ILOILO CITY - Police yesterday tagged an Iloilo businessman’s own two sons for his murder and that of his wife and young daughter.

In a two-page complaint filed before the Iloilo City Prosecutor’s Office, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Western Visayas filed two counts of murder and one count of parricide against Archie Tan, 23, and his brother John Michael, 18.

The brothers are the sons from a previous relationship of businessman Francisco “Bobby” Tan.

Teves justifies
12% EVAT by Feb. 1
BY NANETTE GUADALQUIVER

Finance Secretary Margarito Teves yesterday said that the government's goal of hitting a balanced budget by 2008 is the driving force behind the implementation of the Expanded Value Added Tax, which will be raised from 10 percent to 12 percent beginning February 1.

Many features of the VAT are still complicated but beyond that, what's important is for us to work together to achieve an objective - a balanced budget by 2008, Teves told an audience of more than 1,000 at the Expanded VAT Domestic Roadshow organized by the Bureau of Internal Revenue Region 12 at the Bacolod Convention Plaza Hotel yesterday.

Teves said in his keynote address that "the name of the game is, try to reduce the (budget) deficit."

Hotel owner
prepared to talk with guv
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The owner of Sugarland Hotel yesterday said he is prepared to talk to Gov. Joseph Marañon about the recent court order for the Bacolod, Negros Occidental and Department of Transportation and Communication officials to pay his hotel P21.6 million plus interest.

Regional Trial Court Judge Ramon Delariarte said the order was issued for failure of the respondents to comply with a Memorandum of Understanding reached before the demolition of the hotel's fourth floor 11 years ago for allegedly being an obstruction to aerial navigation.

Maybe the governor and I can talk over a cup of coffee and our lawyers can sit down and discuss proposals for a settlement, Sugarland Hotel owner Felix Yusay said. Gov. Joseph Marañon said the provincial government is only prepared to pay Sugarland Hotel P3.6 million provided it is reimbursed by the DOTC as agreed on.