‘POLITICAL GIMMICK’: Guimaras officials claim politics behind ‘plunder’ rap

WHAT PLUNDER? (From left) Guimaras Vice Gov. John Edward Gando, Gov. Samuel Gumarin, and former congressman JC Rahman Nava deny using local public funds for the 2016 elections, an allegation that became the basis for a purported plunder case filed against them. (Louine Hope Conserva)

FORMER and incumbent officials of Guimaras province are one in saying that politics is behind the purported plunder case filed against for allegedly misusing public funds of the province and five municipalities before the May 2016 elections.

The officials cited a news article published in a local newspaper regarding the plunder and technical malversation complaint filed by a certain Rodrigo Gabales, a resident of Guimaras.

The news article claimed that P264 million in public funds were allegedly released days before the May 2016 elections, which could be a violation of the election ban on disbursement of funds during the campaign period.

The respondents in the case are Gov. Samuel Gumarin; the municipal mayors of Jordan, San Lorenzo, Sibunag, Buenavista, and Nueva Valencia; and former Guimaras congressman JC Rahman Nava.

But in a press conference on August 22, 2018, the respondents denied the allegation and claimed that the news article is “erroneous.”

Gumarin said the amount involved is P224 million, not P264 million. The funds are in the annual budget of the Capitol and the municipal governments:

• P99.481 million for the provincial government

• P24.780 million for Jordan

• P18.367 million for San Lorenzo

• P17.970 million for Sibunag

• P48.020 for Buenavista

• P18.130 million for Nueva Valencia

But Gumarin clarified that the money was not meant for election purposes, particularly for vote buying.

According to the governor, the money was spent on social services and the celebration of the Manggahan Festival.

The funds were also spent for some projects in 2016.

The six LGUs also filed a petition for an exemption from the ban on the disbursement of public funds during the election period, in accordance with Section 261(V) 2 of the Omnibus Election Code.

The Commission on Elections granted the exemption on May 2, 2016.

The Manggahan Festival was celebrated April 1 to May 22 in the same year.

“We have a new program for the Manggahan Festival. We celebrated it in every town as agreed by the mayors then we had our grand celebration for the province,” Gumarin said.

POLITICALLY MOTIVATED

Vice Governor and lawyer John Edward Gando said the allegations in the plunder case are politically motivated.

While he did not categorically accuse ex-vice governor Vicente “Itik” de Asis as the brains of the case, Gando said he could not discount the possibility that the former might be involved.

“Wala man kami nagasiling nga si Atty. Itik de Asis ang sa likod ni Rodrigo Gabales. Kun may ara gid man naga-exist nga Rodrigo Gabales diri sa probinsya sang Guimaras. Pero wala man namon gina-rule out ang posibilidad nga si Atty. Itik de Asis ara sa likod sang sini nga sitwasyon,” he said.

De Asis lost to incumbent Rep. Ma Lucille Nava, wife of former congressman JC Rahman Nava, in the 2016 elections.

“We look at it as a political gimmick, cheap, underhanded strategy of a desperate politician in the province of Guimaras. We look at it as part of the upcoming election season as we will be filing our certificates of candidacy in October,” Gando added in a separate interview.

NOT SURPRISED

Former congressman JC Rahman Nava said he is no longer surprised that another plunder charge was lobbed at him.

He said the same allegation resurfaces and is used against him every election season.

“Daw naanad na ko ni. Kay halos kada filing (of candidacy), gaguwa gid ang ngalan ko sa sina nga newspaper. Kun indi headline, front page gid na pirmi basta election period. Ti subong naggwa naman sa front page,” he said.

The former lawmaker said he is puzzled as to why his name was included in the complaint when he did not sign anything, being already out of public service.

NON-EXISTENT CASE?

Gando also claimed that they only learned of the case through the news article and did not receive any official document on the complaint.

But he said they are open to any investigation.

“We do not have any idea about the case. This is just our action of replying on the basis of that article,” he said.

Nava claimed that upon verification, there is no Rodrigo Gabales residing in Guimaras.

Buenavista town Mayor Eugenio Reyes said they have been waiting for the official documents since the news article came out but they did not receive any paper.

He lamented that the local paper did not reach out to the provincial and municipal officials to get their comments.

‘IT’S NOT ME’

In a phone interview with The Daily Guardian, De Asis downplayed the accusations of Guimaras officials.

He also said that he is not associated with any Rodrigo Gabales.

De Asis stressed that in a plunder case, a complainant is not important because any Filipino citizen can file a complaint.

“Indi importante kun sin-o ang complainant. Ang hambal ni President (Rodrigo Duterte), kun may makawat i-report lang sa iya biskan anonymous,” he said.

He also added that the local officials are pointing to him because he has been steadfast in protecting the welfare of the Guimarasnons.

“Sang ginapigos ang pumuluyo sang Guimaras, sin-o nag-file kaso? Si Itik de Asis. Ako lang na nagsulod sa isip nila kay si Itik de Asis lang makaubra sina,” he said.

He also denied that politics is behind the case as any concerned citizen of Guimaras can file a case because taxpayers’ money was plundered.

“Kun ikaw tawo imo kwarta gin-plunder nila, politically motivated na kun magreklamo ka?” he said.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian