Top officials joining
oil price meet today
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Representatives from the departments of Energy and Trade and Industry, as well as top Negros Island officials, are expected at a consultative meeting on the formation of the Visayas Oil Price Watchdog to be held at the Social Hall of the Negros Occidental Capitol in Bacolod City at 2 p.m. today.

Stakeholders from the transport and business sectors, as well as civil society and sugar industry representatives have also been invited to the meeting.

Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said the meeting is being held in response to complaints on the oil price disparity between Metro Manila and other provinces in the Visayas.

Complaints vs.
OBO head raised
BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

Section heads of the Office of the Building Official in Bacolod City are questioning the basis for the computation/assessment of building permits by their new department head recently designated by Mayor Monico Puentevella.

This came after a revision and reduction by more than 75 percent of the original computation of the permit fees of Mainstream Business Inc, SM Primeholdings’ contractor, was brought to the attention of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

In their letter to acting OBO head Isidro Sun Jr. dated August 14, the section heads said clients processing their building permits have been inquiring as to the basis for the computation of addition/alteration/renovation and/or improvement of the building permits that they should pay to the city.

Frank Chavez passes away
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Former Solicitor General Francisco “Frank” Chavez, a Negrense who pursued graft cases against former presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Gloria Arroyo, succumbed to a stroke at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday.

Chavez, who had been battling lymphoma since 2009, was 66 when he passed away at the Medical City in Pasig, where he had been confined since July.

He was the country’s solicitor general from 1987 to 1992 under the Corazon Aquino administration.