THE public must give a serious benefit of the doubt, if only to be fair, on the statement of Escalante City Mayor Melecio Yap who had denied he had ordered the disconnection of power connection at the premises of the Vicente F. Gustilo Memorial Hospital being run and owned by the Negros Occidental government.
Saying there is no politics behind the said case, and that, if needed, he is willing to talk to Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. on the issue, Yap must, nonetheless, prove that there are no sacred cows in his city.
If he wants to prove his political detractors wrong, this is the time for the good mayor to show some teeth as far as the campaign against persons who derail, or worse, sabotage basic government services such as the provision of electricity to public facilities, such as the hospital.
Why a government-owned, by the city at that, was used by the five persons tagged to the cutting off of electrical connection, it can only surmised.
To the malicious mind, the local chief executive is behind the incident as he was reelected under the Nationalist People's Coalition Party during the May 13 elections, and was opposed by former mayor Santiago Barcelona who ran under Marañon's United Negros Alliance party.
While he may have denied the allegation, Yap should prove, more than words, that he means business for the city of Escalante, and would not allow any dirty political tactic or form of derailing public service to get in the way of genuine public service.