Alegria Councilors Want PB Committee Members to Inhibit on Their Case

Five Alegria councilors who are facing charges of dereliction of duties before the Provincial Board asked Vice Governor Agnes Magpale to transfer their case to an “independent” committee whose members are not associated with the Liberal Party.

“In order to obviate and avoid any suspicion of bias and prejudice or otherwise political harassments, your respondents pray that this complaint be referred and remanded to an independent panel of hearing officers for further clarificatory hearing whose majority members are not otherwise belonging to the Liberal Party in order to obtain a true and impartial investigation free from any doubts and suspicion of political prejudice against herein respondents all belonging to the opposing One Cebu Party,” read the reply of respondent-Councilors Emelita Guisadio, Nemia Alocillo, Alejandro Villaneza, Maria Letecia Donayre and Diosdado Lerio.

The councilors were charged for serious grave abuse of authority and dereliction of duty by Vice Mayor Marcial Rodriguez Jr. before the Provincial Board.

PB member Gresilda “Gigi” Sanchez, vice chairman of the committee on complaints, which handles all complaints and grievances towards public officials, hinted that they will not inhibit from investigating the said complaint.

“We try our best nga open to the public and then everybody has access to these documents, giunsa namo pag hearing ang kaso, unsay moves, evidences. In effect, kana ilang pag-ingun nato to inhibit, that should not be any bother to both parties. Rest assured nga… di man gud na nila maingun nga naay pulitika,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez, however, admitted that the committee that hears all complaints are dominated by LP members: PB members Arley Sitoy, the chairman; herself, Miguel Magpale, Chris Baricuatro and Peter Calderon. But she said what the committee does when it comes to hearing complaints is “way beyond politics,” as “we follow the rules.”

But the five One Cebu councilors from Alegria town are afraid that they suffer the fate like that of One Cebu member Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia, who was suspended for two months by the PB through the recommendation by the Committee on Complaints.

Rodriguez filed a complaint before the PB alleging that the five councilors failed to attend the council sessions, to which the respondents denied, saying these were nothing but “political harassment,” in which the vice mayor, who was with One Cebu when he ran last election, was a way to “impress if not to tow with the whims and orders of his new master.”