Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon, who returned to the Capitol in Bacolod City yesterday after going on sick leave for a month, said he is delegating some of his functions and taking on a lighter workload.

Marañon said he talked to Vice Governor Isidro Zayco and the provincial government department heads about this plan.

Among the tasks he will delegate are the out-of-town trips and barangay visitations, he said.

"I may also spend less time at the office, but I assure you I will be around," he said.

Although he appeared thinner, the governor was his usual jolly self as he met with numerous mayors and visitors, including Japanese Congressman Roichi Tani, at the Capitol.

Marañon, 73, said that while he was ill, he lost 20 pounds that he needed to lose anyway.

The governor went on leave on July 17 after he developed community-acquired pneumonia that required the draining of fluids from his lungs.

Except for the infection from the pneumonia that has been treated, tests conducted on his vital organs were negative for other ailments, he said.

But every month he will take leaves for regular check-ups, he said.

Meanwhile, the governor said that, in a few weeks, he will present a study he had conducted on the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in Negros Occidental.

We want to find out if the beneficiaries are still tiling the land and whether CARP has improved their lives, he said.

The governor said he will base his position on whether CARP should be extended for another 10 years or not, on the findings of the study.

But the decision on whether CARP will be extended or not will depend on the members of Congress whom he will furnish copies of the study on its implementation in Negros, he said.*CPG

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