Punchline
People’s money for the “poor” rich
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
OUR headline story on the monies received but failed to be liquidated by barangay kapitan civic/business/ professional groups should give everyone an indication why the city almost went bankrupt, knowing now how the people’s money were disposed by the Lim administration like there was no tomorrow just to win political support.
Here are more highlights to digest. Finally, just as we suspected but was unable to confirm, then city auditor Ofelia Celi, indeed, received P1,250,000 as “financial assistance” for her group of government auditors in 2010. That explains why Ms. Celi covered up the many anomalies in her annual report. This explains why the regional COA office endorsed the recommendation of Mayor Lim to sell the MC Adore properties at a starting bid of P109 million, not P210 million.
Is the Dagupan Bangus Jacyees actually a charitable organization for children and indigents to deserve a whooping P3,250,000 in financial assistance in 2010-2011? What it did with the money is anybody’s guess.
The Rotary Club of Uptown Dagupan was recorded to have received P2,250,000 while the Rotary Club of Dagupan East pocketed P350,000. What projects would have cost that much? Hmmm.
The Dagupan Philippine Chinese Association was given P1,000,000 while the Metro Dagupan Chamber of Commerce and Industry that endorsed the MC Adore sale received P200,000! in 2012.
Even the Liwawa ed Asinan Foundation failed to explain how it spent its P300,000 grant.
Believe it or not, the executive committee of the city fiesta in 2011 pocketed P7,000,000 without even accounting for the millions earned from stall rentals and sponsorships!
Then there is the Liga ng Barangay whose main activity is merely to coordinate activities of barangay kapitans. From 2010 to 2013, someone pocketed P12,103,000 this on top of what the 31 barangays received separately and annually that ran into millions. Can cost of meals of meetings for 31 persons average P334,000 assuming they met once a month? The kapitans must have been given a whole lechon as take-home with at least 5 cases of beer each time.
Next issue, we will look at the likely circumstances that surrounded the extension of the series of “financial assistance” to NGOs and people’s organization and identify the characters behind them. Meanwhile, The PUNCH will welcome any claim of disavowal from the listed organizations that they received the monies reflected in the city’s books of accounts and confirmed by the city auditor. Email us at punch.sunday@gmail.com. And we will print them.
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WHAT LEGACY? Judging from the pending bills at the Dagupan sanggunian, it would appear that city’s councilors today are intent on adopting more ordinances faster than at any time in the past.
That may be achievable but certainly not a legacy worth remembering. They must know that they won’t make any difference in the lives of the people unless they institute reforms by correcting the many past anomalies and make officials accountable for their past misdeeds. But they do have the opportunity to leave a legacy that would make a difference. It will have to start with their creating a fact-finding committee to look into these past anomalies.
For starters, the city council wants to recover the P2 M mobilization fund for the shelved hospital project from the contractor but not the P16 M that the city lost to Mariano Cuña, the seller for failing to inform the city government that the 30-hectare land in San Jacinto he sold was already covered by land reform? Are we missing something there?
Then there’s the illegal acquisition of beachfronts in Bonuan by businessmen on the strength of claim that they were issued legal documents and certifications by the city hall, but was denied by then City Administrator Vlad Mata. He claimed their signatures were forged. If, indeed, documents are deemed fake, why aren’t charges brought against the illegal settlers? Why are they allowed to continue to operate their businesses? If the certificates are genuine, why not recommend the filing of charges against the signatories for violation of the anti-graft and corruption law?
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HYPOCRITES ALL. Here’s the litmus test (on hypocrisy) for Dagupan’s councilors. While they swear to be squarely behind PNoy’s matuwid na daan vision, they have yet to make four from their ranks account for the millions they received intended for the people’s celebration of the fiesta and bangus festival. Vice Mayor Brian Lim, Councilors Red Erfe Mejia, Guillermo Vallejos and Alvin Coquia have millions in accountabilities that they have refused to account for and yet not one has uttered a single word about this anomaly. Is the council’s refusal to act today an indication of a tacit agreement among them that nobody will be asked to account for any money they receive today and tomorrow? Shame on you all!
Then there were the millions received by Councilor Vallejos as president of the Liga ng Barangay purportedly for the Liga’s projects on top of the millions allotted to the individual barangays. Will the new Liga president Jake Reyes have it in him to make his predecessor account? Or is it now a case of “I scratch your back, you scratch mine?” between him and Mr. Vallejos?
Clean your backyard, Messrs. and Ms. Councilors of Dagupan. It is already beginning to stink to high heavens. Your hypocrisy is showing.
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RESIGN. Now that the deficit in the city’s 2012 and 2013 budgets are confirmed by the city auditor, it’s time the city council recommends the filing of charges against City Treasurer Romelita Alcantara for perjury and dereliction of duty for certifying before the city council early this year that the city never suffered a deficit at anytime.
Speaking of Ms. Alcantara, a city hall employee called our attention to our news report about the improved collection efforts that gave the impression that it was all her doing. The truth is, I was told, that the 300% improvement was all through the efforts of Mayor Belen Fernandez and not by her. She had not lifted a finger except to report that the city was suffering from serious cash deficit.
If Ms. Alcantara has any sense of delicadeza left in her she should resign today. Between her lies and her incompetence, the city can no longer bank on any initiative on her part to redeem herself. Ditto for the rest of the members of BSL’s finance committee whose incompetence were likewise exposed by the Quinto Report. Perhaps their resignation will save them from legal prosecution for being part of the conspiracy to defraud the city.
The problem is, does the city council have the moral high ground to make them accountable? Make your guess.
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THE NORA SIAPNO. If there is one dedicated educator and feisty civic leader that will be sorely missed by Dagupenos, that will be Honorata “Nora” Guadiz-Siapno, a dear friend. An inspiration herself to many for her dedication to duty, she will long be remembered for her incessant advocacy for excellence among her students and her peers. Nora had the charm and charisma that few educators have, that one would not fail to detect her presence in a room or in a public event. Without a doubt, many have endearing thoughts about her as I have but reposting here what distinguished DCNHS alumni Dante Velasco and Rex Catubig had written in their Facebook accounts about her capsulized everyone’s memories of her:
Dante M. Velasco: “She was Miss Nora Guadiz (Honorata Guadiz Siapno when she was Class Adviser of the Begonia Class in our first year high school. She was also the young, fit, and well-loved, and lovely Physical Education teacher. What I cannot forget, and am forever thankful for, was her conviction that the students in Section Begonia could hold a candle with Section Aster. At Commencement Time, she successfully persuaded her co-faculty that the first honors should be shared with two Aster students and one Begonia student. (The latter turned out to be me.) Every time I saw her, I reminded her of that one “spirited defense,” yet to her it’s just one of those faculty skirmishes and engagements when she took up the cause of her students. Teachers like her many times are unaware how such gestures help shape the determination and destiny of her students… I – and we – will not forget Miss Nora, ever principled, ever intelligent, ever caring, and ever ready to stand her ground. And she did it with poise and grace…. …May the legacy of Mrs. Nora Guadiz Siapno be bestowed on present and future teachers anywhere they inspire students to give learning “their best shot”.
Rex C. Catubig: “She is the doyenne of Dagupan City’s cultural heritage. But most of all, she is a caring and loving person.”
Thank you Nora for teaching Dagupeños how to make a difference in their lives and for others.
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