DUMAGUETE CITY (PNA) — Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria said this city and other parts of Negros Oriental badly need support structures, including four new bridges across the Banica River to replace the spillways that had overflowed and were partly damaged after tropical storm "Sendong" dumped massive rains last Dec. 17.
Sagarbarria said he wrote President Benigno S. Aquino III requesting funds for the construction of four new bridges across the Banica River to replace the spillways that had overflowed and partly damaged after “Sendong” caused the river to overflow. The four bridges are to replace the spillways that currently connect Bagacay to Taclobo, Bagacay to Colon Extension, Habitat/Batinguel to Cadawinonan and Balugo to Canduay near the city’s dumpsite, Sagarbarria said.
Separation Pay
CEBU CITY (PNA) – The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that some 88 workers, who were sacked by a Cebu City hospital for staging a series of strikes 15 years ago, shall be paid separation pay because there was no proof they did anything illegal.
The SC partly granted the petition of the terminated employees of Visayas Community Medical Center (VCMC) in Cebu City and ordered the hospital management to pay them one month’s salary for every year of service and attorney’s fees amounting to P50,000.
“Since there is no clear proof those union members actually participated in the commission of illegal acts during the strike, they are not deemed to have lost their employment status as a consequence of a declaration of illegality of the strike,” read the decision that Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr. penned for the SC’s First Division.
New Schools
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PNA) — Allocations for the construction of at least 25 new and integrated schools in the second district have been included in next year’s budget. The buildings these schools now use are either makeshift structures or dilapidated ones badly in need of repair and already pose hazards to the students and teachers’ health.
Rep. Erico Aumentado said the students’ and teachers’ predicament had prompted Bohol Schools Division Superintendent Lorna Rances to submit to him her “wish list.”
Stale Rice
DUMAGUETE CITY (PNA) — City Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria immediately ordered the recall of 508 bags of stale rice that were distributed to job order employees of the city government during Christmas.
The stale rice was returned to the supplier, Joebon Marketing, who won an earlier bidding to supply the staple intended for city government job order employees. Mayor Sagarbarria has instructed City Administrator William Ablong and the General Services Office to hold bidding for the purchase of 508 sacks of rice.
Price Ceiling
DUMAGUETE CITY (PNA) — The provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental has renewed its warning against any business establishment found violating the price ceiling set by the national government for basic commodities.
Unless lifted, the price control of basic commodities shall remain in effect for not more than 60 days after President Benigno S. Aquino III last week declared a national state of calamity due to the devastation wrought by tropical storm "Sendong."