silay City, which stated that, due to the high risk of structural failure and danger to human life, the structure must be closed at the soonest possible time.

Activities of any kind – residential, commercial or otherwise – in the building should be prohibited, it said.

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