AT BACIWA
Mayor appoints Garcia
but Ramos won’t leave
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella has appointed former Bacolod vice mayor Ramiro Garcia to take the place of Marichi Ramos as member of the board of directors of the Bacolod City Water District representing the professional sector “effective immediately.”

In his letter to BACIWA dated Nov. 19, Puentevella said he has the power to appoint Garcia based on Presidential Decree 198, or the Provincial Water Utilities Act.

Garcia's appointment took effect November 18, despite a 20-day temporary restraining order granted by Judge Franklin Demonteverde of the Regional Trial Court Branch 44.

CIDG to file MR on
Peña ruling
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group will definitely file a motion for reconsideration before the Department of Justice on the dismissal of the  charges against former Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno Peña and his co-accused.

This was disclosed yesterday by Jay Borromeo, who represents the PNP Legal Service, and is counsel of the CIDG in its case before Bacolod Regional Trial Court Branch 42 Judge Fernando Elumba, involving the guns seized from the ancestral house of Peña in Barangay Ubay, Pulupandan town, on May 2.

Borromeo said the CIDG lawyer in the case before the DOJ is Lejoe Campos.

NIA losses
P23.5M to ‘Yolanda’
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The National Irrigation Administration yesterday reported the damage from super-typhoon “Yolanda” to its irrigation systems in Negros Occidental at P23,562,735.

The NIA report said damaged irrigation systems were in Salvador Benedicto - P3.554 million, Calatrava - P50,600, Victorias - P30,000, EB Magalona - P276,000, Murcia - P4.5 million, Bago - P100,000, Moises Padilla - P50,000, Isabela - P989,600, Himamaylan - P3.75 million, Cauayan - P1.2 million, Candoni - P1.16 million and Hinobaan - P7.897 million, Provincial Planning and Development Officer Marlin Sanogal yesterday  said.

This brings the initial estimate of Yolanda’s damage to Negros Occidental to P1.234 billion, she said.