Mayors warned on Capitol projects

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government warned all local chief executives in the province to give importance to memorandum of agreements that they have signed with the Capitol.

Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda said the alleged failure to implement the province-initiated projects triggered the filing of complaints against Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura and Vice Mayor Maria Luisa Loot before the Provincial Board.

Earlier, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Marivic Garces and General Services Office officer-in-charge Bernard Calderon filed two administrative complaints against Shimura and Loot.

Garces and Calderon alleged that the municipal officials committed “gross negligence and dereliction of duty” for their failure to implement the Early Child Care and Development and Saksak food programs of the Capitol, and to maintain its military vehicle.

Shimura denied all the allegations, saying they are ready to face any inquiry into the complaints.

“Now if there are problems in the implementation (of the projects), the governor (Governor Gwendolyn Garcia) wants actions,” Sepulveda said.

Sepulveda said the Daanbantayan town clearly failed to abide by what was stipulated in the agreement it entered into with the Capitol.

He said the governor did not force the town officials to sign the agreement for the implementation of the projects.

“This is a test case. We’re showing to each and everyone, whether allies or not, that if you signed an agreement with the province for the implementation of a provincial programs, (the province) wants it implemented in good faith,” said Sepulveda.

Meanwhile, Provincial Planning and Development Office Adolfo Quiroga confirmed that Garcia approved the conduct of an audit of the financial records of the Tapilon Rural Waterworks and Sanitation Association Inc. (TARWASA, Inc) in barangay Tapilon, also in Daanbantayan town.

Claro Benatiro, the TARWASA acting chairman of the board, wrote Quiroga to ask for an inquiry into the financial operations and records of the waterworks facility.

Benatiro alleged that the new set of elected members of the TARWASA board planned to put up a new waterworks facility.

The Capitol could proceed with the auditing of the waterworks facility since under the law, the administration of all water facilities and cooperatives falls under the provincial government, according to Quiroga.

But Sepulveda clarified that the Office of the Governor is not the appropriate body to look into an administrative complaint filed against elected officials.

Sepulveda said that under the Local Government Code, it is the Provincial Board that can investigate such complaint, advising Benatiro to seek the help of the Provincial Legal Office. — Garry B. Lao/LPM (THE FREEMAN)