Friday, January 18, 2008 Compostela officials open doors to unity
COMPOSTELA’S top officials are willing to unite, as the municipality celebrated its 89th founding anniversary yesterday.
Municipal Mayor Ritchie Wagas said his door is open to unite with the municipal council, majority of which are opposition members, while Vice Mayor Joel Quiño explained it was only a case of misunderstanding.
The problem stemmed from the budget of the birthing center the Wagas administration built last September.
Councilor Tessa Paradiang-Cang filed a graft complaint against Wagas in behalf of the municipal council, for realigning the budget for the project. She heads the budget and appropriations committee.
Wagas said the project is in two phases. The first phase has a continuing initial appropriation of P500,000 from the previous council.
The National Government also donated P700,000.
To complete phase one or the superstructure of the birthing center, Wagas realigned balances from the previous budget amounting to close to P1.2 million.
Completion
Phase two will be shouldered by the Provincial Government.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, in her speech during the founding anniversary celebration, was encouraged the completion of the birthing center in Compostela and eventually in the other towns.
“We are encouraging all towns to put up their own birthing centers because that is for the people, especially in emergency cases considering the town’s distance from Metro Cebu,” she said.
But Garcia went further as to make a bargain with the officials.
While visiting the town’s legislative building, a councilor asked the governor for a new sound system.
Garcia was willing to do finance the project, but with a condition.
Development
“Ang Capitol andam sa paghatag og maanindot nga sound system but in one condition... Ang maong sound system maabot kana sa panahon nga kung ang kalambuan na gani sa Compostela ang hisgutan, magkahiusa ang mga tingog nga inyong madungog gikan sa maong (Capitol is willing to donate a good sound system in one condition that once development for Compostela is discussed, unity in your voices will be heard over the) sound system,” said Garcia.
She set as example the situation at the Provincial Board where political differences were set aside.
Compostelanons were obviously aware of the rift between the mayor and the council because each time the governor alluded to political rifts, the people clapped their hands.
Garcia noted that it’s selfishness to make the people suffer because of political interest and affiliations.
Wagas, despite not being a member of One Cebu, admits to seeing what the governor is after—unity.
The mayor only has two allies in the council.
But this may change since the vice mayor, too, wants unity, admitting that the graft complaint before the Visayas Ombudsman was only a case of misunderstanding.
“That (unity) is not a problem even without the sound system. We are willing to support the projects of the mayor,” Quiño told reporters shortly after the governor’s speech.
Wagas and Quiño both signified willingness to unite.
Wagas wants to have a regular luncheon with the officials every Friday.
Cang did not attend the founding anniversary yesterday.
It was exactly 89 years ago yesterday when Compostela became a municipality. It used to be a barangay of Liloan town.
Executive Order 05 changed that because of the growing number of Compostelanons who asked that their barangay be made into a separate municipality. (JGA)
