Solon insists on Taguig recall, bares anomalies

Taguig-Pateros Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano insisted yesterday that Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tinga should be recalled, citing the local chief executive’s involvement in various "documented" anomalies.

Cayetano, a guest of the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo, said the Preparatory Recall Assembly (PRA) filed by several barangay officials in Taguig, was not politically motivated.

"We are banking on the recall elections to stop Mayor Tinga from further inflicting damage on the local government," Cayetano said.

He said they are seeking the ouster of Tinga, through the assembly, due to mismanagement of the municipal government, his dictatorial tendency and his involvement in "anomalous contracts that he refuses to answer or be transparent about."

"One can easily say that what is behind the preparatory recall assembly is politics. But if you will go over the documents and the records of events that we have, you will realize that we have legal points to recall Mayor Tinga," Cayetano said.

Tinga has denied Cayetano’s allegations, saying the move to initiate a recall was politically motivated.

Cayetano accused Tinga of functioning as a "ministerial mayor" who acts on the dictates of his father, former Taguig-Pateros Rep. Dante Tinga.

The lawmaker claimed that Tinga was blocking all his major projects in Taguig, like the construction of a sports complex and school buildings for elementary and high school students.

Cayetano said that last Jan. 18, Tinga stopped the construction of the sports complex project and ordered the demolition of already erected structures in Sitio Central, Upper Bicutan due to failure to secure a mayor’s permit.

"He also stopped the groundbreaking of the construction of a school building, forcing 800 students to hold classes in a covered court that has no comfort room. He deployed 10 policemen and 30 goons to stop the groundbreaking," Cayetano said.

Cayetano claimed Tinga did this despite the fact that under the law, the local government cannot stop a national project without the issuance of temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court.

He said the mayor also facilitated the manufacture of 300,000 pieces of non-spiral notebooks for elementary and high school students, using local government funds at a unit price of P45.50, or a total of P16 million.

Cayetano pointed out that an investigation revealed that the notebooks, which were given for free to elementary and high school students, could be bought at P10 only each.

Cayetano said Tinga is also guilty of mismanagement when, on the first day of office, he immediately placed on floating status reserve employees and hired 3,000 casual municipal employees.

"The hiring of 3,000 casual municipal employees cost the local government of Taguig P15 million per month which is being deducted from the P615-million budget of Taguig," the congressman said.

Earlier, Tinga denied reports that he would be borrowing P600 million from a local government finance fund to pay off 3,000 casuals and ghost employees of the town.

"We do not have P600-million debts," Tinga said.

The mayor also insisted he was not oppressive, noting that 50 national projects of Cayetano have not been questioned by his administration.

"What we don’t allow is construction in areas with structures already standing," the mayor said.

However, Cayetano continues to accuse Tinga of possessing "dictatorial" tendencies.

"He bulldozed projects that he does not want. I have 250 projects, but only pathways and drainage were allowed. He stopped the construction of a sports complex and school buildings," he said.