Pinamungajan mayor refutes claim of PJ

CEBU, Philippines -  Pinamungajan Mayor Geraldine Yapha refuted the claim of Cebu third district Rep. Pablo John Garcia that his father, former congressman Antonio Yapha, Jr., has neglected their hometown.

Mayor Yapha said her father happened to attend to a medical mission in Toledo City with political ally John Henry Osmeña when she sent a letter to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on September 2 requesting for a medical in her town.

Rep. Garcia has said that it’s ironic that while Yapha, Jr., a surgeon, is so busy tagging along Osmeña in Toledo City, his own daughter is asking the Capitol for a medical mission in his hometown on October 4.

“There was no malice and it was unintentionally done. Wa ko kahibaw na butangan diay og kolor ang maong butanga,” Mayor Yapha told The FREEMAN.

Yapha explained that she sent the letter to Gov. Garcia as she was wanted the medical mission as part of the observance of the Senior Citizens’ Week from October 3 to 7.

She said the Capitol has a program dubbed “Halad Para Kang Lola ug Lolo” which Pinamungajan, under her administration, has been availing since 2009.

The letter was in compliance with the order of the Capitol to let the LGU chief executives set the date of the medical missions that they want to be held in their respective municipalities.

The mayor said it just so happened that when she sent the letter to the Capitol, her father, who will be running for Provincial Board member next election, was on a medical mission in Toledo City.

“My father didn’t even know na nag-request ko sa Capitol kay di siya manghilabot. Kay if namulitika pa ko, modiretso na lang ko og request sa akong amahan,” Mayor Yapha said.

She said she and her father talked yesterday after learning about The FREEMAN report in which she confirmed to him that she sent a letter to the governor.

“Akong feeling is unsa man na klase sa pag-neglect ang gibuhat ni Dr. Yapha? I did that as compliance sa order ni Gov. Garcia, not because gi-neglect na sa akong amahan ang Pinamungajan,” she said.

She said Dr. Yapha and Osmeña have in fact included Pinamungajan on their list of medical mission beneficiaries before the year ends. The group had conducted three medical missions in the mountain barangays of Toledo City.

Mayor Yapha said she was surprised why Rep. Garcia commented the issue when the letter was only sent to the governor.

“Ang pag-request nako is more of a silent understanding between the Cebu province and Pinamungajan that we can work together when it comes to services to the people without pamulitika,” she said. — (FREEMAN)