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Thursday, October 11, 2007
8 town councilors: 400T dengue funds ‘misuse’
By Karlon N. Rama
CEBU CITY -- Eight members of the Municipal Council of San Fernando, Cebu Wednesday accused their mayor of anomalies in the release and use of funds intended to control a dengue outbreak in one barangay.
Assisted by lawyer Democrito Barcenas, the town councilors — Vidala Loguiber, Alexander Alicaway, Miguel Canoy, Eutiquio Baricuatro, Felipe Parino, Remegio Alicaway, Juvy Procianos, and Niel Enriquez — asked the anti-graft office to place Mayor Lakambini Reluya under immediate preventive suspension.
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According to their complaint, addressed to Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol, Reluya caused the release of some P400,000 in government funds last September 4.
The dengue outbreak in Barangay Pitalo was used to justify the release, which was charged to the Municipal Government’s calamity fund.
But the disbursement, they said, was illegal because it did not have the concurrence of the Municipal Council.
They said the council even issued a resolution one day before the release, asking that the mayor first prepare a program of works to “avert waste of funds” as a requisite to an appropriating ordinance.
But, they said, the mayor ignored them.
Instead, Reluya directed the municipal treasurer to prepare the vouchers and issue the check on the basis of a resolution from the Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council, which the mayor heads.
“The disaster coordinating council...cannot legally declare the existence of a calamity and cannot appropriate or release funds from the local treasury since this power exclusively belongs to the Sangguniang Bayan pursuant to the Local Government Code,” the councilors argued.
Reluya defeated Renee Canoy, wife of former mayor Antonio Canoy, by 40 votes in the May 14 elections. Antonio won as vice mayor.
Last July, the Regional Trial Court dismissed the election protest Renee filed against Reluya.
The town councilors, in their complaint, said that to “clothe” her “illegal act,” the mayor allegedly caused to be calendared for the council session last September 10 a proposed resolution discussing the appropriation.
But, they narrated, the council did not act on the matter because “the funds have already been withdrawn or disbursed” as early as six days before.
Moreover, part of the released money, totaling P7,217.96, was used for something else — paying for the tuition of two municipal scholars — instead of dengue medicines and carrier-mosquito extermination.
A program of works and bill of materials cover the rest of the amount—P349,600.
However, the document only indicated that the money is to be used for “search and destroy activities, information drive, purchase of paracetamol, Vitamin C and reagents,” plus the honorarium for two medical technologists totaling P20,000.
In their complaint, they asked that the anti-graft office issue subpoenas and secure all the documents covering the alleged anomalous release and spending.
Based on their complaint, the mayor has already issued a memorandum prohibiting the release of any government document without her permission.
They said they could not even get certified true copies of certain documents that they would have wanted to use in support of their complaint.
The complainants impleaded Lorna Manugas, the acting municipal treasurer in the charge.
A ninth municipal councilor, Phryne Quirante, was listed as among the complainants in the formal charge. But his signature was not found in the document.
“Respondents, conniving and confederating with each other, feloniously, maliciously and illegally withdrew or caused the withdrawal, and disbursed, or caused the disbursement of the amount of P400,000 from the local treasurer, with full knowledge that the Sangguniang Bayan had not enacted an appropriation ordinance for such an amount,” the complaint read.
The act, the complainants said, was in violation of at least two provisions of the Local Government Code, the anti-graft and corrupt practices act.
“We respectfully pray that an immediate investigation be conducted against respondents to determine the criminal and administrative liabilities of said public officials, so that if evidence warrants, charges could be filed with the Sandiganbayan or with the courts of justice,” they said. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (October 11, 2007 issue)
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