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Monday, December 08, 2003
Reyes hits 'ban' on info release
By Victor L. Camion
GUIHULNGAN, Negros Oriental - Guihulngan Vice Mayor Ernesto Reyes accused Mayor Cesar Macalua of putting the lid on documents that could link him to alleged anomalies in official transactions.
Vice Mayor Reyes was reacting to a memorandum Macalua issued on November 12, right after the controversial issue on the P5 million Bulado abattoir surfaced.
Reyes, along with his son Municipal Councilor Guido Reyes, suspects Macalua issued the memorandum in a bid to hide documents that could link him to graft and corruption during his administration.
The memorandum, addressed to all municipal department heads, requires individuals to submit a formal written request addressed to the Office of the Municipal Mayor before the release of documents.
The request must specify the type of document or official record applied for.
Copies of the order were also furnished to the Municipal Council, the municipal treasurer, budget officer, accountant, engineer, assessor, civil registrar, rural heath unit, social welfare office, planning and development staff, agriculturist, waterworks system and market supervisor.
The vice mayor said he had tried asking for copies of the documents on the controversial slaughter house project, but the clerk in-charge required him to submit a written request for the papers and the purpose of the request.
In the said memorandum, Macalua explained that his attention had been called concerning "...the annoyances and worries of some department heads relative to the manner of research and examination of municipal books, documents and other official records kept by, or in custody of, the different departments upon the behest or request of some curious and enterprising municipal official and employees, and other individuals with no apparent description of municipal records to be scrutinized and without any lawful or reasonable purpose other than to conduct a 'fishing expedition' or engage in 'fault-finding' activity with regard to past and present municipal transactions".
The mayor, however, assured in the same order that his administration has always been transparent, fair and just in all municipal transactions.
"Except those that are classified by law as confidential, all municipal records are always open to public scrutiny anytime during officer hours," the memorandum said.
Macalua added, "in order to maintain an efficient, effective and orderly safekeeping of public records, as well as to prevent the possible displacement, destruction or perhaps that total loss of municipal records if public scrutiny is not certain and done in disorderly manner, my office has come up with a certain measure concerning public access to municipal records."
(November 30, 2003 issue)
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