Most Daanbantayan dads want district reps to join in mediation

CEBU, Philippines- Majority of the members of the Municipal Council of Daanbantayan want Congressman Benhur Salimbangon and Provincial Board Members Sun Shimura and Joven Mondigo Jr. to join in the meeting called by Governor Hilario Davide III on World Bank projects.

 Davide sets the meeting tomorrow following request of Daanbantayan Mayor Augusto Corro “to mediate the impasse” between the council members concerning the WB-funded Support for Strategic Local Development and Investment Project.

 In a letter signed by councilors Samuel Moralde, Maria Bregidorieta Tancawan, Malou Pepito, Jupiter Rosell, Rex Novabos and Juanito Ybañez, they asked Davide to also invite Salimbangon, Shimura and Mondigo, who have been accused by Corro of influencing their decision.

 The majority of the members of the town council turned down the resolutions, including the one that requested the council to let the town take advantage of a loan from Land Bank of the Philippines to finance the town’s counterpart to the P885 million worth of projects endorsed by the Municipal Development Council for WB grant funding prompting Corro to seek Davide’s intervention.

“The presence of Congressman Salimbangon and Board Members Shimura and Mondigo is also material to the issues and concerns of (which) the governor wants to resolve on request of Mayor Corro considering that some projects proposed are duplication of the planned programs being initiated by them, if not already funded by the national agencies, and that some can even be sourced and or covered by national and provincial funds appropriations,” read the councilors letter to Davide dated March 2, 2015.

 They told Davide that Corro has been very vocal against national agencies in identifying national projects for lack of consultation even if these are continuing projects of the national government which has been started before he assume office as mayor.

 “Why is his own projects under the World Bank assistance has never undergone any public consultation, not even to the SB members whom he now accused of blocking the project?” they said. They added that while Corro failed to justify the need of contracting a loan, he instead allegedly brought the issue with malice, deception and political bias to the bar of public opinion and even besmirched the reputation of the seven councilors and urged the people not to vote for them in the next elections.  (FREEMAN)