Alaminos City officials back Braganza vs. Bince
ALAMINOS CITY–Officials of Alaminos City are giving a strong show of support to their city mayor who has been under attack for being the lone voice against the provincial government’s shotgun-for-barangay chairman (kapitan) program.
Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr. delivered a privilege speech on Monday warning Alaminos Mayor Hernani Braganza that he could be charged with insubordination, dereliction of duty and grave abuse of authority for rejecting the shotguns allocated for the city’s barangay captains.
In a position paper titled “Getting the Facts right” obtained from Braganza’s office, the city officials said the speech of Bince has actually brought to the fore the ‘truth’, which Bince and his colleagues should be made accountable for.
The unnamed officials pointed out that the P30 million used to buy the pump shotguns for 1,330 kapitans was provided for in Appropriation Ordinance No. 4, which enacted a supplemental budget for the operation of the provincial government.
The supplemental budget included a ‘financial assistance’ to different barangays in the province for the maintenance of peace and order. However, there is no Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution authorizing the governor to purchase pump shotguns in the amount of P30 million.
The paper maintained that shotguns are not in the nature of financial assistance.
They pointed out that there is neither a SP Resolution granting approval for the governor’s purchase from a supplier of the shotguns, the position paper stated.
Finally, rebutting Bince’s claim, the paper said the city government cannot implement a non-existing ordinance that calls for the distribution of shotguns.
The officials also clarified in their position paper that the City of Alaminos, through a resolution passed by the city council, did not reject the distribution of pump shotguns. It merely advocated that these be distributed to the local police who are lacking in weapons and need these most.
Further, the City of Alaminos nor its officials cannot be accused of dereliction of duty for not implementing a non-existent ordinance on the distribution of pump shotguns.—LM
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