Loren seeks One Cebu endorsement

MANILA< Philippines - Legarda, who visited Cebu City for a speaking engagement, paid a courtesy call to Governor Garcia at the Capitol yesterday afternoon.

Although the media was not allowed inside the office of the governor during their meeting, Legarda later told reporters she hopes to get the support from the One Cebu Party.

Legarda said every time she visits Cebu she drops by the Capitol to say hello to Garcia.

Legarda is running for vice president alongside presidential aspirant Manuel Villar under the Nacionalista Party.

The One Cebu Party is supporting the presidential bid of administration candidate Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, but not his running mate, former Makati vice mayor Edu Manzano.

Legarda said with or without the endorsement from Governor Garcia, she will attend the opening salvo of the One Cebu Party in Argao town this coming March 26, 2010.

Legarda also said that she will also attend the inauguration of the headquarters of former Cebu Provincial Board member and Cebu sixth district congressional aspirant Gabriel “Luigi” Quisumbing.

In a separate interview, the governor said that the One Cebu Party will formally announce their vice presidential candidate this coming March 27. 

Meanwhile, Legarda said she was surprised by the Supreme Court recent ruling allowing President Gloria Arroyo to choose the next chief justice despite the questions of its legality.

Legarda, who was in the Tabunok Public Market, Talisay City yesterday, said apart from being surprised she was also wondering why the High Tribunal would give out such ruling when it knows that the president cannot appoint at election time.

In the past, Legarda had been vocal in saying that Arroyo should inhibit herself from appointing the next chief justice “in order not to compromise the integrity of the entire court.”

She said that out of delicadeza, Arroyo should inhibit herself from doing it.

The retirement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno on May 17 after the elections when the new president would already have been elected, yet still has to be inducted into office. Arroyo’s term expires noon of June 30.

But the other day, nine of the 15 SC justices said there is nothing under the law that prohibits Arroyo from appointing the next chief justice to replace Puno.

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, the SC said the ban on midnight appointments does not cover the Judiciary.

In that 55-page ruling, the SC explained the intention of the framers of the Constitution was to limit the powers of the President to make appointments in the Executive branch.

“The framers did not need to extend the prohibition to appointments in the judiciary, because their establishment of the JBC… had the framers intended to extend the prohibition contained in Section 15, Article VII to the appointment of members of the Supreme Court they could have explicitly done so,” read the decision.

The SC also dismissed the argument that the judiciary can still have an acting chief justice during the vacancy and allow the next president to make the appointment.

With this happening, Legarda said they will have their legal experts study the decision and they may file a motion for reconsideration. — Jose P. Sollano and Liv G. Campo/BRP

Benhur: I remain as

congressman of 4th

“That is just a black propaganda. I am still the congressman of Cebu’s Fourth District and no amount of black propaganda from my political opponent can change that”.

This was the statement made by sitting Rep. Benhur Salimbangon on a report the other day that his name was already dropped of the rolls of the House of Representatives.

Salimbangon said that the camp of former Bogo Mayor Celestino “Tining” Martinez III is the one behind all this, just like when the latter claimed that he already took his oath as member of the House.

In an interview with The FREEMAN last month, Speaker Prospero Nograles clarified that the oath taking of Martinez was nothing but a mere photo opportunity. Nograles added that Martinez failed to perform an operative act, which is talking his oath at the Plenary Hall for him to be considered as a member of the House of Representatives.

Salimbangon added that Martinez is entitled to his own opinion but they cannot fool the people of the district.

“Why don’t you check in the website of the House of Representatives as to who is the congressman listed in the Fourth District?” Salimbangon said.

A check on the House website, www.congress.gov.ph, shows that Salimbagon’s name is still on the list.

Martinez was declared by the Supreme Court in its decision as the winner in the congressional race during the 2007 elections in its decision last January 12.

Salimbangon said despite of the finality of the Supreme Court decision dated February 2, 2010 the order cannot be implemented pending the decision of the SC to rule on the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.

The HRET earlier ruled that Salimbangon is the true winner in the 2007 congressional race in the district, which prompted Martinez to elevate the matter to the High Court. 

Salimbangon and Martinez will have a second face-off in the upcoming election as congressman in the district which has been the bailiwick of the Martinezes family for more than 20 years. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP

Three hurt after shotgun goes off

Three people were injured after a security guard accidentally fired a shotgun in a gasoline station in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, past 6 p.m. last Wednesday.

The victims were identified as Saturnino Tantiado and Boyledo Avenido, both 21 years old and pump attendants of the AC Petron Gasoline Station in V. Rama Avenue. The third victim was Leopoldo Agdeppa, 29, a resident of Barangay Sapangdaku.

The suspect was identified as Aniceto Cahayagan, 53, a resident of Barangay Carreta and a security guard of the Royal Knight Security Agency assigned at the said gasoline station.

SPO4 Alex Dacua of Cebu City Police Office Homicide Section said it was a case of accidental firing but there was still negligence on the part of Cahayagan who was on-duty at the time.

Dacua said that prior to the incident, Cahayagan loaded his issued service firearm, a 12-gauge shotgun, when he was called to respond to two suspicious men who were destroying the barricade placed in front of the gasoline station.

After the suspicious men disappeared, Cahayagan returned to his post but allegedly forgot to unload the shell from the chamber and it suddenly went off.

The pellets ricocheted from the ground, accidentally hitting the two pump attendants who were working at that time. The third victim was a customer who just had his motorcycle refueled.

The shrapnel hit Tantiado’s back and left thigh, Avenido’s right leg, and Agdeppa in the right shoulder. They were all taken to the Cebu Doctors Hospital for treatment.

The suspect voluntarily surrendered to the police and turned over his service firearm.

Dacua said the two pump boys are not interested to file a case against the suspect while the management was still negotiating for a settlement with the third victim yesterday. — Niña G. Sumacot/BRP

C-CIMPEL hopeful to get more volunteers

The Cebu-Citizen’s Involvement for Maturation of People Empowerment and Liberation (C-CIMPEL) is hoping to gather the same, if not a bigger number of volunteers for this year’s polls.

C-CIMPEL is the political education arm of the Commission on Service of the Archdiocese of Cebu and part of the National Secretariat for Social Action of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting.

According to Judge Gabriel Ingles, one of the core group members of C-CIMPEL, they have gathered about 9,000 volunteers, so far, but they are hoping to gather as many as 20,000 like in the last elections.

Ingles said they remain optimistic to have more volunteers because more and more people are reportedly gaining interest to take part in the May elections not only as voters, but also as watchdogs.

Ingles said most of their volunteers are active church-goers, but the number of volunteers from the youth sector is reportedly growing.

C-CIMPEL has been accredited by the Commission on Elections to conduct both poll