Tuesday, January 30, 2007 Moreno, Uy trade barbs By Lizanilla J. Amarga
MISAMIS Oriental Vice Governor Julio Uy Monday outlined several "capital sins" against Governor Oscar Moreno with the governor, saying that Uy should first check his facts and his law before hurling any stones.
Both Moreno and Uy are lawyers who teamed up in the May 2004 elections but are now eyeing the same position as chief executive of the province in the May 2007 elections.
Moreno earlier voiced his preference to "maintain" the coalition and still have Uy run as his vice-governor.
But in a press conference at his office Monday, Uy has made it clear that he could never ally himself with Moreno again.
Uy said he himself has been "forced to swallow" some of the legislative measures Moreno has endorsed through the governor's allies in the Provincial Board.
"Even if there are some legislative measure that cannot be done Moreno and his allies forces it to be done. Even if it is illegal they would still push for it as besides no one will be filing any charges," he said.
"This is not good as there is no one filing any charges and no one looking it is now okay to initiate illegal acts," added Uy.
Uy cited how there were in the past several legislative measures condoning the tax liabilities of "specific companies."
He said this include the real property tax liabilities of Globe Telecommunications, Inc. tower squatting in Manticao, Misamis Oriental. The tax was reportedly reduced by P11 million or from P18 million to P7 million.
"There is also that company in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental which was specifically granted tax condonation," he said. "This is illegal as the condonation was made in favor of a specific company and was not uniformly applied to all companies similarly situated."
But Moreno for his part countered saying, "He (Uy) should first check his facts before he talks."
He added that all legislative measures calling for any tax condonation passed through the vice-governor's hand and that all bear Uy's signatures.
"No condonation of any tax liability was implemented by my office without being put forward at the Provincial Board for approval," Moreno said.
Uy said there were also several legislative measures concerning budget allocation realignments and money matters that needed a "qualified majority of eight votes."
But he said Moreno's allies pushed for only a "simple majority" of the Provincial Board members present.
Uy then cited an opinion of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that stipulates that matters, which would involve money or increase the indebtedness of the Provincial Government should be voted by eight Provincial Board members and not a mere majority of whoever are present.
"Moreno and his allies feel that they can get away with this as no one is filing any charges," he said.
But Moreno countered that since 2003 this controversial issue has been "long-settled."
"He (Uy) should check his law before he talks. Whether it be qualified or simple majority is a legal issue that has long been issued that appropriations and budget require only a simple majority," Moreno said.
Uy also hit at Moreno's project implementation saying, "They are all for image building and are not what they seem as why would the mayors and barangay captains leave Moreno if they are all true?"
Uy cited the regular Salo-Tabo, which he said is making the claim that all the products displayed and sold at the Provincial Capitol compound are from the different municipalities of Misamis Oriental.
"Actually the items being sold at the Salo-Tabo are merely bought from Cagayan de Oro City," he said.
Moreno said, "Is he (Uy) accusing the mayors? Those products are from their different municipalities and straight from their farms."
Uy also lambasted Moreno for the latter's sports development projects.
"For in truth, there is no sports development in our province as even the players are not from the Misamis Oriental but are imported from Cebu and other places," he said. "For sports development is not actually so much on image building but on developing local sports talents."
But Moreno countered, "That's nonsense."
Uy said Moreno also holds contests and offers up prizes for some municipalities but do not actually give out such prizes to the winners.
"The prizes the Provincial Government offers are a sham as they are not actually handed out and they even sound so huge at P1 million or P2 million but actually they are not given out to the winners," he said.
But Moreno said, "He (Uy) should check how much the Provincial Government has given and has done. He is probably living in a different world."
Uy said the heavy equipments are now being loaned out under Moreno's "kurambos" system using the manpower of the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO).
"The heavy equipment is included in the kurambos scheme to projects that are supposed to be already awarded to contractors resulting to how there is no longer any works for the maintenance of barangay roads," he said.
