Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Yeng to guv: 'Focus on important matters' By Ian Ocampo Flora
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- "First things first. I have no quarrel with him espousing his advocacies, but the province and services to his constituents should be his primary concern."
These were the words of Vice Governor Joseller "Yeng" Guiao in reaction to the plunder case filed by Governor Eddie Panlilio against Rodolfo Pineda.
Panlilio, who filed the case in his private capacity as a citizen, based his complaints on what he stated as "general and public knowledge" that Pineda "figured prominently" in the plunder trial of former President Joseph Estrada.
Panlilio accused Pineda of being among those "who conspired and helped" the former President to amass "ill-gotten wealth."
However, the vice-governor said the move might yet be another distraction on the part of the priest-turned-governor.
"I do not want to speculate on his motives but there are more important matters that need to be given attention," Guiao said, pertaining to what he termed as "overdue" infrastructure projects since 2007.
Guiao said projects have yet to be implemented. These projects, he said, have been lagging at least a year behind their original schedule. The infrastructure projects, he said, might have been placed in disadvantage due to increasing prices of materials in the market.
"Price escalation is keeping with us, we must always grab the opportunity to deliver such services that our constituents need," Guiao added.
Guiao, who is known to be one of the allies of the Pinedas, said he has yet to hear from them regarding their reaction to the plunder case filed against their patriarch.
