‘Suspension of mayor
will take a long time’
BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

Bacolod City Administrator Rolando Villamor yesterday said he is sorry to frustrate the people who cannot wait for the Mayor to be suspended because this will take a long time as there is a procedure that has to be followed.

“The suspension is mandatory but not according to the time frame which the Mayor’s political opponents want. It will take long because all parties have to present their sides,” he said.

The case “People of the Philippines vs Monico Puentevella, et. al.” will be raffled off today, 11 a.m., at the Sandiganbayan to determine which sala will try it.

Villamor says solon’s
camp faces 6 cases
BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

Bacolod City Administrator Rolando Villamor said in a press conference yesterday that the camp of former Mayor and now Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia should prepare for the six plunder cases filed against them that he said are non-bailable.

Villamor who defended Mayor Monico Puentevella in the case involving the overpriced IT package now filed with the Sandiganbayan, said they are just lucky that the case of Puentevella came out ahead of theirs, he said.

He also said he is just a spokesperson of Puentevella and not part of his legal team, and they have filed a civil case against Leonardia, et al for nullity of contract questioning the appropriation involving the Bacolod City Government Center because they believe the correct process was not observed.

SM move exercise
in futility: guv
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said yesterday that any further legal action to be taken by SM Prime Holdings Inc. questioning the bidding of the Capitol’s 7.7-hectare property in Bacolod City, that was awarded to AyalaLand Inc., will be an exercise in futility.

It is the right of SMPHI to pursue its suit, but it is a delaying tactic that is to the disadvantage of the people of Negros Occidental, he said.

Negros Occidental Branch 50 RTC Judge Estefanio Libutan Jr., in a 22-page decision dated January 23, denied the petition of SMPHI against Marañon and the members of the Committee on Awards and Disposal of Real Properties of Negros Occidental for lack of merit.