Move seeking Ombudman probe vs. mayor hits snag

The move to question the approval of a previous council resolution-requesting the Ombudsman-Visayas to investigate Consolacion town Mayor Avelino Gungob Sr. over the use of solicited funds for the last February 14 town fiesta-had failed during a special session.

Opposition councilors insisted that Mayor Gungob could not question anymore the resolution that was approved during the last October 6 regular session, saying the mayor should be investigated for the solicited funds used for the Adlaw sa Consolacion celebration.

Gungob had requested for the holding of a special session to tackle the October 6 resolution, which he contended was approved without a quorum, and with malicious and evident bad faith to railroad the entire proceedings.

Councilor Blessilda Villo, who presided the special session yesterday, noted however that the special session was moot and academic, prompting Councilor Besil Mangubat, president of the town's Association of Barangay Councils, to move for its adjournment.

Mangubat said the special session was not the proper forum to deliberate over a matter questioning a previously approved resolution. The session was adjourned without objection, even from councilors identified as allies of the mayor.

The council is now expected to deliberate on the same matter during the regular session tomorrow.

Councilor Arnolfo Aurelio Abinales, the proponent of the questioned resolution, maintained that the mayor could not question the matter of quorum when the council approved it. He said no council member questioned the quorum then, and the council followed the rules when it approved the resolution.

The Abinales resolution asked the Ombudsman to investigate Gungob for soliciting funds from business and private sector for the fiesta activities. These funds were subject to scrutiny and accounting but the mayor allegedly failed to account for these, he alleged.

Gungob later assailed the council for "maliciously" approving the Abinales resolution, which was done with only five members and thus without a quorum.

Even granting that a quorum was reached, still the manner for which the issues were presented, approved and carried out in the council was never put to a formal vote of conscience among the members present in the session, argued the mayor.

Gungob had denied there were anomalies in the use of donations that the municipal government had received from business and private sectors. He then asked council members to nullify, abandon and set aside the entire proceedings of the October 6 regular session.

He also threatened to bring the issue to court, and those who hatched and took part in the allegedly malicious session would suffer the consequences of their conduct.

Villo however wrote to Gungob last October 11, contending that the government follows the doctrine of separation of powers between the executive and legislative departments. - Jose P. Sollano