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Saturday, July 22, 2006
Lawmaker picks up word war with city official
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- House Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles picks up where his son, who is also his chief of staff, left off and advised Davao City administrator Wendel Avisado to research first before making any false accusations against the government especially lawmakers like him.
Nograles gave this reaction after Avisado stated the government is good only at making laws but gives the whole responsibility of implementing such laws to local government units.
Avisado's statement was made because of the unfulfilled promise of the National Government to help in the reconstruction of the Palma Gil Elementary School that was razed by fire early this year.
Nograles said Avisado's accusation is not true and that the National Government had already released the P15 million earlier promised by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through Nograles.
"He (Avisado) should research. He can ask DepEd (Department of Education) regional director Diamar Kadon," Nograles said.
Avisado insists he is just telling the truth, that the money is not yet available for the city to use.
"That's the truth. Why, is the money here already? According to the head of the City Engineer's Office, Mr. (Leoncio) Evasco, the P15 million as counterpart of the National Government, is not yet available. I was just telling the truth," Avisado said Thursday.
After all, the city can only access the funds once it is already in their and not any other government agency's hands. Or if the city has already been advised by the agency holding the funds that the money is ready for disbursement.
The P15 million counterpart of the City Government meanwhile is already available as the whole rebuilding of the school costs P30.8 million. Of the amount, P300,000 is for the cost of demolishing the burnt building.
Karlo, Nograles' chief of staff, earlier said in his letter dated July 17 that the National Government, through the Department of Education (DepEd), had already allocated as early as March 23 an initial amount of P8.5 million for the construction of nine new academic classrooms for the school.
He said they are relying on the city's fund to begin the demolition of the burnt down building structures at Palma Gil elementary school to start the construction of the new buildings, as the P8.5 initial budget cannot be diverted for other purposes. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(July 22, 2006 issue)
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