Bacolod joins cities
in ‘mourning' today
VS. UNJUST CREATION OF 16 NEW CITIES
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The flag will fly at half mast and black arm bands will be worn today in Bacolod City as part of a nationwide protest against the creation by Congress of 16 new cities despite their failure to meet requirements mandated by law, Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said yesterday.

Other cities throughout Negros Occidental and the Philippines are also staging similar protests every Monday, to symbolize their continuing fight, Leonardia said.

Leonardia said the creation of these new cities would mean a cut in the Internal Revenue Allotment of Bacolod City this year by P41 million.

Sugar Regulatory Administrator Rafael Coscolluela yesterday said the SRA will get legal advice on how to prosecute those responsible for smuggling the recently seized 14,494 bags of sugar into the country, but the ball will be in the hands of the Bureau of Customs first.

The process calls for the BoC to summon to a hearing those found in possession and/or the owner of the premises/conveyances where the sugar was found, he said.

Victorias Milling Co. can also file charges against those who used its sacks to repack the smuggled sugar, he said.

“There are people who are more blessed, so sharing blessings is never ever a bad thing with those who don't have that much,” said internationally acclaimed singer Lea Salonga Saturday.

Salonga sang to a jampacked crowd of more than 7,000 at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City Saturday night at a concert organized by Gawad Kalinga to raise funds to build more houses for the poor in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.

Gawad Kalinga is all about “building homes, building dreams”, said Salonga, who traces her roots to Pulupandan, Negros Occidental.