DILG names Neg. Occ.
‘top performing province'

The Department of Interior and Local Government recognized Negros Occidental as the Best Performing Province in Western Visayas during the Pagdayaw 2013 Awarding Ceremony held at the Iloilo Grand Hotel in Iloilo City, yesterday.

The province also bagged special awards as champion in three categories: Excellence in Economic Governance, Environmental Governance and Valuing the Fundamentals of Good Governance; and was second runner-up in Administrative Governance and Social Governance.

Board Member Salvador Escalante Jr. and DILG Provincial Director Ma. Joy Maredith Madayag received the award from DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero, Regional Director Anthony Nuyda, newly-retired Regional Director Evelyn Trompeta and Assistant Regional Director Margie Biligan.

Capitol employees to
get P20,000 add'l bonus
BY GILBERT BAYORAN

Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday said the 2,400 employees of the Capitol will receive an additional P20,000 each as performance incentive bonus next year after the provincial government won the Best Performing Province award from the Department of Interior and Local Government.

But Marañon said there is no stopping the Bureau of Internal from subjecting the P38,000 Christmas bonus and 13 th month pay of the Capitol employees to withholding tax.

Malacañang had written to President Benigno Aquino III asking that employees in Negros Occidental, which was also hit by super typhoon Yolanda, be exempted from paying withholding tax on their bonuses this Christmas.

Army calls NPA
truce superficial
BY GILBERT BAYORAN

A ranking military official in Negros Occidental dismissed yesterday as “superficial”, or “pakitang tao (hypocrisy)”, the four-day unilateral ceasefire to be observed by the New People's Army.

Col. Jon Aying, 303 rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army, which is based on Marxism and a Godless ideology, is all out in spreading violence.

“How come they are declaring such occasion that is based on Christian faith?” he asked, adding that the rebel group does not care about social, moral and spiritual aspects.