• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Dismissing it as fake news, former Silay City Mayor Mark Golez yesterday strongly denied claims that his administration incurred a P1 billion loan, to construct the new government center.
While he admitted that there was a plan during his second term as Silay City mayor to secure a loan for a government center, Golez said what he asked from the City Council then was the authority to negotiate.
But the authority to contract a loan never took place, the former mayor stressed.
When I stepped down, I never left a P1 billion loan under my watch, Golez said.
Golez led the groundbreaking of his proposed P1 billion government center when he was mayor of Silay City, which he said was aimed at showing appreciation to the owners of the lot who donated it to be the official site of the government center.
The administration of Mayor Joedith Gallego pursued the construction of the new government center, on the donated lot, with a budget of P500 million.
Golez challenged those proliferating the ‘fake news’ to check or validate, either with the Land Bank or the Development Bank of Philippines, if there was a paper trail on the so-called P1 billion loan during his term as local chief executive of Silay.
Gallego is now under scrutiny for alleged anomalies in the procurement and irregular enactment of local measures by the Silay City government in Negros Occidental, in connection with the construction of a new Silay City government center, as well as the repair and renovation of the public market, with a budget of P300 million.
He described the allegations as political harassment.
Gallego said he is open to any investigation regarding corruption charges made against him by a lawmaker.*
