BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – If Mayor Mariano Malones of Maasin, Iloilo were to be believed, Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) member Emmanuel Gallar maintains non-existent employees in his office.
Gallar scoffed at the accusation and charged Malones of himself having some in the town hall of Massin.
The “word war” between the two former political allies stemmed from the administrative complaints for oppression, misconduct in office, dishonesty and abuse of authority, among others, that Malones faces in the Provincial Board for dismissing Elsa Maternal as the town’s assistant human resource management officer in 2002.
Malones believes Gallar is helping Maternal and is not being impartial.
The Provincial Board will soon be deciding on the complaints.
“When I was a Provincial Board member, I did not have ghost employees,” said Malones over RMN-DyRI-Iloilo. “Try checking Gallar’s office. He has only three staff working there. The rest are ghost employees. I have witnesses to prove this.”
Gallar dismissed Malones’ claim as a “kutso-kutso” (baseless rumor).
“Kon gusto ya, file sia kaso (He can file a case against me if he wants to),” said Gallar.
Malones said he will ask the Provincial Board to conduct an investigation.
“In the proper time, ma-gwa ni akon witness,” he said.
The witness is a relative of Gallar, said Malones.
LOBBY MONEY?
Malones also denied that his daughter, Atty. Sweet Malones, was offering lobby money to Provincial Board members for a favorable decision on his case.
“It’s impossible. Members of the SP are respectable people. My daughter is the one handling my case so she is the one following it up at the SP,” explained Malones. “I’m sure none of the Provincial Board members could say my daughter offered them lobby money.”
Gallar said Malones should not take it against him or other Provincial Board members whatever their decision would be on his case.
It is the Provincial Board’s duty to decide on the case, he stressed.
Gallar said the SP decision will be based on the merits of the case.
He also insisted on his impartiality and that he cannot influence other Provincial Board members.
“Who is Manny Gallar to dictate upon them,” he said. “I respect my colleagues in the Provincial Board.”
‘SHUT UP!’
Vice Gov. Raul Tupas, presiding officer of the Provincial Board, urged Gallar to refrain from engaging Malones in a word war.
He had the same advice to the Maasin mayor.
He downplayed the rift between the two as “emotional outbursts.”
But Tupas said he also wants to find out the truth behind Malones’ allegation.
According to Malones, citing his unnamed witness, six to eight “ghost” employees have daily time records and every pay day get from P100 to P200 each.
Malones also questioned Gallar’s financial capacity to acquire a house, a car and send his child to a private school with a salary of only P40,000 a month.
And he has loans to pay too, said Malones./PN
