Odilao: Alcover not transparent with Anad funds

CEBU, Philippines - The conflict between two leaders of a partylist group seems to be taking a turn for the worse.

Former Customs district collector David Odilao, one of the nominees of the partylist Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD), assailed allegations that he never spent a single dime for the party.

In an interview with The FREEMAN the other day, Odilao said he has shelled out at least P2 million for the party during the 2004 and 2007 elections.

“Kanang ilang gipasangil nga wa koy gi-contribute sa partido no… God knows nga ako, the first 2004 elections, I contributed… I spent… gamay, P1 million… like in the second election wherein I was a nominee, 2007 election, gamay nga P1 million akong nahatag. In fact, cash akong gihatag ni Congressman Alcover didto sa ilang balay. I cannot forget that kay akong gihatag, ah, murag bundle to kay tag P500 man,” Odilao said.

Its second nominee, Atty. Ruben Platon, reportedly spent at least a million in 2007, deposited in Alcover’s personal accounts.

“I know for a fact nga ang P1 million cash nga gihatag ni Platon was deposited in the account of Jun Alcover – P500,000 in his BPI account in Cubao… P500,000 in his BPI account in Cagayan de Oro,” he stated.

He further explained that the partylist group had no bank account then. He does not know if Anad already has a bank account now. He stopped asking about the management of the party’s funds after Alcover shrugged off his first query.

In fact, on our informal meetings, akong giingnan siya nga, ‘How come we don’t have a bank account? We are a party’,” Odilao recalled. According to him, Alcover answered, “Ah, samok na’na.”

Several members are starting to wonder about the group’s fiscal situation but are just afraid to ask because Alcover allegedly used to be with the communist party, he added.

“There was no accounting, there was no transparency in the management of the funds, and you cannot now determine what are his personal funds and what are ANAD funds. Mao nay gi-reklamo sa kadaghang mga leader. Ang mga gagmay nga mga tawo, they were hoodwinked into believing nga ang kwartang gigamit was gikan sa pamilya, which is not so,” Odilao said.

 “That is the irony of all these things that is happening. They claim that, part of the program against my person, is that I ran away with ANAD money. God knows that I do not have any access to ANAD money. Why? Because we do not have any bank and as vice chairman, I do not have any access whatever amount there is and the amount is always in the hands of Jun Alcover,” he added.

Odilao was offended when Alcover’s staff told him that his services as chief political affairs officer were already terminated. He claimed he was the one who led the setting up of ANAD’s office in Manila and put together Alcover’s staff last year.

He wrote a letter to Alcover last Dec. 16, 2009, inquiring why he was “unceremoniously dismissed and fired for reasons still unknown” to him. In that letter, he made a request that he be apprised of the reasons for his ouster. When he did not get a response, he made a second letter, to which Alcover responded.

In his reply dated February 11, 2010, Alcover gave Odilao 48 hours from receipt of the letter to explain in writing why Odilao “failed to report to our office in Congress and as a matter of fact, you candidly admitted so in your letter.”

Alcover also asked why Odilao was “spreading a lot of disinformation and black propaganda against our organization, as well as casting aspersions against this humble representation.”

Odilao contended that Alcover never made it clear why he was being ousted from ANAD.

But in an interview with The FREEMAN, Alcover claimed that Odilao got disappointed and left the group when he was not chosen as first nominee in the recent elections. Odilao, Alcover alleged, had been disseminating information that he is the party’s first nominee.

Last Saturday, at least 60 members of ANAD picketed outside the GMA-7 compound when Odilao was being interviewed in a radio program hosted by Lloyd Suarez over dySS.

The picketers alleged that Odilao has falsely claimed the position as first nominee of the party when he has long left the organization. They brought with them placards disclaiming Odilao as member of ANAD.

Alcover said the whole party will rally against Odilao and challenged the latter to also stage his own “para mahibaw-an nato kung naa ba gyud sya’y tawo.”

Odilao, however, shrugged off the challenge the other day, saying “what’s the point of a rally? Is he returning to the parliament of the streets?” — THE FREEMAN