Wednesday, September 01, 2004 They are KSP, Gwen on critics
“KULANG sa pansin.” So said Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in reaction to reports that the opposition has brought up to President Arroyo the feud at the Capitol.
The governor also challenged Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. to produce proof that she only approves appropriation resolutions chargeable against the Countryside Development Project (CDP) fund sponsored by her political allies.
Junie allies
Sanchez and some board members mostly allied with Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. met with the president during her visit last Monday.
Garcia said she accompanies the president every time she visits Cebu, but she has not told her about the feud in the Capitol. Although she is pretty sure the president already knows about it.
“Ang uban nga way lingaw, maninguha nga tagaan og pagtagad ug importansya. Sabton ta na lang.
Mao nay giingon nga Kahit Konting Pagtingin. Para nila, ang pulitikanhong tinguha, mao na ang pinakaimportanteng isyu (Those who are idled try hard to get attention or importance. Let’s just understand them. For them, political interest is the most important issue),” Garcia said.
It was reportedly Philippine Councilor’s League president Michael Miranda who brought to the President’s attention the conflict between Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr., but the President did not comment on it.
Not gag order
The executive and the legislative department have been at odds on several issues, including the Countryside Development Project funds of the PB Members, the functions of the vice governor and the alleged refusal of the governor to let the department heads meet with Sanchez.
Garcia explained it is not a gag order for the department heads, but she just wants to prevent “misrepresentation of facts.”
Earlier, Sanchez had said in his privilege speech that Eduardo Habin, the budget officer and acting administrator, answered “I don’t know” when asked a few questions regarding some procurements.
This affected Habin because to him, the vice governor made it appear that he is an incompetent budget officer and he explained that he merely said he could not answer Sanchez immediately as the documents are not with him.
The governor, meanwhile, challenged Sanchez to produce documents that will prove she had played favorites in approving resolutions.
Garcia said she vetoed the resolutions by batch and does not factor in as to who the sponsors were.
In fact, she just vetoed another batch and included are resolutions of Board Member Victor Maambong, a known Garcia ally.
As to the 11 resolutions that were approved, she explained that she approved the whole batch regardless of who the sponsors were.
The governor approved the resolutions of Teresita Celis, Joven Mondigo, Ramon Martin Calderon, Antonio Almirante and Estrella Yapha, but her consultants had said it was a simple oversight.
Garcia added how could it be that she was selective in approving resolutions when Mondigo and Yapha were not allied with the Garcias.
Evidence
Sanchez, on the other hand, said they are collating evidence to prove that the executive department approved appropriation resolutions chargeable against the CDP in 2001 and during the first half of 2004 when on these years, Capitol is operating on a reenacted budget.
But Garcia explained that in 2001, there was a regular budget, although it was passed late. This year, there are no funds released charged against the CDP because there is no CDP.
The Garcia camp had insisted that the CDP is non-essential so it is not included among the items
reenacted.
Sanchez, however, said the CDP must be considered essential because it is under the miscellaneous and other operating expenditures of the vice-governor. (MBG)
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