Bohol mayors are still unequivocal in their support to the administration of Gov. Edgar Chatto despite a resolution of the League of Municipalities, local chapter, asking a share of the province’s 20% development fund. Speaking in behalf of the LMP, Loay Mayor May Imboy, league president, branded the governor as more than a father of the province who knows and faithfully attends to the needs of LGUs as one family. While being profuse in her thanks to the concern of Gov. Chatto to LGUs, she felt sad that the request of their group for development aid from the province has been apparently used by outside quarters for suspicious motive. She was referring to the LMP resolution asking the governor for P1 million to each town from the province’s 20% Development Fund (DF).

Imboy was surprised and dismayed to know that this was capitalized by Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Lim in his clear attempt to justify his sudden “intriguing” demand for fund share. Lim has long been reported threatening his own barangay leaders who would ask assistance from Chatto. In a press statement issued by the Capitol’s Effective Development Communication (EDCOM) bureau the LMP head assailed the “malicious” use of the “spurious” copy of the resolution. Falling in the hands of Mayor Lim, the Loay lady mayor said she has not released any copy of the resolution to anybody, not even the governor to whom the measure was addressed. She hinted, though, that there may be some mayors “who are with Lim.” Imboy said the league took exception to any grand design to belittle the credibility and malign the good image of the present Capitol leadership. Nowhere in the league resolution that tended to malign the credibility of the Capitol officialdom.

But for Mayor Lim-Imboy, it was entirely wrong and misleading to even think that the LMP resolution is a manifestation of Bohol town mayors’ discontent in Chatto’s management of the province because on the contrary it was the other way around. Imboy said she respected whatever the city mayor’s opinion may be, but she asserted against putting malice into the LMP act because in ”fairness to him (Chatto), the governor is hardworking, thoughtful and so good to us.” The LMP president said she has not given---or authorized anybody to release--- a copy of the resolution, which was passed in the meeting of the league in August as a matter of “parayeg, not demand,” to the governor. The mayors understand, too, the impact of the reduction of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) for the province next year as what will similarly happen to the IRA of the LGUs. It is natural for LGU officials to ask but they adhere to doing it “in appropriate ways” and Chatto always welcome them. Capitol has instituted a consultative management system, including the process of project and fund identification and prioritization.

The LMP measure was passed supposedly on motion of Dimiao Mayor Sylvia Adame but who, in a phone call, could not recall having done so. She could also not remember the LMP having passed such a resolution. She would check the records of the league. Adame revealed that Trinidad Mayor Roberto Cajes, the LMP executive vice president, had earlier called and inquired from her because he could not remember, too, any similar measure passed by the league. Notwithstanding, Adame cited Chatto’s sustained laudable programs that cascaded to the LGUs like the HEAT caravans and other projects pursuant to the province’s overarching development agenda. Being the LMP secretary, Mabini Mayor Ester Tabigue could not remember any copy being released, not even to the governor, from her end. Imboy herself confirmed that she has not submitted the resolution to the governor as they (mayors) realized, later after its passage, that Chatto has accommodated LGU proposals which are even more than their request from the 20% DF and other sources. For one, the provincial government has counterparted huge funds for essential projects in municipalities under the Provincial Roads Management Facility (PRMF) program. “Honestly, we seem to feel ashamed of just handing the resolution to gov(ernor),” the mayors’ league leader said, “despite knowing that he supports the development of the towns (whose mayors) are not even (politically) aligned with him.”

GOOD FAITH

The resolution was passed “ïn good faith,” Imboy said, and the mayors would naturally be saddened by attempts to spoil or exploit their gesture of trust “in the kindness of the governor.” Separate sources claimed that some quarters allegedly identified with Lim agitated the LMP resolution. The measure could easily pass since no mayor would dislike development assistance, they said. To recall, the city mayor “demanded” in his harshly-worded letter to the governor for 20% DF share, even “putting on record” that he was at the same time asking for the shares to the 47 towns. According to a former DILG director, it is up to the mayor to ask the development council to include in the provincial development plan a project he wants for his city or town. Lim claimed the city has been deprived of it since the past governors (Relampagos and Aumentado) but no records could show that he has ever submitted a project proposal for inclusion in the provincial development plan. The city hall chief executive has neither attended capitol functions despite invitations since Chatto’s assumption. Instead, the town mayors could hear him hitting constantly the governor.

RICO: NO LEGAL BASIS

In a meeting at People’s Mansion, now Rep. Erico Aumentado recounted that he had stressed during his capitol term that sharing equally the 20% DF has no legal basis. His statement supported Chatto’s position made known last week in response to Lim’s demand. Thus, Aumentado said he had directed his development funds, in the case of Tagbilaran, to the city barangays during his term as governor. The same press release said that Lim’s demand for Chatto’s financial aid contradicted the mayor’s own order to the barangay leaders and city hall officials as well as teachers who have long reported or complained against their warning from the mayor not to ask help from Capitol. They experienced this even way back to the congressional stint of Chatto, but who aided the barangays and many sectors in the city regardless of who ruled city hall.

On the other hand, city Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president Faro Cabalit and other barangay leaders could only hope that Lim has equally shared his own 20% DF to all Tagbilaran barangays to avoid any backlash from his end. They agreed that Lim should not say his claim was long denied because there had been no such claim in the first place, not until he suddenly demanded for fund share just this month. The LMP president corrected the crooked perception that Lim was authorized to speak for the league. Otherwise, the public may be misled into thinking that the governor is on a warpath with the mayors across the province, thus seconded some mayors who asked not to be named. “’I am the LMP president,”” Imboy declared, and thus she should know that Lim is not a spokesman of the group. In an interview, Imboy pleaded to the media to “please clarify” that Lim “is not even a member of the LMP” because he belongs to the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP). ( With reports from Ven rebo Arigo)