By Manny Galvez
BALER, Aurora –
This town’s mayor and nine councilors are facing graft charges for allegedly
misusing municipal funds.
Charged before the
Office of the Ombudsman for Luzon were Mayor Nelianto Bihasa and Councilors
Pedro Valenzuela, DaniloOng, Gina Ritual, Reynaldo Mapindan, Gina Agapito,
Ramir Duaso, Meinrado Tropicales, Noel Go and Felipe Friginal.
Also included in the
charge sheet were municipal human resource officer Curie Bernardino and budget
officer Francisco Reopta.
The complaint was
filed by Vice Mayor Karen Angara-Ularan, who said the accused violated Republic
Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and RA 6713 or the Code
of Ethical Conduct for Public Officials and Employees.
Ularan said the
respondents took the funds of the municipal council and declared it as savings.
She said the money was
also used to pay for the salaries of job order workers.
Ularan said before
taking the funds, Bihasa wrote the municipal council on Oct. 15, 2014 asking
approval for a supplemental budget to augment the funds of the municipal
government and pay the workers.
The vice mayor refused
as the funds would be taken without consulting her, the administrative head of
the Sangguniang Bayan.
Due to Ularan’s
objection, Bihasa reportedly did not sign and vetoed the ordinance. The
councilors agreed to stay the veto and voted to remove Ularan’s objection.
The vice mayor said
the veto, having been stayed, showed there was no approved ordinance.
On Nov. 21 of the same
year, Ularan requested Bihasa to release the funds for her office. She said it
took a month before the mayor approved her request.
She said she found out
that the money had been taken out.
“Mayor Bihasa, the SB
members alone or as a collegial body cannot declare any budget under the office
of the vice mayor as savings or use it to pay for job orders,” she said adding
there was realignment, diversion and misappropriation of funds.
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