A 16-year-old girl was found dead inside a Bacolod pension house, while her 37-year-old companion hung himself in Silay City yesterday, the police said last night.

The mouth of Remalyn Honey Javier of Brgy. Barra, Silay City, was foaming when she was found in a room at Tindalo Pension House in Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City, at noon yesterday, the police said.

Room boy Romeo Española found Javier's body at Room 206 of the pension house when he went in to change the beddings, PO3 Rovir Montañez of Police Precinct 4 told the DAILY STAR.

Two cases filed vs.
Neg. Occ. Comelec
BUT DOJ CHIEF SAYS VERIFICATION LEGAL
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Negros Movement for Moral Regeneration and a Bacolod lawyer yesterday filed two separate petitions asking the Regional Trial Court of Bacolod to stop the Commission on Elections in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City from accepting and verifying signatures that are part of the people's initiative to amend the Constitution.

But Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez yesterday insisted that the COMELEC verification of signatures is legal and allowed under the Supreme Court ruling in Santiago vs. COMELEC.

The SC decision states that the COMELEC can set up signing stations and verify signatures prior to the filing of a people's initiative for Charter change, he said.

Court grants
businessman P1.5 M bail
BY CEDELF TUPAS

A Negrense poultry and fertilizer businessman, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for carnapping, has been granted bail by the Regional Trial Court in Cadiz City.

In an eight-page decision, Cadiz Regional Trial Court judge Renato Muñez, who earlier found Steneil Young guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating the Anti-Carnapping Act of 1972, has recommended bail of P1,500,000 or P75,000 for each year of Young's sentence.

Although the decision to grant bail was promulgated on March 29, Young, who filed his petition on Dec. 15, 2005, has yet to post bail for his temporary liberty.