Monday, April 30, 2007 CICC expense report ‘too late’
BAYAN Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo yesterday described Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s move for the inhibition of Acting Visayas Deputy Ombudsman Virginia Palanca-Santiago as “typical” of those allied with the Arroyo administration.
Bayan Muna secretary general Arman Perez, for his part, said the public report that Garcia is expected to give this Thursday, on expenses incurred in building the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), is too late.
Garcia is filing today administrative and criminal cases against Santiago for the latter’s “manifest partiality” in comments about the fact-finding inquiry on the CICC.
The governor wants Santiago preventively suspended after manifesting “obvious bias and partiality” on the issue.
Businessman Crisologo Saavedra and Bayan Muna have asked for an accounting of the CICC expenditures.
In an interview in Barangay Labogon, Mandaue City, Ocampo said that upon learning of Garcia’s move against Santiago, he recalled a similar move of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales when rebellion charges were filed against him and four other party-list members of the House of Representatives.
“Tinanggihan ng korte kasi sabi nila hindi ‘yon tama, hindi umaayon sa batas ‘yung kaso. Ang ginawa ng secretary of justice, pinainhibit niya ang korte. (The court dropped the case because it wasn’t legal. The secretary of justice asked the judge to inhibit himself from the case.) He then threatened to have the judge administratively charged for bias,” he said.
“Parang eto rin ang attitude ni Gwen Garcia (That also seems to be Governor Garcia’s attitude),” Ocampo added.
He said that the people allied with the Arroyo administration try to use their influence to their advantage.
Ocampo was in Mandaue City yesterday to speak to a small group of people at the Labogon Barangay Hall after lunch.
If Bayan Muna is reelected to Congress, he will continue to fight for a P125-wage increase, he said. He will also pursue his other bills criminalizing torture.
Bayan Muna had funded the water system in Labogon, which became an issue when barangay officials filed a complaint against Barangay Captain Damaso Tumulak for reportedly running the project like a private company.
The complaint was eventually dismissed, though. (AAG)
