jan 20-26, 2011
“There’s trial by publicity, grandstanding for the media, fishing expedition”
By Cha Monforte
Davao del Norte provincial administrator Rufo Peligro has replied to the charges thrown by several members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last Monday’s session saying that they have been engaging in “trial by publicity”, “grandstanding for the media”, “fishing expedition”, and “if we go there, basig magkahiyaan na hinoon” in a session aired live by DXDN Radyo Ukay Tagum.
In an interview Wednesday with the Valley & City Chronicle, Peligro said that the transcripts of the other week’s SP session particularly where Boardmember Alan Dujali made his privilege speech would seem to insinuate that some officials in the Capitol were trying to let Governor Rodolfo del Rosario sign documents without his full knowledge.
When they consulted the governor about it and the subsequent invitation of the SP to them, Peligro said: “Miingon siya (governor), if that’s the basis, ayaw mo’g attend (don’t attend).”
“The source of our authority and power is the governor himself. The governor is our boss. Whatever he decides we abide. But sa amo lang, mora na mag insulto to sa governor,” he said referring to Dujali’s insinuations.
He said that the governor has been at the helm of the Capitol, “a stateman being there for decades” and throwing such charge at him is unfair and uncalled for.
Peligro clarified though that they are still willing to attend to the SP session when invited, if the governor authorizes them to.
In the same interview with the Valley & City Chronicle, the provincial administrator said that grandstanding SP members would seem to engage in “trial by publicity” “kay gitirahan dayon mi sa media” although he said that the SP “has the discretion to call (us) but di lang unta i-abuse nila.”
He also questioned the basis of their invitation for having “no legislative proposal” for the executive department to respond.
“If they have prerogative, we have also our rights, at least our human rights should be respected,” he said lamenting on the some SP members’ accusations at them.
“There would be fishing expedition if we go there,” he added even as he said that when the concerned boardmembers based their questions on the old law on government procurement, “basig magkahiyaan na hinoon” hinting that they might have known well of the Republic Act No. 9184 otherwise known as Government Procurement Reform Act. “We have a new law and they’re banking on the old law.”
Under RA 9184, he said, the procurement of goods and services “is under the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) and even “the governor’s signature (for it) is only ministerial.”
He said further that the “purchase of services” and even the purchase order (PO) would no longer pass the SP as “it falls under theprovinceofBAC.”
He said that the transaction relating to Christian Investigation and Security Agency (CISA) which is now securing the Capitol since January 1 “is legal” and that each BAC’s decision is always legally scrutinized as the provincial legal officer Jennifer Namoc is a member of it in the first place.
He also said that they are “looking for the big picture” saying that the Capitol has been saving resources to meet the demands of the salary standardization law which he said would double up the present salary rates of Capitol employees by 2013. “We really have to sacrfice.”
Several SP members during the last Monday’s session took turns questioning and lamenting over the “snubbing” of Peligro, provincial BAC chairman Samson Sanchez and CISA branch manager Rolando De la Cruz to the SP’s earlier invitation for them to shed light on the contract and other information about CISA which bagged the P6.3-million contract for the Capitol’s security services.
They were up in their arms in the last session appearing that the legislative department is going on a collision course with the executive department as triggered by the sudden privatization of security services in the Capitol which has thrown out over 60 contractual personnel from their work.
Earlier, some boardmembers charged that they were not consulted and bypassed by the executive department when the contract for the security services was awarded to CISA. (cha monforte)
Filed under: davao del norte gov rodolfo del rosario, davao del norte officials, Davao del Norte provincial administrator Rufo Peligro, Davao del Norte provincial administrator Rufo Peligro
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