Monday, March 26, 2007 Penro chief to face off with Yapha
PENRO Chief Glenn Baricuatro yesterday confirmed that he will run for mayor of Pinamungajan, a position that Rep. Antonio Yapha announced he will run for this May.
Yapha had said he refused offers for him to run for governor. So if Yapha runs for mayor, Baricuatro said, they will have the congressman “where we want him.”
Although Yapha controls the third district and 25 of the 26 barangay captains in his hometown Pinamungajan, Baricuatro said he has the support of “the critical mass.”
“Mag-unsa man nang iyang mga barangay captains kung wa na niya ang mga tawo (What use are his barangay captains if he doesn’t have the people with him?)” he said.
This is Baricuatro’s first time to run for an elected post, although he was active in each electoral campaign of former governor Pablo Garcia.
After 12 years as chief of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro), Baricuatro said he had formed 175 chapters of the organization called Sugbo Numero Uno, which has as members 18,000 of the 32,000 voters of Pinamungajan.
He said they also organized the Pinamungajan United Women’s Organization; the Panaghugpong sa mga Kagawad sa Pinamungajan, whose members are barangay councilors; and some youth organizations.
For Baricuatro, the 20 years that the Yapha family was in office is not an issue or the fact that there have been several Yapha family members holding office.
‘Awesome power’
He said the issue is their “failure to use their awesome political power” to make the lives of their constituents better.
“Wala gyud napahimusli sa mga katawhan ang ilang political power, ambot unsang klaseng pahimulos ang ilaha (The people never benefited from their political power),” said Baricuatro, citing the P5-million kabir chicken dispersal program that was not sustained.
Baricuatro also asked why Pinamungajan has been charging P700 for the use of its ambulance even by indigents while the town was capable of shelling out P10 million for the P100,000-bonus for each worker.
He said P8 million was also charged against Yapha’s Priority Development Assistance Fund for the “Clean and Green” program although no environmental project has been seen in the town.
Baricuatro said Pinamungajan can only be envious of other towns whose mayors have been getting projects from the Capitol, or whose constituents have been well taken care of by their congressmen.
“Kato si Marcos wa magmahay ang Ilocos, si Imelda wa magmahay ang Tacloban. Kaning Pinamungajan amo ang congressman ug PB member pero lupig gihapon mi sa ubang lungsod (Ilocos benefited from Marcos and Leyte from Imelda. And Pinamungajan? A congressman and Provincial Board members come from our town and yet we’re far behind other towns),” he said.
He said the Yaphas do not approach the Capitol for help; they also block and refuse to accept any project from the governor.
Baricuatro said the situation is unfair for Pinamungajan residents who have also been contributing taxes to the government.
Oath
“They took an oath to serve well and faithfully, giapil pa nilang Ginoo nga niingon silang “So help me God” pero ilang pamolitika binuang. Twenty years is too much for a bad leader. I hope to dispense with this old kind of politics; there has to be some change for Pinamungajan. This issue is not even about the Yaphas. The issue is about Pinamungajan,” said Baricuatro.
Yapha, when called for his side on Baricuatro’s statements, said he will only ask one question: “What has Pabling given to Pinamungajan in his eight years in Congress and nine years as Cebu governor and what has Gov. Garcia given Pinamungajan in her three years?”
When pressed for more answers, he asked further what the Capitol has done to the P248-million annual income that the third district has contributed to the Province.
“Tan-awa lang na ninyo among merkado, bisag wa pa nahuman. Kana si Glen, usa na siya sa beneficiary sa among pagkatawo (Look at our public market, even if is not finished yet. Glen is one of our beneficiaries),” said Yapha.
Yapha refused to elaborate. Sun.Star Cebu would have asked him about persistent talks that he will run for governor, but he already put down the phone.
Baricuatro, 42, said there is a “great chance” that Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia will be reelected so he hopes Pinamungajan voters will no longer commit the “mistake” of voting for a person who will refuse to ask for or accept projects.
“It’s for the best interest of the people to put in a new face, for new ways,” said Baricuatro. (JPM)
