E. B. MAGALONA Vice Mayor Robert Acaling said the complaints he filed against Mayor Marvin Malacon and six municipal councilors before the Office of the Ombudsman has nothing to do with politics.
“This is not about politics,” Acaling said during a press conference on Monday, adding that it is a call of duty for him as vice mayor and presiding officer of the Municipal Council and a dictate of his conscience that compelled him to file the complaints.
He charged the seven officials for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and grave misconduct, claiming that the charges are due to the alleged unscrupulous use of public funds and abuse of authority committed by Malacon in collaboration with some councilors.
These include Joey Pugales, Reylan Gamboa Sr., Isidro Gomed, Eric Matulac, Gelita Parcon, and Jovie Madayag.
Malacon has yet to respond to the allegations. He is set to hold a press conference to air his side.
Acaling said the seven officials were involved in illegal use of public funds or property, malversation of public funds or property, and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
He cited the use of 20 percent Municipal Development Fund to finance projects which were never sanctioned by the Municipal Council as a requirement by an existing ordinance.
Acaling added that Malacon entered into a memorandum of agreement with Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to set up an ATM machine inside the premises of the municipal building without securing authority from the Municipal Council first.
He also said that recently, Malacon negotiated for a P200-million loan with LBP purposely for the purchase of heavy equipment and rehabilitation of the town’s public market and made an allocation of P3 million from the 20 percent Municipal Development Fund as advance amortization for the proposed loan as a guarantee for the realization of the loan.
It is high time that such illegal acts considered prejudicial to the interest of the people of E.B. Magalona must be stopped, Acaling added.