Group to sue DILG over 'barangay assembly'
The controversial barangay general assembly cum gathering of signatures for the people's initiative move over the weekend could bring officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in trouble.
The Movement for Good Governance (MGG), an alliance of organizations opposed to the Arroyo administration, vowed to file charges against regional, provincial, and city DILG officials over the so-called barangay general assembly held last Saturday, March 25.
MGG spokesman Janiuay municipal councilor Jojo Lotero, a lawyer by profession, said the DILG deceived the people in holding the barangay general assembly which in fact was used to promote the government-backed people's initiative.
Lawyers Joshua Alim and Daniel Cartagena also joined the group in condemning the DILG's manner of calling the synchronized Barangay Assembly in a short notice of time.
Alim failed to hide his resentment towards the alleged manipulation of the national government by bribing the people in exchange for their signatures in last Sunday's Barangay General Assembly. It was a clear violation of our constitution, he said.
"There are three ways of amending the constitution---through Constitutional Convention, Constitutional Assembly or through People's Initiative," explained Alim. "Unfortunately, the recent Barangay Assembly was purely a clear deception initiated by the DILG for the interest of the few who wanted to remain in power," added Alim.
The group warned, there maybe repercussions or consequences for those who participated and had their signatures documented in the forms provided to them by the organizers. Further they will be held criminally liable for signing a document they failed to understand.
Meanwhile, Governor Niel D. Tupas, Sr., admitted in his Monday's regular press conference that he was not officially informed of the people's initiative as part of the recent Barangay Assembly's activity.
(Nelson C. Robles)