Friday, October 31, 2008 Icupao chief says bribery not true
THE chief of the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (Icupao) has branded the allegations of bribery initiated by a city councilor as untrue and only a figment of a colorful imagination.
Icupao chief Rony Firmeza said he would not file any legal action against Councilor Antonio Pesina although he is saddened and disappointed by the unfounded accusations of the city legislator.
Pesina, in last Wednesday's session, branded Firmeza as the one who tried to bribe him with P50, 000 after the city council rejected the land offer to sell the 1.6-hectare Tarrosa property at Barangay Lanit, Jaro.
Some of the city councilors said the bribery attempt is an affront to the whole City Council and they will ask Firmeza to appear before the council next week to explain the socialized housing program and Icupao in details.
Firmeza said the bone of contention was the aborted sale of the Tarrosa property that was initially offered at P250 per square meter. However, the offer was reduced to P150 per square meter.
How can he bribe the city councilor when the land price was already lowered to P150 per square meter, Firmeza pointed out?
Last month, the city council unanimously denied further land banking of lots for re-settlement sites and said the City Government has already bought enough lands as relocation sites for the informal settlers.
Informal settles are those families affected by government projects, calamity victims and those occupying danger zones such as near rivers and creeks.
There are already 13 city relocation sites and some 5,000 families have occupied only 22 hectares.
The relocation sites are in East Baluarte, Molo, San Juan, Molo, Bitoon, Jaro, East Timawa, Molo, South Fundidor, Molo, San Isidro, La Paz, Projects 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Sooc, Mandurriao, Lanit and San Isidro, Jaro.
On the other hand, three urban poor people's organizations here have asked for the recall of the composition of the City Council Committee on Urban Poor, Human Rights and Minority Group on the ground of "loss of confidence" for not performing the duties and obligations expected of them.
The position paper dated October 27, 2008 was submitted to the city council by President Paterno Licuran of Iloilo Federation of Community Federation, President Belen Peñaflor of the Kabalaka/Homeless Peoples Federation of the Philippines Inc. and President Benfred Tacuyan of the Iloilo City Urban Poor Federation Inc.; it is their collective manifestation of support to Icupao currently rocked by the city council for failure to submit the list of beneficiaries for the city's several relocation sites.
The people's organizations said their manifestation for recall is based on the malfeasance of the committee chairmanship since the 41st legislative body was convened and filled up the composition of the committee.
It has not performed the duties and obligations expected of them, including the proposed repayment scheme despite the fact that the documents and legal bases necessary for its consideration have already been submitted to him and the required committee hearings and public consultations participated by the different community organization leaders, concerned beneficiaries and barangay officials have already been held. (Lydia Pendon)
