Talisay City administrator defends JVR

CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City administrator John Yre delos Reyes has said Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante bypassed his father, Mayor Johnny delos Reyes, when he called for a special session last Friday.

“Og ni-coordinate lang unta siya, bisa’g nanawag lang unta sa mayor, naa gud siya’g P5,000 nga communication allowance. Ang nahitabo gud, iyang gi-bypass ang mayor,” said Delos Reyes.

The city administrator  said he would have wanted to let it pass but Villarante reportedly made it appear that his father, Johnny V. delos Reyes, was inutile as a mayor, when he called  for a special session last Friday morning.  Delos Reyes said Mayor Delos Reyes only learned that the city was already placed under a state of calamity later that night.

“Mas napahibawo pa niya ang media ug PIO kay sa mayor,” the city administrator said.

Delos Reyes said the mayor did not right away ask the council to convene for a special session as at that time the structural engineers were still assessing the damage caused by the earthquake.

He said they have to wait for the experts to tell them the amount the city would set aside for the repairs.

As to Villarante’s other reason that the declaration would help public employees when they apply for calamity loans, Delos Reyes said it was already moot as the mayor had already set up a special table for Social Security Services, Pag-Ibig, and Government Service Insurance System personnel on the day work at the city hall resumed, which was last Thursday.

He saidthere was also no need for Villarante to rush things up as the Cebu provincial government had already declared the entire province under a state of calamity.

“Ang akoa lang unta, isip administrator, akong concern is to protect the mayor…nga naa unta’y transparency ug respetoay sa hierarchy diri sa city hall,” he said.

Councilor Choy Aznar, who was among those who attended the special session, said they received a letter from Villarante inviting them to a “breakfast meeting” the following day.

Aznar said on Friday morning Villarante met with them in Rex Kandingan along the Cebu South Coastal Road to discuss the situation of the city hall building, which was off-limits after it sustained damage from the previous Tuesday’s earthquake.

City building administrator Ariel  Araw-araw and  Vince Monterde, head of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (LDRRMC) and public information officer (PIO), were also invited.

Aznar said Villarante also gave his opinion on the city hall building’s situation, and “based on his own assessment daghang cracks sa beams,” na-worry mi.”  Aznar admitted that he had not been inside the city hall since it was closed last week for inspection.

And since they formed two thirds of the required number of councilors, the council decided to hold a special session, he said. (FREEMAN)