Recall election in the offing in Bani town

DAGUPAN CITY – Due to issues concerning a P70-million loan of the Municipal Government, the mayor and the vice mayor of Bani town are trading election recall threats.

A recall signature drive was launched last week by Mayor Marcelo Navarro Jr. against his political nemesis Vice Mayor Filipina Rivera and Municipal Councilors Cothera Gwen Yamamoto, Tamerlane Olores, Rosalinda Acenas and Ruben Ampler.

The reason cited by Navarro for the recall move is the "lost of trust and confidence."

Rivera's group, on the other hand, is also contemplating on a recall move against Navarro for same reason. In fact, they had formed a line-up complete from candidates for mayor, vice mayor and eight councilors.

Navarro first amplified his plan for the recall of his political nemesis at the Meet the Press weekly forum of the Pangasinan Tri-Media Association about two weeks ago.

He said the Municipal Council has done nothing so far. Worst, they did not approve the resolution, which would have had given him authority to withdraw the P70-million loan from Landbank of the Philippines.

The fund is intended for the construction of a new public market and for the improvement of their municipal hall and public cemetery.

He accused them of being anti-development, adding that they seem to be at the dead-end with nothing to use to make Bani move forward.

Meanwhile, Rivera and her allies refuted the allegations of the mayor at the same media forum the following week.

The discussion did not only dwell on the P70-million loan of the town government, they also brought copies of the municipal resolutions and ordinances the Municipal Council had passed since they assumed office last year.

Navarro said the previous Municipal Council had given him authority to enter into an agreement with Landbank for the P70 million loan. But, for delicadeza sake, he said, he did not implement the approved projects because the election was approaching.

His problem ensued when the current Municipal Council refused to give him authority to "take-out or withdraw" the loan from the bank.

Yamamoto said they are for the improvement of their public market as this was built in 1992 and no renovations has been done thereat.

She said all they were asking from the mayor, she added, is the project plan and copy of the feasibility study.

She said the council had even invited the mayor several times to appear in their regular session to clarify things. But Navarro instead sent consultants to the session to do the talking.

"We are also questioning why the need to get consultants from outside to do the feasibility study when there are 12 consultants under the office of the mayor. Also, the department heads concern can actually do the project plan themselves,” she added.

“Jeremiah Gonzales, a consultant at the office of the mayor, even reasoned that there is a non-disclosure clause between the executive and the one who made the feasibility study. There is a question now on transparency,” she said.

The vice mayor and her allies said they are willing to sit down with the mayor and discuss matters for the betterment of their town.

“Is the mayor willing to talk to us?” they asked.