Questions raised on use of 'pork' of resigned Cebu board member

CEBU - Damian Gomez may have already resigned from the provincial board, but his colleagues are eyeing his pork barrel.

The other day, Vice Gov. Fernando Celeste sponsored 10 resolutions appropriating a total of P635,000 from the development funds of Gomez.

The resolutions could have been approved if not for the watchful eye of board member Ramon Ceniza who doubted the legality of the use of the funds.

Ceniza said he doubts whether the board is allowed to use the pork barrel of a member who has already resigned from public office.

He said the board can be held liable for technical malversation for utilizing funds that have been allocated to an elective position.

"These are public funds, not Gomez's personal money," he told the board.

All board members receive an average of P1 million each from the province every year for their countryside development projects.

The vice governor would have wanted to charge the purchase of barangay tanod uniforms and other projects for the sixth district to Gomez's share of the fund this year.

But Gomez had already quit as one of two representatives of the sixth district to the board last March 7 to concentrate on his private employment.

The resignation, however, remains pending since the board will only act on it when Gomez's three-month vacation leave expires in May.

The delay in the board's action on Gomez's resignation is aimed at giving him more time to rethink his decision.

The resolutions sponsored by the vice governor were already approved through an omnibus motion when Ceniza raised the legal query.

"I have serious doubts on whether or not we can touch the funds in his absence. At least there should be a formal assent from Gomez," he said.

Ceniza said the move to allocate Gomez's development funds for certain projects may expose not only the board but the provincial government as well to legal risks.

Unlike the informal arrangement among board members on sharing a portion of their development funds with each other to put up projects, Ceniza said the board cannot do the same with Gomez's share.

"The funds are attached to a position and this has been vacated," he said.

Initially, Ceniza requested to have his name stricken off the list of board members who approved the resolutions, but the board later decided to withdraw the approval and defer any action on the resolutions indefinitely.

The resolutions were instead referred to the board's finance and laws committee for further study, taking into consideration Ceniza's objections.

But Celeste, in a separate interview, said he conferred with Gomez before accessing his development funds. He admitted this has been the practice among board members when giving out financial assistance to local government units.

Finance committee chairman John Henry Gregory Osmeña went to Celeste's defense, saying the vice governor would not be bold enough to use Gomez's development funds without the permission of the official concerned.

"I assume that we have faith and trust in him (Celeste) not to do anything unethical," Osmeña said.

Osmeña said the board, in the past, has been "relatively relaxed" when members utilize the development funds of a colleague.