Recall vs vice mayor gains ground

CORTES, BOHOL ,Philippines  — The planned recall move against Vice-Mayor Danilo Montero of this town has allegedly been gaining support, with the signature drive even surpassing the required number so far.

This was the claim of retired City Police chief Roberto Tabanera, a trusted aide of Mayor Apolinaria Balistoy whose camp has allegedly initiated the move.

Tabanera, in an exclusive interview in his house, told The FREEMAN that the signature campaign has already garnered 2,600 signatures, which was more than the required 25 percent of the total voting population.

The town has a little over 9,000 voters, based on the last elections, and the number of signatures already gathered would be enough to pin down the vice mayor, he said.

Tabanera said the documents referring to voluminous pages of the complaint and signatures are in the hands of a certain Malene Hinog, who serves as secretary of the mayor.

In a radio interview earlier, Montero said the recall move against him was in limbo, citing the long silence of the mayor's camp on the matter.

The FREEMAN tried and visited the residence of Hinog in Malayo Norte a couple of days ago, but she was not at home. She was however contacted through her cell phone and she confirmed the presence of the documents. When pressed with more related questions, her phone went off, and did not reply to repeated calls thereafter. 

A visit to the mayor's residence at Lindaville subdivision in Tagbilaran City for comment proved futile because she was not around, and neither was the vice mayor could be contacted also on the issue.

The recall move started after major differences came between the once-tandem of Balistoy and Montero and their allies in the Municipal Council.

In separate interview in his residence here, Councilor Lynn Iven Lim, who ran under the mayor's banner during the elections and is now a close ally of Montero, said the recall move has been borne out of political vengeance.

The mayor's camp however insisted that the Council, presided over by Montero, has not been cooperative with the mayor's programs and projects, which were intended for the good of the people here.

One of the causes of the political friction was the time when a resolution, sponsored by Lim herself and approved by the Council, rescinded the authority given to Mayor Balistoy to enter into a memorandum of agreement with Bohol Water Utilities Inc. 

The Council also approved a resolution, sponsored by Councilor Celerino Jubac Jr, putting into official record that some Council members submitted letter-complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman requesting for an investigation of possible graft and corrupt practices and possible criminal offenses of the mayor and Councilor Junn Eckart Balistoy in the conduct of their official functions.