Recall petition filed vs Palawan governor

PALAWAN, Philippines  – The Kilusan Love Malampaya (KLM), a civil society group which has been criticizing the provincial government over the use of Malampaya funds, has filed a petition to recall Gov. Abraham Kahlil Mitra.

KLM president Caesar Ventura, the main proponent of the petition, said they have lost trust and confidence in the Mitra administration.

The recall petition contained 158,889 signatures from various parts of the province, exceeding the required 10 percent of the total voting population. Palawan has a total of 334,427 registered voters.

In an open letter to Palaweños, the group said the leadership of Mitra “failed on many aspects to respond to their (Palaweños’) expectations and welfare.”

For instance, the KLM cited the provincial government’s failure to comply with the energy master plan that it has proposed.

The group has been pushing for a renewable energy program that can be used in far-flung municipalities not reached by the power grid.

“Palawan supplies 40 percent of mainland Luzon’s energy but we are still left behind when it comes to electricity,” Ventura said.

The KLM also alleged that Mitra compromised Palawan’s share from the Malampaya gas revenue when the provincial government requested a P14-billion financial package from President Aquino.

“Gov. Mitra did not show any sincerity in addressing the real issues of Malampaya. He has no concrete position or stand on the Malampaya issue, particularly to fight for its rightful claim. Instead he concentrated on how he could get financial assistance from the national government,” the KLM said in a statement.

In an interview with government-owned radio station dwRM, provincial information officer Daisy Ann Atrero described KLM’s move as a “desperate act.”

“The provincial government is ready with this. We have a legal team that will address this issue,” Atrero said.