NEWS BRIEF

06/24/2010

Swan songs

FAREWELL speeches by outgoing councilors were the order of the day for the last session of the 11th Cebu City Council yesterday afternoon.

In separate speeches, Councilors Arsenio Pacaña, Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, Gerardo Carillo, Edwin Jagmoc and Christopher Alix thanked their colleagues and outgoing Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña for allowing them to serve the city residents.

“Thank you for bearing with me, my inexperience in parliamentary procedures. I owe much my parliamentary education to my lawyer colleagues especially (reelected Councilor) Edgar Labella,” Pacaña said.

Pacaña also thanked incoming Mayor Michael Rama for being “a mentor in the political arena,” saying their friendship extended beyond politics.

Both Pacaña and Archival said they are willing to serve Cebu City in some other capacity.

Rama also thanked the council and called on his allies in the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) to extend the same support to incoming Vice Mayor Augustus “Joy” Young.

Later the council witnessed the unveiling of the Legislative Award of Excellence given to them in 2006 and 2009 by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in front of the council session hall. /Reporter Fe Marie Dumaboc


Election protest


The Commission on Elections (Comelec) gave the camps of opposition councilor Ahong Chan and Lapu-Lapu City Rep.-elect Arturo Radaza until June 29 to submit their respective affidavits in response to a disqualification case filed by Chan after the elections.

Chan's lawyer Romeo Igot told reporters they already filed a supplementary petition with affidavits of 90 people and 500 copies of sample ballots to bolster their allegations of massive vote buying and other fraud allegedly committed by Radaza's camp last May 10.

Out of 30 barangays of the city, Chan was unable to get witnesses in barangays Caubian, Pangan-an and Caohagan.

Radaza filed a motion to dismiss Chan's petition, citing the councilor's failure to produce evidence to support his charges.

Chan, who ran and lost to Radaza's wife Paz in the mayoralty elections, claimed that some of their testimonies were gathered from Radaza's followers who weren't supposedly paid P500 each after they voted. /Correspondent Ria Mae Y. Booc


Smoking ban

THE Cebu City Council amended its anti-smoking ordinance to include the ban on public utility vehicles (PUVs), government-owned vehicles and other forms of public transportation.

Councilor Nestor Archival, who authored the amendment, said the ordinance would enhance protection for non-smokers especially pregnant women and children from second-hand smoke.

Penalties for violating the ordinance include a fine of P5,000 and imprisonment of one year depending on the court's discretion (Cebu Daily News)