For Chatto, it’s nothing more than a demolition operation by known political detractors

Were Gov. Edgar Chatto and Provincial Administrator Alfonso “Ae” Damalerio II losing sleep over an almost daily barrage of verbal attacks courtesy of their most rabid critics in City Mayor Dan Neri Lim and Carmen Mayor Conchita Toribio de los Reyes? Not at all, seemed to be the common reaction of both Chatto and Damalerio, when confronted with the relentless attacks waged by the two Capitol critics since the Carmen mayor served notice that she was gunning for the gubernatorial post in 2013. Exuding with confidence that he is still the man to beat in 2013, Chatto just laughed off any insinuation of impropriety in governance while claiming the Capitol seat as governor for the first time in 2010.

As for Damalerio who is the governor’s alter ego, there’s no denying that he was also a recipient of political shrapnel’s directed at his patron, the governor. As “collateral damage”, Damalerio was also talking in strides the brickbats heaped on him even if he was not the principal target but his own principal, the governor. Dismissing the daily dose of inflammatory rhetoric as part of an orchestrated demolition job, Chatto was of the belief that his critics were out to ruin his refutation to capture the Capitol leadership by all means, fair or foul. In a Capitol press release, Chatto, for one, said he was conscious of an on-going effort to “poison” the minds of the people, with its momentum going in high gear, even as early as the start of the year when early campaigning is strictly prohibited. The last day for the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2013 elections is in October yet, the governor’s detractors are already all over the horizon to place him in a bad light.

But for the constituents, resorting to lavish politicking rather than attending to neglected concerns in their respective local government units only indicated Lim’s and De los Reyes’ admission of Chatto’s toughness to beat, the press release said. The demolition spree in the “premature campaigning” against the celebrated Bohol leader extremely contradicts the composure of the governor who chooses to be consistent to his mandate. Chatto has gone even most focused on his sustainable inclusive development agenda for the province because he holds solemn his oath of office and covenant with the people. This is why the incumbent leadership and management of the provincial government are not disrupted by any calculated moves of the detractors, according to the mayors who met here on Friday. Town and barangay leaders and constituents said they are not disturbed by the heightened black propaganda from the opponents of the governor.

They are firmer in their support to his administration, evaluating Chatto as a people’s figure who involves the public in governance because he really understands public affairs and needs. They have observed that the detractors would employ deception, distortions and lies in attacking the governor because Chatto has earned deep respect and trust from both his sector in the government and the community. But the critics whose lone motivator is politics have always failed even to demoralize the rank and file of the province, according to some Capitol personnel interviewed. The provincial administrator was not spared of his critics’ verbal venom. In attacking Damalerio, the Capitol press release suspected that critics were out to find cracks in the Chatto-Ae tandem causing a demoralization in the leadership’s rank and file. Dangerously, they recently fabricated the intrigue about an escapee who, according to their tailored story, was “allowed” to bolt the jail “to run after the critics of the governor.” Even in Chatto’s hometown of Balilihan, the men of Lim and De los Reyes would intentionally peddle rumor that the latter could no longer freely roam around---and would often cry---for fear for her life.

However, their false appeal to emotion is not working, according to Balilinhons who claim they have been bearing the brunt of Lim’s insults throughout his term as Tagbilaran mayo. Lim is on his last term as city mayor. Still, the tale has been spread around even if the family and relatives of the escapee, Exequiel Aniscal, were forced to beg the mayor and his circle to stop sowing intrigues and lies. Aniscal’s sister Carina Sale, a long-time regular Capitol employee, told Lim that his insinuation of her brother as a hired killer already hurt the innocent, especially the escapee’s young children who have to suffer from ridicule. Sale sympathized with the governor and the provincial administrator for being falsely dragged to the escape and supposed “mission” of his fugitive brother. She said Lim would connect the Capitol officials to the escape of her brother simply because she is working under the Chatto administration. Actually, Sale already worked in the provincial government under several administrations or long before Chatto assumed in 2010.

In Tagbilaran barangays, Lim would bring along with him De los Reyes and try to condition the minds of the city folk. According to the same press release, the two were driven by their desire and design to make people wrongly believe that Capitol under Chatto, Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan is most crooked. The press release added that this is amusing since the Tagbilaranons themselves have long been aware of how the present city government itself has been mismanaged by Lim and his circle of government misfits, according to some city hall employees. In contrast, the province led by Chatto has kept reaping awards and recognitions for good and competent governance. At city hall, news reports said the Commission on Audit (COA) uncovered, for example, some P57 million unliquidated cash advances after the close of fiscal year 2010 alone.

The COA report suggested that parts of the unliquidated cash advances must have constituted a misuse of public fund. City hall sources hinted that Lim and De los Reyes should better advise each other to accomplish themselves as elective public servants in their respective LGUs. They have complete doubt if the lady mayor of Carmen might have ever been provided an honest-to-goodness assessment and a mirror-clear picture of how Tagbilaran and its city hall have been run. As what they further heard at city hall, Lim and his insiders are in no way convinced that the first-termer Carmen official can even come close to Chatto’s ability in administering the province sense she has yet even more to do in her town. But De los Reyes has been pushed to run against Chatto reportedly on perception that she has plenty of money, a main factor which must be advantageous to her handlers and their individual interests. (Ven rebo Arigo)