Rome trip lands Cebu City mayor in trouble

CEBU CITY - For making a trip to Rome for the beatification of Pedro Calungsod without waiting for Malacañang's approval, Mayor Alvin Garcia found himself in hot water again.

Garcia left for Rome on March 3 and stayed there until March 9 without any go-signal from Malacañang or any official from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim said Garcia has to explain about his trip or face administrative sanction.

Lim was a guest at a forum sponsored by the Cebu Business Club and the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

DILG Memorandum Circular 99-67 requires officials going on foreign trips to secure approval from the President at least 10 calendar days prior to their departure.

While requests for approval are addressed to the President, it is the DILG secretary, undersecretary or even regional director who approves such trips.

Garcia has admitted he had no Malacañang or DILG approval when he left for Rome for the beatification rites.

"But I don't think I could have missed that because it was a once-in-a-lifetime event and I was invited by the Pope as mayor of Cebu City. Besides, I attended that event without using a single centavo of government funds. Where can you find an official who attends an official function using his own money? I don't care if I will be sanctioned for the trip as long as I saw the Pope. It was worth it," Garcia said.

Garcia said he is not afraid to be investigated regarding the trip, saying as far as he is concerned, he did not violate any government regulation.

"I welcome any investigation because I know that everything is moot and academic because I did not violate any law, " he said.

According to the mayor, his protocol staff applied for authority to make the trip but received no response by the time he was to leave, so he left.

Garcia joined a delegation of Cebuanos headed by Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.