LTFRB TO OPEN ROUTES TO OTHER BUSES
THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is asking other bus companies to service other routes after 10 Ceres bus units were suspended in the wake of last Monday鈥檚 accident in Badian town.
LTFRB Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon said interested bus liners can apply with his office.
Vallacar Transit is asking the agency to postpone the 30-day suspension of their units till after Christmas due to the peak demand for transport during the holidays.
鈥淚f we delay the suspension, we may not find out if there are defects in other bus units.聽 There must be an element of surprise if we want to find out things that need correction,鈥� said Cuizon, who added that this was standard operating procedure in testing聽 the road worthiness of the vehicles. Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos
OMBUD CLEARS RAMA OF CHARGES
THE Ombudsman cleared Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama of charges of usurpation of authority filed against him by former congressman Tomas Osme帽a.
The Feb. 19 resolution was approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales.聽 The case was聽 dismissed 鈥渇or lack of probable cause鈥� after Rama refused to allow City Hall聽 department heads to attend the 2011 budget hearings.
Rama earlier barred acting Cebu City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo from appearing in the City Council鈥檚 budget hearings on the 2012 annual budget.聽 He instead sent Emma Villarete, assistant treasurer.
Rama later designated Villarete as acting treasurer to replace Camarillo, who earlier admitted the city鈥檚 failure to meet the year鈥檚 revenue collection target.聽聽 Correspondent Edison delos Angeles
JUDGES THANKFUL FOR ALLOWANCES
Judges in Cebu City聽 were聽 happy to learn that the Cebu City Council would continue granting them聽 a monthly allowance even if a proposed increase was rejected.
鈥淢aayo gani kay gitagaan mi (It鈥檚 already good that we were given), 鈥� said聽 Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Soliver Peras.聽 He聽 said they could not complain because it鈥檚 the prerogative of the Cebu City government on whether or not聽 they would be allotted聽 an amount.
He was noncommittal about the letter of聽 ecology lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, who wrote the council objecting to the practice of聽 giving allowances to the judiciary as unnecessary and a potential conflict of interest. 鈥淪he鈥檚 entitled to her own opinion,鈥� said the judge.
Ramos said the funds would be better used for the city鈥檚聽 malnourished children, out-of-school youth and indigent families displaced by floods and fires.
Cebu City will resume giving P35,000 to RTC judges, P30,000 to judges of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities, and P45,000 to justices of the Court of Appeals.
Due to cash flow problems, the city stopped releasing allowances after July last year, but promised their聽 resumption when funds were available.
In the 2014 annual budget approved by the City Council this week, P11.7 million is appropriated as aid to the judiciary. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol
CEBU CITY HOSPITAL WARNED ON BUILDING HOSPITAL IN SRP
The Cebu City government may have to consider another location for the Cebu City Medical Center other than the South Road Properties (SRP).
Dr. Gerardo Aquino, chief of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), said a Department of Health policy prohibits building hospitals near bodies of waters.
Aquino, who sits as a member of the CCMC ad hoc committee, said their hospital鈥檚 plans to expand their operations in a donated lot in the SRP were prohibited by the DOH.
Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos said the DOH didn鈥檛 issue the same warning for plans to build a city hospital at the SRP.
鈥淭he ad hoc committee is open to all suggestions considering that it is a big and delicate project.聽 We don鈥檛 want to commit the slightest mistake in this project as much as possible,鈥� she told Cebu Daily 黑料社.
The Cebu City government is raising P1.5 billion in donations for a new city hospital through its 鈥淧iso Mo, Hospital Ko鈥� campaign.
DOH also committed to allocate P500 million for the new city hospital. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac