EMBATTLED Urbiztondo Mayor Ernesto Balolong said the Sangguniang Panglunsod (SP) may have committed abuse of power when it declared as null and void an ordinance enacted by his town’s Sangguniang Bayan (SB) authorizing him to negotiate a P54 million loan with the Philippine National Bank (PNB).

Speaking at the Media in Action Forum of the Pangasinan Press Club on Thursday, at which he also explained the raid conducted by lawmen at his house and poultry farm the day before, Balolong said the move of the SP in plenary reversed the ruling of the committee on laws and ordinances finding that the ordinance in question “was within the conferred powers of the Sanggunian to enact.”

The ruling was reversed when 12 board members signed a minority report stating that during the committee hearing, there were many circumventing facts that surfaced which nullified the ruling.

“Malaking katanungan po yan sa akin kung bakit binaliktad nila ang ruling,” Balolong said, adding that he is now consulting his lawyer for a possible appeal before the SP.

He pointed out that he has a certification issued by the SP that the ordinance of the Urbiztondo SB submitted to the SP for review had been in that body for so long, sustaining his previous position that the ordinance already lapsed into law

Balolong said the PNB released the money upon the go-signal of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, where he presented a certification from the SP as to the status of the ordinance as required.

On the claim that there was no supplemental budget approved by the SB before the loan was spent, Balolong said it is not true because the SB finally issued it when he convinced the body to enact it even if the ordinance has not been approved by the provincial board.

He said projects for which the loan was spent is already being used by the people of Urbiztondo and it pains him why an administrative case was filed against him before the SP by Municipal Treasurer Loida Cancino in connection with this case.

RAID

As to the raid in his house and poultry farm Wednesday morning, Balolong maintained that all the firearms recovered by the raiders have their corresponding licenses issued by Camp Crame.

This was confirmed by the police.

He said Camp Crame has relaxed its rules and now issues licenses to qualified persons even for M16 and M14 which are high-powered firearms and at any number as long as these will be used for lawful purposes.

The mayor said he needed his firearms to secure his family and businesses given the fact that the peace and order situation in Urbiztondo before was unstable, noting that there have been threats against his life.

He also said that not all the recovered firearms in his house and poultry farm are his.

A cal. 45 pistol belongs to his 22-year old son, another 45 caliber pistol and a long firearm belongs to his wife.

Balolong believes that the raid, which was not the first such incident, was politically motivated and that his opponents are behind it.

He declined, however, to name names.

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