The political telenovela in the Senate that has rocked the nation is nearing its end, it is time we focus on work to help the country cope  with  the effects of a  global economic slowdown, Presidential Deputy Spokesman Anthony Golez said yesterday.

Golez held a press conference at the New Bacolod Silay Airport in Silay City, two days before Senate witness  Rodolfo Noel Lozada is set to deliver a series of speeches  in Bacolod City, fueling speculation that the president’s spokesman  was in the province to cushion the effects of allegations of corruption that may be hurled against the administration.

But Golez, who is also deputy administrator of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, said people can say whatever they want, he was in Silay City to help set up an incident command system at the Silay airport to cope with emergencies.

Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra yesterday said the trip  of Senate witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada to Bacolod City tomorrow is not being paid for by the  political opposition,  but by contributions from people who believe in his testimony on the NBN-ZTE deal.

Lozada has become a threat to some people in the government and this could be the reason why they are trying to put him down by circulating reports that the opposition is behind his  provincial sorties, the bishop said.

Navarra said he believes in Lozada and it is understandable for pro-administration groups to react against him since they are just trying to protect their own interests.

Thirteen of fourteen arrested employees of four entertainment dens along the Sum-ag highway in Bacolod City shutdown Tuesday night were found to have sexually transmitted diseases, the City Health Office reported yesterday.

The Bacolod City Legal Office will file multiple charges against the owners of the four entertainment shops - Margie’s, Elma, Acci, and Food Way -- for lack of business and sanitation permits, City Legal Officer 3 Vicente Petierre III said.

The CLO will also file charges against their proprietors for employing women with no health cards, he said.