• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The House committee on Public Accounts has invited Mayor Joedith Gallego and other Silay City officials to attend an inquiry on November 11, in connection with alleged irregularities in the procurement process of P1.4B infrastructure projects.
His letter to Gallego, dated October 24, Abang Lingkod partylist Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano, chair of the Public Accounts committee, requested the mayor’s presence at the hearing, including the City Administrator, members of the Bids and Award Committee, City Engineering, and Office of the Building Officials, Budget, Accounting and Treasury Office.
Paduano, who is also the designated caretaker of the Negros Occidental 3rd district, also extended his invitation to the officials of the City Heritage District Administration Office, in connection with the issue of certain infrastructure projects encroaching on designated heritage zones.
Gallego yesterday confirmed that he received the invitation to appear at the congressional probe.
While there are many activities lined up on Nov. 5, which is the Cinco de Noviembre celebrations in Silay City, Gallego said he will attend the hearing in order to clarify all the allegations against him.
He earlier maintained that there is no basis for the accusations against him, stressing “everything we do, goes through process and complies with the law.”
Gallego, who is seeking reelection as mayor of Silay City, also dismissed the accusations as trial by publicity and “political harassment.”
Paduano, in his privilege speech at the House of Representatives on September 9, claimed the alleged misuse of funds by the Silay City government, led by Gallego, involving the repair, rehabilitation and renovation of the city public market, with a budget of P300 million, and the construction of the P500 million new City Hall, claiming that approved local measures are allegedly laden with discrepancies, irregularities, and evident partiality.*
