PVB: P250M loan of
city aboveboard
BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

An official of the Philippine Veterans Bank yesterday assured that the P250 million loan granted to the City of the Bacolod is above board and has strictly followed banking regulations as promulgated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and other pertinent laws of the Republic of the Philippines.

In a press statement, Mike Villa-Real, PVB Corporate Communications and  Marketing Services vice president, said the loan has been carefully studied by both parties.

Furthermore, he said, the purpose of the loan package made by the Bacolod City government is to finance its developed projects for the benefit of its people.

Several bets seeking higher posts in the May 2010 elections in Negros Occidental have involvements in illegal drugs, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Provincial chief Intelligence Officer 3 Cerilo Baluma confirmed yesterday.

Baluma said one of them is a noted illegal drugs user while another is allegedly a financier of illegal drug trade in his area.

On Tuesday, PDEA Region 6 Director Investigating Agent Paul Ledesma said there are eight candidates who filed their certificate of candidacies in the Western Visayas who have links to noted drug personalities, based on the information given by concerned citizens to PDEA.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday signed the election peace covenant at the Bishop’s Palace in Bacolod City in the presence of Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra and Fr. Aniceto Buenafe, after a mass held in celebration of the feast day of St. Sebastian.

Leonardia was in Kalibo on a personal pilgrimage during the peace covenant signing Sunday for Bacolod congressional and mayoralty candidates at the San Antonio Abad Parish.

The signing of the peace covenant yesterday was witnessed by Senior Supt. Manuel Felix, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, Maj. Nathaniel Villasor, 303rd Infantry Brigade civil military operations officer, Senior Supt. Celestino Guara, Bacolod police director, Jessie Suarez,  provincial elections supervisor, Agnes Padilla of the COMELEC-Bacolod, Ryan Castro, Bacolod election officer, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting representatives, Diocesan lay coordinator Dannyl Yap, Councilors Roberto Rojas and Celia Flor.