SP suspends Mayor Pulido
ANDA–Mayor Nestor Pulido is now facing a 30-day suspension after the provincial board on Monday handed down a guilty verdict in an administrative case filed against him by members of the town council.
Pulido, in an interview with The PUNCH, said he will appeal what he called a “politically-motivated” decision and is prepared to exhaust all legal means to overturn the verdict.
“I’m sure this will be overturned, dismissed because that decision of the provincial board is patently unjust there’s too much of politics,” he said.
The town council, led by Vice Mayor Napoleon Celeste and five councilors, namely: Dante de Castro, Aldrin Cerdan, Cecil Celeste, Alex Raguindin and Edward Domalanta, filed the administrative charges against Pulido for using the calamity fund without an enabling resolution declaring the town under a state of calamity during a storm surge and tsunami scare in December 2007.
They charged Pulido for “dishonesty, oppression, misconduct in office, gross negligence or dereliction of duty and abuse of authority.”
The mayor said he did not really expect an impartial decision from the board as two of the members are their political rivals in the first congressional district and another one is “obviously biased against the Pulidos”.
Pulido asserts that the National Disaster Coordinating Council allows mayors to spend 50 percent of their town’s reserve fund even without a declaration of emergency. Anda has a P2-million reserve fund.
“Thus I can possibly use P1-million but I only spent P40,000,” Pulido said.
The mayor and the council members are known political rivals.
“They (municipal council members) were nowhere to be found that night for such declaration. Do I have wait for them before I feed the hungry people?” Board Member Alice Pulido said quoting her husband. The mayor’s wife who inhibited herself during the board’s deliberations on the case.
“That’s disgusting and my constituents will not understand that in my effort to help them, I will be penalized,” Pulido said.
The couple said the decision is part of their political rivals’ campaign to smear the family’s name as Mrs. Pulido is a potential congressional candidate in 2010.
The suspension is contained in a report of the Committee on Good Government and Accountability of Public Officers chaired by Board Member Von Mark Mendoza, approved by the board in Monday’s session.
Seven board members, including Mendoza, Tyrone Agabas, Danilo Dizon, Angel Baniqued, Jeremy Rosario, Alfonso Bince Jr. and Kazel Celeste imposed a one month suspension on Pulido while the other six board members, Nestor Reyes, Romeo Dadacay, LiberatoVillegas, Charizzma Salud Carancho, Amadeo Espino and Danilo Uy voted only for reprimand.
Bince said the Pulido’s accusation of an unfair decision is an insult to the board.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Pulido said their constituents in Anda are prepared to rally behind the mayor.
Last Monday, the board members also convened for a separate administrative case filed by the mayor against the vice mayor and some of his colleagues.#
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