Cong. Tarzan Lazatin wants boarding houses safe

Representative Carmelo Lazatin (first district, Pampanga) said Saturday that he is batting for an ordinance that would address the problem on security of boarding houses and apartments in this city.

Lazatin’s statement came as , a member of Holy Angel University’s Taekwondo team, here was stabbed to death by a lone suspect at her apartment in Barangay Santo Cristo recently.

Conde sustained stab wounds on her right upper chest leading to her death.

Lazatin, through his political officer Irish Calaguas, said the safety of boarding houses should be a community effort.

Calaguas said that the safety of boarding houses could start from putting grills on windows of boarding houses and implementing safety regulations and house rules.

It was found out that there is no effective coordination and monitoring of boarding houses or city ordinance mandating strict parameters to keep boarding houses safe.

She added that the recent killings should prompt local officials to do more in keeping boarding houses safe.

In 2009, Keith Valerio Ballesteros, 16, a former nursing student of Angeles University Foundation, was also stabbed to death in her boarding house in Barangay Salapungan also in this city. The suspects are still at large.

by: Ian Ocampo Flora

7 Angeles officials face graft raps

Seven city officials are facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged anomalous procurement of laptops and cellular phones.

The officials include Vice Mayor Vicky Vega Cabigting, General Services Officer Menandro G. Dizon, Administrator Dennis Albert S. Pamintuan, and Councilors Jericho G. Aguas, Jesus S. Sangil, Alexander P. Indiongco, and Edgardo D. Pamintuan Jr.

Claro M. Recto chairman Valentino Lagman, broadcaster Medardo David, and lawyer Francisco Ramos Buan Jr. filed the complaint against the city officials on Tuesday.

In their joint complaint-affidavit, the complainants claimed that seven city officials connived with vendors of a cellphone shop to effect ghost purchases of four units of laptops in August 2011.

“This has caused damage, prejudice and undue injury to the government in the amount of P120,000 by making it appear that the gadgets were inspected, received and transferred to the custody of Councilors Aguas, Sangil, Indiongco and Pamintuan,” the complaint-affidavit stated.

The complainants alleged that “no such purchases were made and worse, no actual deliveries.”

The officials allegedly violated several laws including Republic Act 3019 - Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Republic Act 9184 - Government Procurement Reform Act, Republic Act 6713 - Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees, and Section 52 of Civil Service Commission (CSC) Resolution 99-1936, dated August 31, 1999, otherwise known as the “Uniform Rules in Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, for Serious Dishonesty and Grave Misconduct.

Cabigting refused to issue any comment regarding the issue, saying she did not receive the formal complaint yet.

Cabigting said she will consult her counsels for her counter-affidavit and reply to the complaint.

Dennis Pamintuan also declined to issue any statement on the complaint.

by: Reynaldo Navales