Mitra denies raps in recall petition

MANILA, Philippines - Palawan Gov. Abraham Khalil Mitra vehemently denied yesterday allegations made in the recall petition filed against him before the Commission on Elections, calling them “baseless and misleading, if not totally malicious.”

Mitra, a first-term governor and a staunch Liberal Party member, in a statement said “there are no fund releases from Malampaya for Palawan as of now,” referring to the gas fields located in his jurisdiction.

The Kilusan Love Malampaya (KLM), a civil society group which filed the recall petition, said Malampaya money “should be used according to what is the law, that a significant portion of the amount should be used to alleviate our energy situation.”

Mitra, however, called the petitioner’s statement “misleading and baseless” even as he stressed that he has been “persistent in seeking the release of the fund.”

Mitra also took exception to criticisms that he has not done anything to investigate what the petitioner called the “theft of P500 million from the Malampaya funds.”

 “What theft of Malampaya funds? No such thing,” he said, adding the alleged irregularities as claimed by the petitioner “transpired” when he was not yet governor.