Quezon gov, 10 others face raps

LUCENA CITY, Philippines  – Gov. David "Jayjay" Suarez and 10 Sangguniang Panlalawigan members face charges for convening a special session last Aug. 3 and allegedly passing dubious resolutions.

Quezon Vice Gov. Vicente Alcala filed charges for abuse of authority, oppression, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and violation of the Code of Conduct for Ethical Standards against Suarez and the provincial board members.

Alcala claimed the respondents conspired in convening the special session to pass Resolution No. 2011-750 granting Suarez authority to enter and sign into several memorandum of agreements with different national government departments for the implementation of various development programs in the province.

The 10 provincial board members are Romano Talaga who acted as presiding officer, Teresita Dator, Lourdes de Luna-Pasatiempo, Victor Reyes, Manuel Butardo, Gerald Ortiz, Rachel Ubana, Marvin Villasenor, Joanna Rose Martija and Donaldo Suarez.

Absent at the special session were Alcala and board members Ferdinand Talabong, Gary Estrada and Alona Obispo.

In his complaint, Alcala claimed that the special session was illegally convened, as there was no valid notice personally served on him and the individual board members. He added that there was no “full and exhaustive” minutes of the special session and that it was never approved in the next succeeding regular sessions.

He said the special session was “peremptory and ceremonial” and the resolution it passed as “falsification of legislative records”.

“It is the presiding officer who should convene the Sangguniang Panglalawigan whether the session is regular or special and what my colleagues had done at the special session, in which they recalled the resolutions they have passed in the previous session, undermines the independence and integrity of the SP as an institution,” Alcala said.