Vice gov defies order on use of ‘pork’

VICE Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. defied the memorandum of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia that all requests for legislative assistance funds (LAF) no longer need a resolution from the Provincial Board (PB).

Sanchez, who presides over the PB, scheduled for discussion tomorrow at least 47 proposed “ordinances” appropriating financial assistance to the different barangays in all districts, except the third.

Updates on President Benigno Aquino III's presidency

These will be charged to the LAF of the vice governor.

The appropriations cover, among others, socio-cultural activities, cementing of a basketball court and improvements on health centers.

The PB members have adapted to the memo.

Governor Garcia, a few weeks after implementing the memorandum last July, said the government is now saving on paper. Under the memo, all requests for LAF will be in the form of a barangay resolution.

Executive action

The PB member in whose district the barangay belongs will then make an endorsement of the requests in bulk and submit these to the Provincial Planning and Development Office.

Before, each request for assistance had to be accompanied by a resolution from a PB member.

The requests will then be sent to accounting, with the confirmation of the budget department. The Office of the Treasurer will then release the check.

Sanchez, however, stood pat on his stand that the LAF should be under the control of the PB because of the separation of powers between the executive and the legislative.

Sanchez’s appropriations for several projects will be tackled in tomorrow’s regular session.

The governor and vice governor have been in disagreement over the exercise of their powers.

Sanchez claimed that Garcia abused her power by not signing contracts of his consultants, while Garcia claimed that Sanchez usurped her authority when he signed the contract of services of the Legislative Gavel editor-in-chief Ferliza Contratista.
Sanchez prefers the court to settle the matter.

Garcia’s brother Rep. Pablo John Garcia, advised Contratista to sue Sanchez, because her contract was signed by the vice governor, so it did not bind the Province.