SAGAY CITY -- Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and newly-installed Negros Oriental Governor Edward Mark Macias vowed to strengthen the partnership of the two provinces.
Macias was here on Thursday to attend Marañon’s 82nd birthday at Balay Kauswagan.
Macias formally assumed the gubernatorial post earlier this week after Governor Roel Degamo was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman due to grave misconduct for the alleged irregular use of the 2013 annual budget of the province.
He took his oath as governor on Tuesday while the number one board member, Mariant Escaño-Villegas, assumed the vice gubernatorial post.
Macias had been the acting governor for two months after Degamo was served with the 90-day preventive suspension due to another case in the Ombudsman, which is the alleged anomalous use of P460-million calamity fund. The suspension order was served on October 18.
He said this is the second time he assumed the gubernatorial post.
“I stepped in as governor last year, but that was only for 10 days. I don’t know if he can come back. I can always go back to being a vice governor, it’s not a problem,” he added.
Macias said he had been acting governor for two months, and his team started some changes in the Provincial Government.
“We already started to institutionalize some things, but I think it’s prudent to wait for few weeks, 1 or 2 weeks, to find out whether Gov Degamo can come back. Otherwise, by January, we will have to go full steam ahead,” Macias said.
He added that his priorities will include health care, poverty alleviation, and livelihood programs.
With him at the helm, Macias said the relationship with neighboring Negros Occidental will “never change.”
“We have found each other. We’re twins separated at birth. I don’t think that will ever change, we are one already...with or without Negros Island Region, we are together,” he said.
Macias said he is one with Marañon in strengthening the organic movement of the two provinces.
“I have been pushing our people in the agriculture department to step up their organic program. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that when I was vice governor, hopefully we can catch up with Negros Occidental. We started this together, but somehow we lagged behind,” Macias said.
Marañon said he is hoping the new administration in Negros Oriental will continue to strengthen their partnership especially in the organic movement, which was started by the two provinces in 2005.
“The organic movement was created by two provinces, but the previous administration didn’t focus on it, maybe because they have many problems,” he said, but with the new leadership, he is hoping Negros Oriental’s organic agriculture will develop more.
Order
Meanwhile, in the December 7 Ombudsman order, Degamo was found guilty of grave misconduct for the anomalous utilization of the province’s 2013 budget.
The dismissal order carries the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and bar from taking the civil service examination, Ombudsman said.
The Ombudsman also ordered the filing of charges against Degamo for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The Ombudsman said Degamo submitted to the Provincial Board the proposed 2013 budget which included the P10 million intelligence fund.
However, the Provincial Board disapproved the proposed intelligence fund in the appropriation ordinance on January 15, 2013, but Degamo issued a memorandum directing the release of the P10 million intelligence fund on April 15, 2013.
The next day, the fund was released to Degamo.
On June 17, 2016, Degamo was also served with the dismissal order after he was discharged from the service by the Ombudsman in relation to the alleged misuse of calamity fund, but the governor was able to secure a temporary restraining order.
The calamity fund was intended for the rehabilitation of the province’s infrastructure damaged by Typhoon Sendong in December 2011 and the 6.9 earthquake in February 2012.
Earlier, the Court of Appeals dismissed the administrative charges on the same case against Degamo.