Bohol PB rejects plea to stop freeze of scholarship program

LOON, BOHOL , Philippines — The Bohol Provincial Board has recently dismissed a petition to lift the suspension of the municipal scholarship program imposed by Loon Mayor Lloyd Peter Lopez due to its being a "political issue."

Councilor Damaso Pasilbas filed the petition at the PB claiming that many barangay officials condemned the stoppage of the scholarship program, and hundreds of students from seven high schools of the town were deeply frustrated.

"The four-year course college scholarship examination was unreasonably aborted and infinitely suspended thus no more LGU scholars for 2010-2011," said Pasilbas in his complaint while urging the PB to lift the suspension, and to "retroactively" continue its implementation for the benefit of the students.

Pasilbas accused the mayor of unilaterally stopping the program without the concurrence of the council, in violation of the law.

"There is no law granting the mayor to repeal, revise or modify an ordinance duly approved by the Municipal Council, and subsequently declared valid and operative by the PB," argued Pasilbas.

PB member Venzencio Arcamo, chair of the good government committee, in his committee report that was adopted by the plenary, ruled that the issue was a "political question" which is beyond the domain of the board.

Arcamo's report said that its being a political question, "the PB or the Office of the Governor or even the courts cannot impose to respondent mayor to lift the suspension of implementation of Municipal Ordinance No. 07-009, or An Ordinance Establishing and Maintaining a Four-Year-Course College Scholarship Program in the Municipality of Loon.

This ordinance was approved by the Loon Municipal Council on September 17, 2007 establishing and maintaining a 4-year course college scholarship program in the town. This was approved or signed by Mayor Lopez, Vice Mayor Edwin Ladeza and attested to by municipal secretary Fidelino Coritico.

Lopez argued that the scholarship program was aborted to pave the way for the establishment of a school that the town is planning. Based on the Executive-Legislative agenda for 2007-2010, the establishment of the municipal college is among the LGU's development priorities.

"The proposed college is expected to benefit a good number of students from Loon instead of the few for the existing scholarship program," said the mayor.