Cop assassinated
in front of daughter
BY ADRIAN NEMES III

One of  two men riding in tandem on a motorcycle shot and killed a police drug operative in the presence of his daughter at about 7 a.m. yesterday at the junction of Hernaez and Jovita streets, in front of the Tay Tung High School in Bacolod City.

Killed was Police Officer 3 Rolando Malate, 43, of Celine Homes Subdivision in Brgy. Estefania, Bacolod, City Police Director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said.

Malate was assigned as operative of the City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group, and was also a track and field coach of Tay Tung High School at the time of his death.

Italian Ambassador to the Philippines, Luca Fornari, last night said he is exploring areas of trade between his country and Negros Occidental, as well as the tourism potential of the province.

The thrust of Negros Occidental towards the production or organic food will be a boost to its tourism industry and a potential for trade, Fornari, told the DAILY STAR.

Food free of chemicals is something that Europeans will go for, he said.

The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan Wednesday approved a P550,661,600 supplemental budget, and  P137.6 million more for various other projects, for a total of P688.3 million.

Of the P550.6 million  from the supplemental budget, P450 million will be allocated  for the construction of the Negros First Cyber Center Building  at the Paglaum Sports Complex in Bacolod, P100,000,000  for the purchase of  sheep, P650,000 for information technology equipment for the  Bids and Awards members and P11,600 for the BAC office equipment.

The P550.6 million will be sourced from a P450 million laon from the Development Bank of the Philippines, P100 million loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines, and P661,600 from income earned from the sale of bidding documents, Board Member Salvador Escalante, SP Committee on Finance chairman, said yesterday.