Thursday, November 13, 2008 Pilar town has ‘2 mayors’, released SALs indicate
IF the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SAL) they submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas are an indication, Pilar town has two mayors.
Jesus Fernandez Jr. and Rommel Tajo both wrote “municipal mayor” in the space provided in the form they filled out and separately submitted.
Fernandez, whose annual government income grosses P358,255 and whose net worth reaches P2.1 million, is the duly elected mayor. Tajo, who posts a net worth of P30,000, is the vice mayor.
This as Acting Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella rose to the defense of Sangguniang Kabataan SK Federation (SKF) President Rengelle Pelayo for her failure to meet the April 30 deadline in submitting her SAL.
Pelayo was still a minor when she assumed office in December last year and when she supposedly violated the law when she failed to meet the deadline.
She, therefore, could not be held liable for the oversight, said Labella, who appealed for the anti-graft office to be considerate.
Not deliberate
He said he was convinced that Pelayo’s failure to comply with the requirement was not deliberate.
“Under the existing law on juveniles, minors are exempted from criminal liability, unless they acted with discernment,” Labella said.
Labella is a lawyer and former deputy ombudsman for the Visayas. He heads the City Council committee on laws, ordinances, public accountability and good
government.
Pelayo, who turned 18 last Sept. 12 yet, filed her SAL, declaring a net worth of just P7,000, yesterday.
Her only assets were P2,000 worth of jewelry and personal effects worth P5,000.
She declared an annual gross income of just P25,000, as she assumed office as SKF president and City Council ex-officio member only on Dec. 6, 2007.
Incomplete
The SALs of Fernandez and Tajo were among the documents finally released by the office of Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol after several months of waiting for the central office to give its nod.
They were, just like the records released for Cebu City and the Provincial Government, incomplete.
Joan Concha, the officer in charge of releasing the SAL, said they still have to locate the remaining documents, saying they were collated by student volunteers over the summer.
Only the records of 15 municipal mayors could be obtained. Those corresponding to mayors of component cities were also incomplete as of press time.
Based on the records available, Mayor Daisy Creus of Malabuyoc has the highest net worth at P29.2 million.
The assets of Dumanjug’s Cesar Baricuatro tops that by P20 million but his net worth could not be determined because the records released by the anti-graft office did not include his total liabilities.
Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura landed second to Creus at P25.3 million, followed by Raul Guisadio of Alegria (P20 million), Carmen’s Virginio Villamor (P15 million) and Dalaguete’s Andrade Alcantara (P9.4 million).
Compostela’s Ritchie Wagas, for his part, declared a total net worth of P8.3 million, declaring P5.5 million in vehicles and P2.6 million in real estate.
He did not indicate his annual gross income and gross family income as well as any other business interests and financial sources.
San Remegio’s Mariano Martinez declared a net worth of P6.7 million.
Minglanilla’s Eduardo Ma. Selma posted P3.6 million, followed by Sogod’s Thaddeus Durano (P3.2 milion), Ginatilan’s Dean Michael Singco (P3.2 million), Badian’s Carmencita Lumain (P1.5 million), Pinamungajan’s Geraldine Yapha (P1.450 million and Borbon’s Bernard Sepulveda, at P1.4 million.
Busy
Meanwhile, Pelayo said she never intended not to submit her SAL.
“It was given to me during summer when I got really busy preparing for the Iskolar BOS, of the SK officials,” she said.
Aside from the Iskolar BOS, or the Integrated Sangguniang Kabataan Organizational, Leadership and Reorientation Program Basic Orientation Seminar, Pelayo said she changed her staff around the time the form was given to her office.
She said she all the while thought that her former executive officer already submitted the document.
She asked for consideration, saying she had no intention of violating any law.
“As a minor, I did not have the enough time to consult other people about the SAL because of the preparation to be made for the Iskolar BOS…After changing my staff, I
unintentionally forgot about it (SAL), and no reminder was given to me about the deadline…Tawo lang ko nga masayop pud,” Pelayo said.
Labella believes the Ombudsman would be more lenient on Pelayo, especially that she was a minor then and unintentionally committed the offense.
“Maybe they can just give a stern warning that committing the same oversight will be dealt with more stringently,” he said. (KNR/RHM)
