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Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Ex-mayor lashes back at Yaranon for speech
By Ernie N. Olson Jr.
* After being described again as 'corrupt'
FORMER Baguio City Mayor Bernardo Vergara lashed out at incumbent Mayor Braulio Yaranon after learning that he allegedly described him again as being corrupt.
Vergara said the slander was reportedly committed during a speech that Yaranon delivered in the regular flag-raising ceremony at City Hall Monday last week.
Vergara said he learned of this after he arrived from the US, where he visited his younger sister who died of breast cancer recently.
"He keeps talking about corruption and keeps on linking me to it, even if what he keeps saying is not supported with any evidence. I think that I should file additional libel charges against him," Vergara said.
"Mayor Yaranon has been there as the father of the city for more than a year, but why does he not stop his family from meddling in the affairs of the City Government," he claimed.
He also said during the planning stage of the latest Panagbenga Baguio Flower Festival, although businesswoman Nelia Cid and its marketing arm, Publicis, managed it, Yaranon's two daughters were allegedly working behind the scenes. "For the first time in Panagbenga history, a marketing arm was allowed to get a 30 percent commission for inviting sponsors. Donors like Smart, Globe and Sun Cellular voluntarily come in as sponsors every year even without being invited and they have been donating millions of pesos for the success of this event. Allegedly, Smart donated P8 million, Globe gave P3 million and Sun Cellular also donated P1.5 million. Why was Publicis automatically given 30 percent of those amounts for doing nothing? Reports reaching me reveal they allegedly divided this large amount of commission among themselves. This is what we should call the `mother of all scams," he stressed.
"What is worse is that Nelia Cid claims the Panagbenga lost money. This is the reason they gave to extend the activity for several more months. This was the reason why Mayor Yaranon issued an administrative order to illegally conduct trade fairs even without the approval of the City Council. Sabi ng mga taongbayan, ito raw ang (the people said this is the) 'mother of all scams', Vergara reiterated.
Vergara also said Yaranon had unilaterally been suspending the city's number-coding scheme and that this had aggravated Baguio's traffic problem.
"Regarding the recall move against him, huwag niya akong pagbintangan (he should not accuse me of it). I was out of the country. Kung may recall man laban sa kanya, kasalanan niya ito (If there is recall move against him, it's his fault). It was all his undoing," Vergara added.
"With all of these things happening in our city, he still says that this is good governance. After one year in office, everybody can see that everything is deteriorating, may these be basic services, economic growth and even his leadership as the supposed father of our city," Vergara said.
But Yaranon, in a telephone interview, said everything that he had said was backed up by documentation. "We have all the proof that we need and although I may be constrained to file charges against him before the Ombudsman, I just don't want to file criminal charges against a fellow politician."
"I do not allow my family members, especially my daughters, to meddle in the awarding of contracts of the City. They know that. And that also goes with the hiring or promotion of employees in City Hall. We have not filled any new positions and I am sure that all of the people that were hired are not from other places," Yaranon said.
"Regarding the sharing scheme of the Panagbenga, during Mayor Vergara's administration, the marketing firm that they had, Kuryente, was getting 90 percent of the sponsorship share, while the Panagbenga only got 10 percent. They did this by appropriating an amount of P2.3 million from the City. I turned this around so that although Publicis got 30 percent, the Panagbenga got a larger share of 70 percent and this was done without the City Government spending a single centavo," he explained.
On the reported dumping of garbage bins in the city motorpool, Yaranon said this was not his doing because those were already brought there before he sat as mayor. He said he even instructed his staff to look into the possible rehabilitation of these bins so that they may be used for their intended purpose.
"And I have never issued any demolition orders yet. When I sat as mayor, there were about 5,000 demolition orders issued by the past administration and we are only implementing these. I was not the one who signed these orders," he said.
(August 9, 2005 issue)
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