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Wednesday, May 05, 2004
NFA rice distribution in Kidapawan halted
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piņol along with his supporters barricaded a private warehouse in Kidapawan City since Monday afternoon to stop the distribution of thousands of bags of rice allegedly for election purposes.
Kidapawan City Mayor Luis Malaluan and Vice Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco, it was claimed, were distributing the sacks of rice.
Malaluan, who is on his third term, is running for vice mayor while Gantuangco who is likewise on his third term is running for mayor under an unidentified opposition party.
Gantuangco's challenger for the mayoralty post is Pat Piņol, the governor's brother.
Nolieus Labrador, a Lakas-CMD supporter in Kidapawan City, said he received a text message Monday afternoon informing him of the presence of government trucks at a private warehouse inside the Kidapawan Public Market.
Labrador said he immediately went to the said warehouse and discovered a truckload of rice coming out of the Lumbayan warehouse.
He said they immediately barricaded the warehouse and did not let another government-owned truck to come out.
Labrador said workers of the said warehouse immediately closed the doors thus preventing them to get inside and verify if the said rice was indeed the same rice bought by the City Government of Kidapawan to be distributed to those affected by the calamity that recently hit the city.
Gov. Piņol said they suspect the rice inside the Lumbayan warehouse is part of the 2,000 bags of rice bought by the City Government worth P1.5 million for those affected by the calamity.
The governor said Malaluan and Gantuangco transferred the government rice to a private warehouse and distributed them only at nighttime.
"They were also distributing the rice without the supervision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) or the Commission on Audit (COA) as provided for by law during the election period," Piņol said.
"This is the reason why we earlier filed two disqualification cases against Malaluan and one case against Gantuangco for using the calamity fund in their campaign and for vote-buying," the governor added.
Witnesses Marcial Pamplona and Jerry Betil claimed Malaluan gave them two kilos of rice and P20 each and ordered them to distribute one sack of rice and P2,000 pesos in P20 bills to other supporters.
Lakas-CMD legal consultant Gary Vergara said with the recent discovery of government rice being hidden in the private warehouse, they are planning to file an additional disqualification case against the two officials and possibly a criminal case as well.
Gov. Piņol, on the other hand, said they will be filing for a court injunction to prevent the City Government of Kidapawan from distributing the bags of rice before May 10.
"After election di na namin sila pipigilan pang idistribute pa ang mga bigas," the governor said.
Piņol, however, assured those who were affected by the calamity that the Provincial Government will still be distributing rice and other goods starting today.
He said unlike what Malaluan and Gantuangco did, the distribution of rice will now be supervised by the Philippine National Red Cross and under the Comelec and COA provision.
Piņol said this is to ensure that the distribution will not be questionable.
As of Tuesday afternoon, about two hundred Lakas-CMD supporters were still barricading the warehouse saying they will continue to do so until the government rice will finally be given to the people affected by the calamity and not just to the supporters of Malaluan and Gantuangco.
The two public officials are running under the opposition banner this coming May 10.
Malaluan and Gantuangco could not be contacted for their side.
(May 5, 2004 issue)
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Danao City now under Comelec control