Councilor charged by colleagues for absenteeism
STA. MARIA –A councilor serving his first term may face a six-month suspension after most of his colleagues filed a complaint regarding his absenteeism.
Sta. Maria SB members led by Vice Mayor Conrado Ignacio filed a case against Councilor Junjun Macaraeg, a Liberal Party member, who reportedly has not been attending board sessions. The complaint was filed with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) committee on Good Government and Accountability of Public Officials.
In their complaint, the SB members cited Macaraeg’s habitual absences in three consecutive sessions only to file a leave of absence in the fourth week. Under the rules, an SB member cannot incur four consecutive absences.
Macaraeg, a first termer Liberal Party regular councilor, previously, served as the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay.
Ignacio said that since the start of his term of office in July 2013, Macaraeg only attended sessions thrice, twice in July and once in August.
The vice mayor said that before deciding on filing a legal complaint, there were attempts to discuss Macaraeg’s absences with him but to no avail. “We sent him letter twice for us to be able to talk about the issue but he did not appear,” he said.
Macaraeg reportedly merely cites personal security as reason for his numerous absences in sessions. as well as in official functions and programs.
The vice mayor and SB presiding officer pointed out Macaraeg continues to receive his salary and other benefits and has responsiblity to his constituents.
Meanwhile, Alfonso Bince Jr., chairman of the SP Blue Ribbon Committee, said that the matter is easy to resolve since it involves documentation.
The committee is investigating the matter.
“This is the first time that a Sanggunian member is being administratively charged for his absences,” Bince said. If proven guilty, the SP may impose a penalty of a suspension of six months.
Last June 23, the SP committee held its pre-trial on the case signed by all the members of the Sta. Maria SB except for Macaraeg and councilor Fely Agpaoa.- Johanne R. Macob
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