BISHOP SAYS
New DENR head
must protect forest
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra.*

Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra yesterday called on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to appoint a new environment secretary who will have the political will to protect the country's remaining forests and environment.

Navarra issued the call amid reports that the president is set to appoint a new environment secretary to replace Michael Defensor. He said the people should have a say on the new choice for environment secretary.

The bishop aired concern over continued illegal logging and the resumption of mining being allowed by the government.

4th suspect in Bata
killings gives up
BY DONALYN GUERRERO

CANLAON CITY -- Another suspect linked to the brutal death of an architect and an engineer in Brgy. Bata, Bacolod City Monday last week voluntarily surrendered to the Canlaon City PNP in Negros Oriental at about 8:26 a.m. yesterday.

Reynaldo Lobaton Vergara, 19, of Purok Marapara, Brgy. Bata, Bacolod City, who fled to Brgy. Bocalan, Canlaon City days after the death of Farmelo Arevalo and Gliserio Yude in Brgy. Bata surrendered to the Canla-on police saying he was bothered by his conscience.

Arevalo, an engineer and Yude, an architect, were shot dead in Purok Medayna, Brgy. Bata, in the city a day after New Year's Day.

Guv: UNA to make party stand
on Cha-cha 'people's initiative'
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The United Negros Alliance will have to come up with a party decision on whether it will support a "people's initiative" campaign for Charter change, Gov. Joseph Marañon said yesterday.

The majority of Negros Occidental's local government officials headed by the governor and six of its congressmen are members of UNA.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, spokesperson of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, said local government officials plan to obtain the signatures of 12 percent of the country's voting population, or of three percent of the voters of every legislative district, for a petition that would propose the Charter changes.