Labella blasts Pesquera on unliquidated accounts

An emotional Councilor Edgardo Labella yesterday lashed out at City Council committee on budget and finance chair Jocelyn Pesquera over her nine-page report regarding his unliquidated cash advances.

Labella was unable to hold his emotion as he called the committee report of Pesquera, the council majority floor leader, "surreptitious" and "malicious" that he was not able to liquidate his cash advances amounting to P115, 082.50.

Labella and councilors Rodrigo Abellanosa, Gerardo Carillo and Hilario Davide III went on an official business visit to Washington D.C. in September 2005. But of the four, only Davide was not on the list of officials with unliquidated cash advances.

Abellanosa reportedly incurred P114,602.50 in unliquidated accounts while Carillo has P88,943.

When Pesquera finished rendering her report, Labella immediately pointed to her that he had already submitted his liquidation report to the city accounting office the month he arrived from the United States, and wondered why his name appeared in the report while that of Davide was not.

"The committee chairman should be more circumspect on unliquidated report. This is a matter of concern because this involves public funds," Labella said, adding that he was not furnished with a copy of the report before it was read before the council.

But Pesquera said that her report was only based on documents submitted to her committee on the Pre-Closing and Post-Closing Trial Balances, Balance Sheets, Statements of Income and Expenses, and Statement of Appropriations, Allotments and Obligations for a period until December 31, 2005.

Pesquera said that she already e-mailed her report to her fellow councilors as early as Friday, adding that she even "texted" them but got no response.

She reasoned out that she did not know why Davide's name did not appear in the report considering that she was only basing her report on documents submitted by the city accounting's office.

But Labella said he did not receive the e-mailed report considering that the City Hall building where they are now occupying has no Internet connections. "I cannot tolerate it because it will come out in the paper tomorrow," the councilor added.

Abellanosa said that Pesquera should be cautious in her report on unliquidated accounts because those who appeared to have any have no opportunity to speak and defend themselves.

"I don't see it as oversight but lack of circumspect. The chairman is not the committee and has to listen to her members," Abellanosa said, giving Pesquera an "unsolicited advice" that next time she should e-mail her report to them, and that it should have prior approval from the committee members.

Councilor Gabriel Leyson, the council presiding officer, told Pesquera that she should be sensitive to the feelings of others. "See to it that you don't embarrass the person in your report. At least we have delicadeza to check on it. Next time you should be careful."

Pesquera made a "good report," but Leyson said the only thing he wanted for the councilor to do was to call the attention of the person involved. "You have done your job but you have to go out and check."

But before Pesquera's report was approved, the council took a break to discuss the matter privately. After the short break, Councilor Christopher Alix moved that the names of Labella and Abellanosa be deleted from the report. - Garry B. Lao