SP OK’s rejected ordinance resubmitted by prov’l administrator
AFTER a proposed ordinance submitted by a former member of Sangguinang Panlalawigan invoking merely “for and by authority of the Governor,” was rejected by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the same measure entitled a provincial ordinance creating a Pangasinan Provincial Government Joint Venture Code was resubmitted by the provincial administrator and eventually approved on December 5 in less than 20 minutes of deliberation.
Authored by Third District Board Member Vici Ventanilla, chairman on the committee on appropriations, Provincial Ordinance No. 16 said the provincial government is free to adopt its joint venture undertakings and prescribed requirements, procedures and conditions for any provincial joint venture project, particularly with the private sector.
The measure was initially rejected by the SP after Second District Board Member Haydee Pacheco noted that the cover letter endorsing the proposed ordinance was signed by former Board Member Von Mark Mendoza, with no designation after his name and simply invoked “for and by authority of the Governor”.
Mendoza is reportedly the “Special Assistant to the Governor” but he did not state it in his endorsement letter.
Pacheco said the endorsement letter could not be given due course because it was signed by an unauthorized person who did not indicate his official designation, thus the proposed ordinance was returned to the Office of the Governor.
The second endorsement letter was signed by Provincial Administrator Melecio Patague II, the governor’s alter-ego.
When Second District Board Member Haydee Pacheco asked how the provincial government’s proposed joint venture code reconciles with the existing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) finance which, she said, provides similar provisions with the former, Raymundo Bautista Jr., a lawyer and newly appointed provincial economic development and investment promotions officer, was asked by Ventenilla to respond.
Bautista explained the proposed provincial joint venture code is a supplement to the PPP Code of 2012 and all its modalities, comprising 16 variants, not included in the PPP Code of 2012.
“The joint venture code (of the province) would be a class of its own because we included in the ordinance the technicalities, procedures and conditions,” Bautista said.
He said that all these will ensure sustainability, accountability and transparency in the joint venture code. (Leonardo Micua)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
