Presidential rebuff for NORSU head

I failed to attend President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s visit to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental Saturday. Heavy colds kept me away.

By Sunday noon, two students of the Negros Oriental State University (formerly the Central Visayas Polytechnic State College) told me the interesting story of a taray President who refused to install the NORSU head.

There was a strong reason for the presidential rebuff. GMA had not been informed in advance that Dr. Henry Sojor, first NORSU president, was suspended by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for administrative offenses, dishonesty and grave misconduct.

Apparently, someone must have handed President Macapagal a copy of the suspension papers signed by Katrina David, CSC chair.

Thus, when the emcee called for Dr. and Mrs. Sojor to come up the stage for the photo session, GMA reportedly gestured with her hand and asked the NORSU head — "why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?"

She immediately sat down and refused to pose for a picture-taking. The President was supposed to induct Sojor as first NORSU president. He was not installed by Mrs. Arroyo.

The CSC chair thumbed down the Sojor appeal to lift his suspension and ordered that the formal investigation of the case against him proceed immediately.

The NORSUhead faces charges of nepotism for allegedly appointing his half-sister, Estrella Sojo Mananquil, as clerk. The complainant was a former part-time instructor, Rose Maria Palomar.

He is also facing an administrative complaint for dishonesty, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. This stemmed from his alleged approval of the release of salary differentials despite the absence of the required plantilla of personnel and valid appointments. He also allegedly refused the payment of salary differentials to complainants Jose Cepe and Narciso Ragay, faculty members, according to Alex Pal of the Visayan Daily STAR.

Sojor, however, expressed confidence that he will be cleared of all the charges by the Supreme Court.

Another incident also led to the cancellation of the return to Dumaguete City by the President Sunday. This was the refusal of first district Rep. Jacinto Paras and second district Rep. Emilio Macias III to pose for a souvenir photo with the President during their oath-taking. Both are opposition congressmen. Only Rep. Herminio Teves of the third district posed for a pictorial with the President.

The two opposition lawmakers said there was no prior arrangements for them to take their oaths before the President at the Lambero Macias Sports Complex.

Warm Welcome For Ponteras

Sunday, Senior Superintendent Vicente Ponteras finally returned to Bacolod; this time as city police chief. It was a joyous occasion, marred only by a short slip of outgoing police chief Superintendent Mario Avenido, who called Mayor Evelio Leonardia as Leonidas.

Later, Leonardia was asked if he really did not see things eye-to-eye with Avenido and he answered: "Actually, I’ve not even seen his eyes until today."

But Ponteras was in for a shocker. Saturday morning, the Lacson-Mandalagan branch of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) was attacked by the "Acetylene Gang."

The bank officials, especially Emily Ascalon, the manager, told Ponteras that the robbers looted the bank of over P1 million. No other documents and valuables, including firearms, were taken.

But she also said bank officials are still undertaking an inventory and she could declare the exact missing amount only after the RCBC central office shall have completed the inventory.

Ms. Ascalon also assured depositors that their deposits are intact. Bank operations resumed normally yesterday.

Ponteras said those who pulled off the heist were professionals with technical knowledge in welding and, probably, well versed as locksmiths.

He noted the way they opened the vault and also paralyzed the RCBC’s alarm system.

The recovery of 11 cigarette butts prompted police investigators to theorize that there must have been at least three people who participated in the "sophisticated" bank robbery. Most likely, they said they must have stayed in the premises for an hour or more.

Ponteras added that the same group must have been involved in a series of robberies of pawnshops in Bago City, citing the same modus operandi.

The culprits opened the gate and immediately closed it. Then they bore a hole big enough for a person to pass through the rear wall of the bank.

Police received the alarm at 2 a.m. on Saturday but withdrew when they did not notice anything amiss in the bank.

For Ponteras, that was a dramatic challenge. He also has his hands full attending to the still unsolved murder of Mrs. Zynthia Recabe a month ago. The retired school teacher, who was also engaged in money lending, was the wife of Col. (ret.) Edwin Recabe, National Police Commission administrative officer.

Warm welcome, Superintendent Ponteras.

ADDENDA. Police are still searching for Rodolfo Porras, who reportedly beat up his wife to death with their two young children watching. The 41-year-old farmer was charged with parricide for the killing of his 40-year-old wife, Vilma, in Barangay Purisima, Manapla town, Friday night. Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon asked the province’s Social Services head to provide assistance to the Porras four children. It was a gory killing. Porras even nailed shut the mouth of his wife and hammered nails into her hand. The maltreatment has been reportedly going on for a long time. He was last seen at the City Plaza after he borrowed money from friends whom he had informed about the death of his wife . . . There was another gory incident. This time, a 26-year-old Jenny Riza dela Peña of Bgy. 19, Bacolod, suffered serious burns on her face from a chemical thrown at her by her husband, Ronnie, 26. Their two-year-old daughter also sustained minor acid burns. Jealously was supposedly the motive. Jenny, who is working as a waitress in a beer house, said that she is supporting Ronnie and their three children. Ronnie reportedly resented her failure to come home for one day and one night and accused her of going out with other men. But Ronnie, who also suffered minor burns, hugged his wife and asked her to forgive him when they were reunited in the burn section of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital . . . There’s a lot of quizzical looks among Negrenses since last week. They are wondering why former presidential adviser on cooperatives Rafael Coscolluela has not been appointed to a Cabinet position. It was "Lito" who actually handled GMA’s campaign in Negros Occidental when the chips were down following the somersault of Gov. Maranon and his brother, Rep. Alfredo. GMA won by a stunning margin of 250 votes in the province . . . Classical guitarist Michael Dadap is appealing to guitar makers in the Philippines to craft guitars for musicians instead of catering to tourists. Dadap has been training children in the United States and founded a rondalla symphony in Massachusetts. Dadap said that most guitars are made for tourists and not tunable and cannot be played properly. He visited Dumaguete recently to help popularize the banduria. He is handling the seminar-workshop of the Silliman University College of Performing Arts and the New York-New Jersey Chapter of the Silliman Alumni Association.