MANILA, Philippines - The Liberal Party (LP) has picked former Muntinlupa City mayor Jaime Fresnedi and his running mate, Councilor Marissa Rongavilla, for its mayoralty and vice-mayoralty bet of Muntinlupa in the May 2010 polls.
The LP also chose Sen. Rodolfo Biazon as its bet for Muntinlupa’s lone congressional seat.
LP insiders said Fresnedi was their choice for mayor because he previously served three consecutive terms and left a track record of good governance.
Fresnedi, for his part, thanked the party’s leaders for selecting him as their mayoralty bet.
He also added that he has submitted to the Ombudsman documents that would clear him of allegations that he failed to liquidate P10 million worth of cash advances as intelligence fund supposedly incurred during his term.
“This is mere political harassment,” Fresnedi said. “I have all the evidence to prove that when I left my position every single centavo was accounted for. I have secured certifications from the Landbank and city accounting office that can prove it.”
He said the bigger issue is the involvement of incumbent city officials in incurring over P2 billion worth of loans in less than three years.
Fresnedi said the current administration under incumbent Mayor Aldrin San Pedro has appropriated P250 million for debt services for 2009 alone.
“Can anyone explain how our city was able to make 16 loan agreements in less than three years? Muntinlupa City earns high revenues yearly. Even with the increase various taxes, it is still not enough to pay for self-serving makeover projects of the present administration,” he said. – Rainier Allan Ronda