LINGAYEN—Mayor Ernesto Balolong Jr. of Urbiztondo town has again been put on a 60-day preventive suspension by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Committee on Good Government and Accountability of Public Officers in the face of an administrative case filed against him.

Sixth District Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr,. chair of the committee, said the recommendation dated March 24, 2014 was signed by 10 members of the provincial board which comprises a majority vote.

“Gov. Amado Espino Jr. is informed of this action and its immediate implementation by the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Government has been sought,” Bince said.

Balolong is charged with grave misconduct in office, abuse of authority, dereliction of duty and violation of the Local Government Code of 1991 and related laws filed on Nov. 22, 2013 by Loida Cancino, appointed treasurer of Urbiztondo but with temporary assignment at the Office of the Provincial Treasurer in Lingayen.

Balolong declined to comment saying he has yet to receive a copy of the committee’s recommendation.

In August 2012, the provincial board also issued a resolution over another administrative case placing Balolong under 60-day preventive suspension, but Malacaňang lifted the order after the mayor filed an urgent petition to set aside the order.

“It is possible that he will appeal again at the Office of the President but this time we saw to it that it is not made with undue haste,” Bince said.

PNB LOAN

Both cases were filed by the same complainant who in the first case accused the mayor of making withdrawals from the proceeds of an approved loan from the Philippine National Bank (PNB) amounting to P26-million without an approved ordinance from the town council.

“The crux of this is the Sangguniang Panlalawigan disapproved the budget for the loan amortization of this PNB loan but despite the declaration by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the nullity and inoperativeness of the loan amortization, the mayor continued to pay,” Bince said.

The Sangguniang Bayan of Urbiztondo enacted an ordinance on March 28, 2012 authorizing the mayor to negotiate and borrow P52.4 million from the PNB to finance projects, but the SP declared the ordinance null and void on July 16, 2012.

Despite the SP declaration, the 2013 annual budget of Urbiztondo includes an appropriation for the amortization of the PNB loan worth P8,441,33.59.

The SP then declared this amount inoperative.

The municipality paid the interest on the PNB loan on August 24, 2013.

“The evidence appears to be strong…The respondent mayor did not possess the requisite authority when he executed and signed the PNB loan. The authority contained in Ordinance No. 01-2012 was enacted by the Sangguniang Bayan of Urbiztondo on March 28, 2012 while the loan was approved on March 27, 2012, a day before the authority. There being no valid authority, the loan appears to be illegally executed,” the recommendation for preventive suspension reads.

“In other words, all the payments made on the illegal PNB loan were without any appropriation ordinance,” it continued. —Tita Roces

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