BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Mayor Richard Jaojoco yesterday blamed politics after the issuance of a show cause order against the Toboso municipal government by the Department of Interior and Local Government for failure to release P6.8 million in assistance to Typhoon Odette victims.
Jaojoco blamed the Sangguniang Bayan of Toboso headed by Vice Mayor Jesse Rex Bartolome for not granting him the authority to sign memorandums of agreements required for the disbursement of funds.
Because of partisan politics, Jaojoco said the municipal government was not able to release the P5 million funds from the Office of the President and P1.8 million from the Department of Budget and Management.
Jaojoco said that only four of the incumbent councilors are allied with him.
A total of 48 local government units (LGUs) have been asked to explain the slow distribution of financial assistance to victims of Typhoon Odette.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said show cause orders were issued to concerned local chief executives, three of them in Mimaropa, 16 in Western Visayas, 13 in Central Visayas and 18 in Eastern Visayas.
Jaojoco also revealed that Toboso is operating on a reenacted budget after the municipal council failed to approve the proposed 2022 budget.
The wife of Jaojoco, Madonnah, is running for mayor of Toboso. She is being challenged by Dodong Valencia, whose running mate is re-electionist Vice Mayor Bartolome.
Jaojoco, whose term of office as mayor of Toboso ends on June 30, is running for councilor in the municipality.*
