A MATI City councilor was suspended for 15 days after refusing to sign three corrected city resolutions that were passed when she was the presiding officer.
Mati City Councilor Xenna Princess Campos suspension took effect after the city council passed Resolution No. 42 series of 2023 adopting the decision submitted by the Committee on Rules and Privileges and the Committee on Good Government, Public Ethics and Accountabilities over the disorderly behaviour committed by the councilore during the coordination meeting last February 3, 2023 and for refusal without valid excuse to perform a task assigned to her.
Campos was being asked by the council to sign the corrected resolutions passed on December 20, 2022 which authorized City of Mati Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat to sign for and in behalf of the City Government of Mati the conditional deed of sale with three landowners.
In a press statement, the city said it was learned that the original amounts stated in three city council resolutions were based on the appraisal value coming from the Bidding and Awards Committee. BAC secretariat head Lucio Pequiro said it was a mistake on their part as the amount placed should have been the amount approved by the LandBank and not the appraised value.
Documents showed that the total appraised value of the three properties was P52,805,670. But the Landbank only approved land acquisition amount of P46,635,670.
For this, the local government unit (LGU) negotiated with the landowners to lower the price of their properties to match the amount the LandBank approved as part of the P400 million loan by the city government.
Upon agreement with the landowners, the LGU then requested the City Council to make corrections on the amount of the resolutions they earlier passed. The LGU request was approved by the City Council majority during a caucus and later a session.
Being the presiding officer during the resolutions’ approval, the 7th City Council asked Campos to affix her signature on the corrected resolutions to which the councilor refused.
In a privilege speech before her suspension, Campos said she does not want to sign the city resolutions because she was being forced by her colleagues and she did not want to sign “tampered” documents. She also claimed the edits were allegedly illegal.
“Kuwarta ni sa katawhan ang atong gihisgutan diri, dili ni akoa, dili pod na inyoha... Mao akong gibarugan ang dili nako pagpirma kung naa may resolusyon na i-amend, then I will sign the new resolution (This is the money of the people, it is neither yours nor mine. This is why I refuse to sign the corrected resolutions, if you want me to sign an amended resolution, it must be a new resolution),” Campos said.
Juvy Mabini, Sangguniang Panlungsod secretary, said the suspension is in accordance with Section 1, No. 8, Rule XVIII of the Internal Rules and Procedures of the 7th City Council of the City of Mati, and the suspension “is enacted in good of faith in the public interest.”
The suspension also includes disorderly conduct for allegedly engaging in physical altercations with her other councilors and getting her father involved during the councilor’s private meeting.
With Camposs refusal to sign the corrected resolutions, Mabini said it led to the delay in payment to landowners who had sold their properties to the LGU.
“Mao nang gipagawas namo na kay ang ingon sa social media (We needed to clear things up because on social media they are saying that there is), something fishy ang (about the) transaction. Maski piso, maski centavo, wala’y gikawat ang Sanggunian (Neither a peso nor a centavo was stolen),” Mabini said.
The City Council said they could not understand why Campos refused to sign the corrected resolutions, as she had agreed to the corrections during the meeting and session.
The City Council added that the local government even saved a total of P6,170,000 due to the correction of the three resolutions.
Mati City Vice Mayor Enzo Rabat said Campos' refusal to sign had affected the LGU's obligation to pay the landowners. The three landowners have not yet been fully paid by the LGU despite the fact that the local government is also ready using the said properties.
One of the properties involved is the land where the Super Health Center is being constructed in Magapo, Barangay Central. The national government is allocating a total of P16.5 million for the phase 1 and 2 construction of the Super Health Center with the LGU donating the land. ICE with reports from MATI CIO