SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – A priest, who heads an umbrella group of 54 civil society groups in this province, expressed yesterday his opposition to the move to recall priest-turned-governor Eddie Panlilio from his post, but reiterated his appeal for “Among Ed” to finally oust his controversial public administrator Vivian Dabu.
This, even as Panlilio’s supporters, who used the Internet to campaign for him in last year’s polls, have put up the website daburesign.wordpress.com to press for Dabu’s ouster.
The other day, some dismissed provincial lahar sand quarry workers, who had been holding a picket at the capitol grounds here, had themselves tattooed to dramatize their demand for Dabu’s ouster.
In an interview with The STAR, Fr. Restie Lumanlan, president and spokesman of the Kapampangan Coalition Inc., dismissed as “untimely” the recall move initiated the other day by the Kapanalig at Kambilan ning Memalen Pampanga Inc. (Kakampi) headed by Rosve Henson, an avowed supporter of former provincial board member Lilia Pineda who lost to Panlilio in the gubernatorial race.
“One year of his term is not enough to say that the people have lost confidence in him. The recall move would be a waste of time and money and would only be more divisive for the people of Pampanga,” Lumanlan said.
Panlilio’s lawyer Ernesto Francisco said the launch of the recall move against Panlilio last Thursday was timed with Pineda’s filing before the Supreme Court of a motion to lift an injunctive writ that prevented the recount of votes from Pampanga’s polling precincts.
Francisco said the timing of the recall move and the filing of the motion indicated “a concerted effort to oust Among Ed (Panlilio).”
Despite objecting to the recall move, Lumanlan, however, said his group has been asking Panlilio to oust Dabu, one of the volunteer lawyers who supported Panlilio’s candidacy.
Archie Reyes, who resigned last Aug. 1 as Panlilio’s chief of staff, said 14 other supporters who had joined Panlilio’s staff at the capitol have quit, too, because of Dabu.
“She performed a gatekeeper role that made others look incompetent,” Reyes said in a phone interview. “I could not perform my job as chief of staff because I had no resources which were under her control.”
Reyes said he and other Panlilio appointees had raised their problem on Dabu with the governor but he only ignored them.
Lumanlan said even some priests and bishops “have been saddened by this issue with Dabu” who he described as a “stumbling block” to various development efforts in the Panlilio administration.
Lumanlan also bewailed Dabu’s statement aired on local television that only God could make her resign.
He said Dabu, reportedly a “born again” Christian, ordered the removal of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Panlilio’s office, supposedly in the name of ecumenism.
Panlilio said in a phone interview that he had no plans of firing Dabu who he described as “honest and competent.”
The website calling for Dabu’s ouster was not short of citing her qualifications. It noted that Dabu, born in 1968, graduated magna cum laude with an accountancy course from the Manuel L. Quezon University and placed 14th in the accountancy board exams with a grade of 89.75 percent.
She also took up law and landed in 13th place in the 1992 Bar exams, with a grade of 85.05 percent.
Dabu initially got into conflict on various issues with the provincial board presided over by Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao.
Later, workers serving under Panlilio’s lahar sand quarry operations called Balas also sought Dabu’s ouster as they blamed her for their dismissal.
Dabu is believed to have advised Panlilio on various issues that triggered conflicts with the provincial board and the Pampanga Mayors’ League.
Among these issues were Dabu’s appointment which did not undergo approval by the board; the alleged juggling of funds under the governor’s office; and the non-implementation of a provincial resolution that scrapped the P150 share of the provincial government from the P300 fee imposed on each truck quarrying lahar sand in this province, among other things.
A few days after Panlilio assumed his post as governor, Dabu also ran into conflict with the local media who accused her of arrogance and discrimination in favor of the national media.
The STAR called up Dabu’s office for an interview, but was told she was in a meeting and could not be disturbed.
Lumanlan said most of Panlilio’s close executives have already left the Capitol, hinting that Dabu might have played a role in pressuring them to quit.
Besides Reyes, among those who had resigned were Panlilio’s spokesman and former campaign manager Ave Laquindanum and provincial attorney Aiza Velez.
Lumanlan said that if Panlilio could not oust Dabu, she should at least be transferred to a less sensitive position such as provincial attorney.
Lumanlan could not immediately say if his group would counter Kakampi’s recall initiative that would require 100,000 signatures of registered voters in Pampanga. He vowed though to take this up in their meeting next week.
Reyes also objected to the recall move, saying it could be a mere political ploy to put in power candidates who lost in last year’s elections.
Romulo Macalintal, one of Panlilio’s volunteer lawyers, said the Commission on Elections has no funds for recall elections.