Sunday, March 02, 2008 'DILG intervention' in VM league's polls rapped
PROVINCIAL officials are outraged about the alleged meddling of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the affairs of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP).
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia was “alarmed” while Provincial Board (PB) Member Victor Maambong was disappointed.
“The local government unit is not a creature of the national government, it is a co-equal. It should not dictate who should lead (the league),” Maambong told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
He was reacting to an earlier report that DILG officials are conducting surveys about the upcoming VMLP elections while trying to subtly endorse Antipolo City Vice Mayor Danilo Leyble.
Denial
DILG 7 Director Pedro Noval denied this, saying he does not know Leyble.
Noval also said that campaigning is not their business.
Maambong is expected to file a resolution stating his stand that it is a constitutional guarantee for a local government unit to function without being controlled by the national government or its agency.
Maambong confirmed such a “survey” from the DILG during his stint at the Philippine Councilors’ League and with the PB Members’ League of the Philippines.
“It’s overt campaigning,” he lamented.
Lawyer Rory John Sepulveda, Capitol consultant on information and revenue generation, also wondered why the controversy came up just when Cebuanos signified interest in running for the national league presidency—Cebu City Vice Mayor Mike Rama and Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna.
Reason for transfer
According to the local VMLP, the competition between the two prompted the transfer of the venue of the elections cum convention from Cebu to Manila.
“The transfer of the venue is not based on proper grounds. I hope this was not done to influence the elections,” said Sepulveda. (JGA)
