Mayor reinstates Bermejo’s allies

BY FELIPE CELINO

ROXAS City — Mayor Angel Alan Celino started reinstating city officials he earlier relieved for being closely identified with former Mayor Vicente Bermejo.

Barely six months after his assumption, Celino reinstated Rainier Cargando as supervisor of the Teodoro Arcenas Trade Center (TATC), this city’s premier market.

The mayor relieved TATC Market Supervisor Leonilo Araque and reassigned him back to the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO).

In his memorandum order dated January 4, the mayor designated Cargando to assume the vacant post effective January 6.

Cargando has been the TATC supervisor during the time of Bermejo.

Araque, on the other hand, will resume taking charge of the CTO’s Real Property Tax Division.

On January 21, Celino also reinstated Dr. Amelita Robles as city health officer. He designated Dr. Esperanza Gepellano as assistant of Robles.

Dr. Gepellano was assigned as acting city health officer after Celino earlier relieved Dr. Robles from the post.

Robles and Cynthia Besana, the relieved City Social Welfare and Development officer, questioned Celino’s actions.

The mayor, they said, violates the Magna Carta of public employees.

But Celino told them that they were temporarily relieved so they could not influence the ongoing investigation on the alleged anomalies of the Bermejo administration.

He added that he did not violate any law, considering that the relieved department heads are still receiving the same salary.

Celino denied being a vindictive person, or someone running after the supporters of his political enemies.

Bermejo is facing five administrative and criminal charges filed by the present administration before the Office of the Ombudsman – Visayas./PN


   


Celino to name new city legal officer soon

BY FELIPE CELINO

ROXAS City — This city’s chief executive will name the new city legal officer soon.

Mayor Angel Alan Celino will choose among the three candidates to replace former Acting City Legal Officer Atty. Luvim Amores.

They were retired Judge Roger Patricio, and lawyers Faustino Rojas and James Bereber.

Patricio was a retired Regional Trial Court judge in Iloilo, while Rojas and Bereber were well-known legal luminaries in the province.

Amores resigned from post resigned in December last year to concentrate on law practice.

Celino appointed Amores as acting city legal officer upon the former’s assumption in July last year.

Due to her lack of five years of legal practice, Amores was only appointed in an acting capacity.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) requires five years of law practice for someone to be appointed as a government legal officer.

During her six-month stint, Amores was criticized for having not met the requirements of the CSC.

Amores prepared about four criminal charges filed by this city government against former Mayor Vicente Bermejo before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged anomalies.

Some department heads and village officials were also tagged in the charges.

In another development, Celino vowed to strictly implement this city’s anti-truancy ordinance, which was passed about a decade ago.

The mayor has received numerous complaints on some minors frequenting Internet shops and drinking bars instead of attending classes./PN


 


City firefighters ‘save’ 68 Capiceños

ROXAS City — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) here has saved about 68 Capiceños through its blood donation activities.

BFP personnel have helped individuals who were in need of blood transfusion, information officer Marlon Garbo said.

The agency’s blood-letting activities were done in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), Philippine Army and the academe sector, Garbo said.

Last year, the BFP has donated a total of 109 bags of blood to the PRC, he disclosed.

Twenty BFP personnel partnered with the Philippine Army’s (PA) reservists in Capiz and the students of Hercor College in donating blood last year, he added.

Of the 20 firefighters, 11 donated blood in August with Hercor College students.

The nine others, on the other hand, joined in the March bloodletting activity of the PA’s reservists.

“Through blood donation, we were able to save the lives of 68 Capiceños,” Garbo pointed out.

The bureau’s initiative was part of the response to the increasing number of dengue cases, reaching an epidemic stage, in Capiz last year.

The incident prompted the Provincial Board to put the entire province under a state of calamity.

The multi-sectoral move for blood donation here resulted in sufficient supply of blood, especially the “platelet,” which is needed for transfusion to dengue victims confined in different hospitals in Capiz. (Jemin B. Guillermo/PIA/PN





(Disclamer)
Bene Nota: The views and opinions expressed here by the author are personal to him, and do not reflect the views and opinions of the website owners and administrators. Any issue or complaint about the article must be addressed solely to the author, who is solely responsible for the article.