Anomalies drive Wagas to prevent poll winners from assuming - Quiño

CEBU, Philippines – Compostela Mayor-elect Joel Quiño believes that the alleged anomalies of the past administration may be the real reason why former mayor Ritchie Wagas tried so hard to prevent the new elected officials from assuming office.

Quiño and the elected members of the municipal council in the May 10 elections, whose proclamations have been suspended by the Commission on Elections because of election protest, said Wagas feared that his anomalies will be uncovered.

In a press conference yesterday, the group cited the report of the Commission on Audit showing that the town was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2009.

Quiño together with Vice Mayor-elect Antoinette Dangoy and seven councilors-elect called on a press conference to tell their constituents the real situation of the town based on the 2009 audit report released by COA.

Councilor Tessa Cang, finance committee chair, said they made several written requests to COA to make public the state of finances of the municipality but to no avail.

This prompted Rep. Ramon "Red" Durano VI to deliver a privilege speech at the House of Representatives where he announced that the municipality of Compostela in his district is in the state of bankruptcy.

This statement of Durano irked Compostela caretaker and acting Mayor Pedro Noval, Jr., the regional director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)-7.   Cang said its Durano's request that obliged COA to release the 2009 audit report of Compostela. Cang said they have also requested for the 2008 audit report but COA allegedly told them that they cannot release it for "serious reasons."

A staff of Durano, however, told reporters yesterday that COA has already assured the Congressman that the 2008 audit report will be released by the end of this month or early next month.

The 2009 audit report was received by the office of the mayor on October 8, 2010 while copy of which was received by the office of the Sangguniang Bayan secretary on October 11, 2010.

Cang said Noval is misleading the people when he said the town has savings because there are appropriations that were not spent such as the salaries of elected officials and the salary increases of the employees.

Meanwhile, Quiño's group blamed COA and the Office of the Ombudsman's alleged inaction to previous "anomalies" committed by the administration of Wagas.

They claimed that the inaction has aggravated the situation which could have been corrected before his term ended in June 30, 2010.

They are referring to the cases that their group earlier filed against Wagas and municipal treasurer Lorenzo Almodiel that are still pending before the anti-graft office.  (FREEMAN)