Former RPA head
now a congressman
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Negros Occidental now has another representative in Congress.

Stephen Paduano, alias Carapali Lualhati , former national commander of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), finally took his oath as Abang Lingkod partylist representative before House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte yesterday.

Paduano was proclaimed congressman after the Supreme Court rejected the Commission on Elections motion for reconsideration and ruled with finality that Abang Lingkod was a winner in the May 2013 polls, Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3 rd District), who joined the oath- taking rites yesterday, said.

Albee, Jules
among top 5 richest
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Two congressmen from Negros Occidental remained among the top five richest among the 289 members of the House of Representatives in 2013, while a partylist representative from the province was the 12 th poorest.

The 2013 summary of the lawmakers' Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) also showed that the wealth of Rep. Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3 rd District) who is the fourth richest, and Rep. Julio "Jules" Ledesma IV (Neg. Occ., 1 st District), fifth richest, had increased from 2012.

They held the same ranking in 2013 as in 2012.

BM Malabor wealthiest,
Gustilo poorest
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Board Member Renato Malabor (5 th District) is the richest member of the Negros Occidental provincial board, while Board Member Renato Gustilo (1 st District) is the poorest, according to their 2013 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

Out of 14 who submitted their SALNs 13 were millionaires, and Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson was in 12 th place.

The Negros Occidental provincial board members ranked according to net worth are as follows: