Feud of Pampanga officials worsens

SAN FERNANDO, Pam­panga – The rift between Gov. Eddie Panlilio and other local officials in this province had apparently worsened after mayors again snubbed a meeting set to approve a proposed investments plan for Pam­panga next year.

In a letter to Panlilio, the Pampanga Mayors’ League (PML) said its members will not attend the meeting which Panlilio presided here last Friday, after the provincial government allegedly failed to fully implement the development projects for the province this year.

The investments plan is supposed to be approved by majority of the 37-member Provincial Development Council (PDC) whose members include 20 mayors belonging to the PML. The league’s president is Lubao Mayor Dennis Pineda, son of Lilia Pineda, who lost to Panlilio in the last May gubernatorial race and has a pending electoral protest against the governor.

Last Nov. 9, members of the PML also did not attend the first meeting called by Panlilio to tackle development plans for Pampanga for next year.

Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao, who has also been at odds with Panlilio over various issues, told The STAR that the mayors want Panlilio to fulfill his promises after he assumed office last July.

“They were promised P3 million each for barangay roads, but up to now, nothing has been delivered,” Guiao said, as he recalled that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan or provincial board approved almost P140 million in development funds which were made available after Panlilio won in the last May elections and took over the post from former Gov. Mark Lapid.

“The board delayed the approval of the fund because we did not want it used for the last elections. So now, the entire amount is in the hands of Gov. Panlilio who has not made use of it in the five months since he assumed office,” Guiao said.

He said Panlilio, a Catholic priest who went on leave from the church to run for governor, had failed to implement any project supposed to be funded by the P140 million, including the purchase of medicines for the poor.

“Gov. Panlilio presided over the Provincial Development Council meeting at the Executive House of the Provincial Capitol to discuss the 2008 Annual Investment Plan and to supposedly move for its approval by members of the Sang­guniang Pan­lalawigan (SP),” Panlilio’s information office said.

Provincial information officer Rommel de Jesus said that before the meeting started, Panlilio read the PML letter saying the mayors will not attend the meeting “due to the non-implementation of the 2007 development plan.” The letter, however, was signed only by 11 mayors.

Earlier, Panlilio admitted to The STAR that he might have alienated the mayors after the controversy triggered by his revelation on the P500,000 he received in Malacañang during a meeting of provincial governors last Oct. 11.

Panlilio has also been at odds with Vice Gov. Guiao and members of the Sanggu­niang Panlalawigan or provincial board over other issues, including the governor’s appointment of provincial administrator Vivien Dabu and provincial attorney Aiza Velez.

De Jesus said, however, that those present during last Friday’s meeting “went on to discuss the prepared agenda for the meeting which also included a status report of the projects under the annual investment plan for 2007” and a presentation of the general revision and tax mapping of the 2008 annual investment plan.