Thursday, July 06, 2006
They replaced me to cover up error: Councilor
By Lory Ann B. Bilbao
CITY Councilor Merci Drilon Garcia said she was replaced as vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations to cover up the failure of the committee head to conduct a hearing.
Garcia said she was replaced last week during the City Council's regular session by Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo, who is not even a member of the same committee, just to cover up the failure of the committee to conduct a hearing pertaining the allocations of the P33 million supplemental budget prior to its deliberation in June 21.
It was one week before the said proposed allocations were approved by the body.
Garcia, who's name appeared as the vice chairman of the committee on appropriations in Sun.Star's copy of the approved committee-chairmanships, was said have been typographically written.
Peñaredondo, during last week's regular session, said the council's Secretariat failed to correct the clerical error it has committed, when two years ago, the SP has corrected that Garcia should be replaced by him.
Garcia told Sun.Star, "If indeed, there was a correction made, why has the Secretariat not corrected the same for two years now? I don't believe there was clerical error since it was written by the Secretariat clearly, that I am the Vice Chairman of Espinosa in his committee."
"Besides, the majority members, which I belong to, have agreed before we have assigned chairmanships, that we'd be given the priority," she said.
She added that she has acquired a copy of the resolution, which stated their approved chairmanships from the Secretariat. She said that she was justified.
Further, she told that she has been the attending as vice chairman of the committee ever since they started their term.
She said that Peñaredondo was the usual attendant from council members aside from the committee members. The hearings, she said, is open to all members.
Garcia divulged that the committee did not really conduct a committee (even if she stood only as a member of the committee) hearing prior to the deliberation of the allocations. She reiterated that committee hearing is very essential considering that the proposal was an allocation of the City Government's money amounting to P33 million.
"There really was no committee hearing held," she said.
Peñaredondo said, "The committee is a sensitive one, which requires well-experienced members and not newcomers."
Garcia said that besides of the hurt she felt after hearing the said statement, she was convinced that Espinosa, who stood as the chairman, has not made a lawful interchange of their memberships.
She cited that their rules provided that the SP should pass a resolution amending the memberships in the committee. But this did not happen. Verbally, Espinosa told the Secretariat to put Peñaredondo as vice chairman instead of her during last week's session.
Resignation
Garcia announced then, her resignation from the said committee Wednesday. The council accepted this by replacing her verbally with Councilor Perla Zulueta, which Garcia said violated the same internal rules of the council in replacing members of the committee.
The committee chairman should first submit the names of his new members to the Secretariat and in turn, the latter would inform the parties concerned.
Parcon, who was a listed member, was not listed in the committee anymore following the interchange of names.
"The committee looked like a committee of error. I am convinced I don't want to be a part of it anymore," she said.
(July 6, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
