SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Demanding justice, a huge crowd of Antiqueños occupied an entire block of the Business Park here to rally support for eight members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) recently suspended for six months without pay by the Ombudsman.
It was the first time in more than a decade when Antiqueños again took to the streets in what appears to be the start of a new movement for clean and transparent leadership.
In an emotion-filled “Interfaith Prayer Rally,” senior SP member Mayella Mae Plameras said she was just doing her job to safeguard public funds.
Plameras said she would never hesitate again to protect people’s money, and that she and the seven other suspended SP members are ready to fight for what is right, legal and moral.
The suspended SP members insisted they were doing the right thing protecting the funds from shares in the national wealth. Instead, they found themselves in legal trouble and social media heckling.
Aside from Plameras, also meted six-month preventive suspension were Rony Molina, Dong Elio, Victor Condez, Dondon Niquia, Panoy Sanchez, Nonoy Tajanlangit, and KD Gasalao.
The suspension stemmed from the action of the SP members to allot a zero budget in the purchase of P765 million worth of solar equipment in the proposed Supplemental Budget No. 1 of Gov. Rhodora Cadiao.
“Our distress comes not from lack of resources. It comes from the apathy of government officials. They have blurred the line between good and evil,” said former Valderrama mayor Ray Roquero, the only invited guest speaker to the event.
In his fiery address, Roquero blasted the failure to provide ample medical care for the people, aid to the poor and senior citizens, and what he claimed as the misuse of public funds.
He enjoined the crowd to join the movement for change and reforms and to organize and mobilize themselves to prevent abusive public officials from getting elected, but ensure in return the victory of pro-poor candidates.
“We are on a crisis situation. Our future hangs in the balance,” said Roquero, who added that the presence of the huge crowd reflected the searing sentiments of the people for change in the leadership.
Molina said their detractors have spread the lie that the SP members have blocked the budget for educational assistance when in fact he motioned to increase the appropriation, including funds for livelihood projects.
Elio, a medical doctor by profession, said he inquired about savings earned from the installation of the first solar-powered equipment in the hospitals but there were no coherent answers.
“How can we approve the budget when they could not even answer our questions. Worse, they could not identify the 15,000 households where the solar powered equipment are proposed to be installed,” added Elio.
Condez said he turned his back before his son when the latter asked him why he was suspended, adding that the shame and humiliation inflicted by the accusation have placed them in an embarrassing situation.
Plameras concluded that there is a powerful Supreme Being who knows that they have not committed any sin, “a God who will someday free us” from the manacles of oppression and unfounded accusations./PN
