DAVAO de Oro Governor-elect Raul G. Mabanglo has raised a few “serious” concerns during a privilege speech he delivered at the transition meeting and the 147th Regular Session of the 9th Sangguniang Panlalawigan, where he sits as an ex-officio SP member, on June 5.
Mabanglo talked about the unresolved financial obligations and inconsistencies in governance practices in the province, citing the P41 million fuel debt and what he described as double standards and possible political vendetta in the enforcement of administrative accountability within the provincial government.
Mabanglo, who also serves as the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Davao de Oro Provincial President, revealed that the outgoing administration has yet to pay a P41 million fuel debt owed to Petron Fuel Station, owned by Councilor Mary Ceniza.
He explained that about P20 million of the total obligation is still being processed, while P9 million worth of checks had already been prepared but not released, rendering them stale. The remaining balance, he said, remains unaddressed.
“If the transactions were legitimate and checks have been issued, why were they not released?” Mabanglo asked.
He urged the current provincial government to settle the payment before his formal assumption of office on June 30, 2025, stressing that the fuel had been used across several departments and is payable through the Provincial Peace and Order Council.
Beyond the financial issue, Mabanglo questioned the inconsistency in how the provincial government has handled accountability within the Provincial General Services Office. He cited a recent report from OIC-PGSO Dennis Anduyan that noted the disposal of spoiled canned goods under the current administration, an issue similar to one that occurred during former governor Tyron Uy's term.
However, Mabanglo pointed out that only the recent incident was reported to the Commission on Audit.
He also drew attention to an unresolved case involving 122 missing tires worth over P1 million during the tenure of former PGSO Lara Bermejo. While charges were filed against private individuals, no government personnel were implicated.
Bermejo was allowed to file a request for relief of accountability with COA.
In contrast, former PGSO Arceli Timog-Timog was dismissed based solely on affidavits from employees, without COA findings, and through the Provincial Administrative Investigation Committee.
“Why was there no COA audit observation memo regarding the burial of expired goods? Are we applying double standards?” Mabanglo asked. “It appears we are engaging in political vendetta rather than ensuring fair, evidence-based governance. What’s fair for one should be fair for all.”
He pledged to pursue reforms that would promote consistency, transparency, and fairness in the auditing and accountability systems of the provincial government.
Fellow board members reacted during the regular session to Mabanglo’s statements.
Hon. Kristine Mae T. Caballero-Rañon called the revelations informative and said, “We will just have to wait on what action the next Sangguniang Panlalawigan will take. This is very informative.”
Current Gov. Dorthy “Dotdot” Gonzaga also delivered a similar privilege speech during her administration, citing documents showing P31 million in payables to Petron. She maintained that the P42 million total obligation could not be settled because some purchases exceeded daily fuel price ceilings set by the Department of Energy (DOE) and lacked full documentation. As a result, the checks were not accepted, and the issue was turned over to the executive branch.
Caballero-Rañon responded by questioning whether there were any official COA findings to support the pricing violations.
“If the allegation is that the purchases exceeded allowed prices, there should be a COA audit to back it up. Otherwise, it remains an allegation. According to law, debts incurred by the previous administration must be paid by the succeeding one.”
Meanwhile, Sunstar Davao reached out to Gov. Gonzaga, and as of press time, she has yet to respond to our text message soliciting her statement. DEF with reports from Lian Layson, SPAMST Intern