Monday, September 24, 2007 Councilor: Foundation funds accounted for By Edmund B. Sestoso
DUMAGUETE City Councilor Manuel "Chiquiting" Sagarrbaria defended the foundation held responsible by Mayor Agustin Perdices for the "missing funds" from 1998 to 2000.
The foundation started out as the millennium committee during the term of then mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo.
Sagarrbaria said they were able to account for the funds. The councilor is the Millennium Foundation chairman since 1998 and he worked closely with Remollo's administration.
The councilor is now considered an ally of Perdices and even heads the power committee on finance and appropriation at the City Council and the executive department's finance committee.
Sagarrbaria said the money received by the foundation was spent for various tourism and fiesta projects.
The councilor, interviewed at his home recently, was reacting to insinuations that the foundation squandered the funds it collected from the entertainment group called Jade Lee.
He also clarified there was no rental to talk about because Jade Lee only made donations for various projects.
The councilor also shares Remollo's view that the foundation has not used a single centavo of public funds.
The councilor said he does not know if the City Government has right to audit a private group that even helped the City Government with its projects.
