ShoeMart Bacolod opening*

"The opening of SM City is a welcome milestone in the history of Bacolod City," Mayor Evelio Leonardia said yesterday adding that he expects it to bring in more taxes and job opportunities in the city.

SM Bacolod is the third mall of SM Prime Holdings Inc. in the Visayas, the other two being SM City Iloilo, and SM City Cebu.

Leonardia said he believes that the entry of SM City in Bacolod is a validation of the trust and confidence of big business in the city after it was bestowed the title of "The Most Business Friendly City in the Visayas" by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Peña: I gave Mondia
security he wanted
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Mayor Luis Mondia yesterday said he is still pushing to have Pulupandan placed under COMELEC control even after police action was taken against security guards hired by landowner Magdaleno Peña who were caught carrying firearms outside their assigned areas, in alleged violation of the election gun ban.

He said the fact that the police had acted on the security guards now is no assurance that violence will not break out in his town during the election period. The Mondias and Peña are expected to battle against each other in the May elections.

Peña is seeking the eviction of 2,000 houses from what he said is property owned by his family. Recently Peña fenced off passageways in some areas, causing tension to rise in the town, Mondia had said.

Yap 'no comment'
on marriage woes
BY CEDELF TUPAS

Embroiled in a raging controversy that had overshadowed his stature as the country's top basketball player, James Yap would rather let his game do the talking.

Yap, the reigning MVP of the Philippine Basketball Association, repeatedly dodged questions on his relationship with wife, Kris Aquino, and an alleged sexual relationship with a beauty clinic assistant, Hope Centeno.

"No comment," Yap said when asked by television reporters about his relationship with Centeno, who came out of national television to reveal details of her alleged 11-month romance with the cager from Escalante City, Negros Occidental.