Town vice mayor to rap seven dads

Ginatilan Vice Mayor Clarito Dinglasa yesterday said he is planning to file before the Ombudsman a complaint for usurpation of authority against seven councilors for their allegedly anomalous approval of the town's annual budget last May 9.

Dinglasa said two months ago he lodged at the Provincial Board a complaint for usurpation and abuse of authority against the seven councilors but nothing has come out of it yet so he might raise the case to the Ombudsman instead.

The seven councilors are Karyn James Duterte, Jose Ramon Gornez, Liza Chow, Ma. Rizza Barriga, John Momo, Aurora Cabelleda, and Byrne Raynan Tolabing.

They allegedly reconvened an adjourned special session and approved the budget without his knowledge and two other councilors, the vice-mayor claimed.

Mayor Dean Michael Singco earlier called for a special session to have the budget approved but Dinglasa said that during the session he warned the councilors that it would be premature for them to approve the measure.

Dinglasa's reason was that the report of the committee on budget and appropriations, of which he is the chairman, has not issued a recommendation on the matter yet.

As such, Dinglasa had to declare the session adjourned but then the seven councilors allegedly reconvened it and went on to approve the budget.

It was a usurpation of his authority and that holding two sessions in a day is a violation of the local government code, said Dinglasa.

However, the mayor defended the councilors' action saying Dinglasa has been employing dilatory tactics in approving the budget.