Reports that 13 top private and public officials and five policemen in Negros Occidental are on a New People's Army hit list are being validated, Bacolod City police director Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, said yesterday.

Merced said the information received by Bacolod police intelligence operatives is still raw.

Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Marañon, SPO1 Rex Noble of the Bacolod police office, Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. president Simplicio Palanca, businessman tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco, Nehemias dela Cruz -- former mayor of Don Salvador Benedicto, Nilo dela Cruz of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa -- Pilipinas, Carapali Lualhati -- Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade head, sugar planters Bunny and Magdaleno Peña and five other policemen in Bacolod are allegedly on the NPA hitlist, RGMA-Super Radyo Bacolod reported.

CBCP scores
'people's initiative'
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines yesterday scored the so-called people's initiative for Charter change for being "dangerously unclear and open to manipulation by groups with self-serving interests."

The CBCP pastoral letter issued by its president, Archbishop of Jaro Angel Lagdameo, said the bishops view with deep concern the attempt of certain sectors to make hasty and substantial changes to the Constitution, supposedly through a people's initiative.

"As Christians, we cannot be complacent and inactive in the face of this present issue of charter change, which is so crucial to the future of our country and people," he said in the pastoral letter posted on the CBCP website.

SC grants
clemency to lawyer
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Supreme Court has granted clemency to a Negrense lawyer by setting aside a sentence of imprisonment for indirect contempt of court.

In its resolution, the SC said the penalty of imprisonment of 20 days imposed on lawyer Romulo A. Deles is set aside and in its stead he is suspended from the practice of law for 60 days immediately upon his receipt of the resolution promulgated on March 23.