Miag-ao execs slam Garin, demands share on solon's pork barrel
"Be a better Garin." And while at it, share the blessings of the pork barrel to the entire First District. After all, whether the lady solon got their vote or not, the people of Miag-ao deserves their share of the government funds.
Such was the message of Miag-ao town officials to Representative Janette Garin in an open letter obtained by The News Today (TNT). Wasting no kind words, the letter bore the harsh sentiments of Mayor Gerardo Flores, Vice Mayor Raul Falcon, members of the Sanggunian Bayan and "barangay officials and citizens of Miag-ao" in general.
It was to be the first official statement directed to Garin in the form of an open letter relative to the supposed unfair treatment to her constituents in said town. Insiders in the district believed such signaled the start of what could now be a prelude to elections.
"For nearly three years that you have been in the office as the congressional representatives of the seven towns comprising the First District of Iloilo, it appears that your pork barrel releases are decidedly in favor of Guimbal and San Joaquin," the statement began. "Records of your Priority Development Assistant Fund (PDAF) disbursements as of May 31 and July 31, 2005 show that of your total PDAF of forty million (P40M), 56.25 percent went to Guimbal, 23.75 to San Joaquin, 5 percent to Tubungan, 5 percent to Oton, and 10 percent to the Department of Education."
The combined percentage shares of Guimbal and San Joaquin is exactly 80 percent, the group pointed out.
"Add to that the 10 percent that went to DepEd and the result is: 90 percent of your PDAF releases went to LGUs and government agencies where you can easily command the use of the fund!," it continued. "We, the citizen of the First District, even if we did not vote for you in the last election, are still entitled to our share in your pork barrel. On your election as congresswoman, we hoped in good faith that you would rather be a better Garin. But now based on these records, we are about to believe that you are, after all, a chip of Oscar Garin's adamant and deliberate disregard for sharing government funds with their own towns."
And there could be more, Garin's critics suspect saying now they are afraid of "many more shameless facts waiting to be uncovered."
"If you recall, Miagao for many years suffered the loss of economic opportunities for not being included in the Garin's pork barrel allocations. However, we know that your family assets are outrageous: the family mansion in Guimbal, the profitable (?) Racso's, Garin Farm Agricultural Products, Rural Bank, and many more.
Are these your family's accomplishment for the last fifteen years? Frankly, we have a hard time convincing ourselves that these are fruits of your family's honest-to-goodness conduct of business.," the open letter added.
As such, the group calls for the lady solon's compassion while adding "in the name of fairness, statesmanship, and the will to create a good legacy to the people of Miagao, in particular,and the towns of Tigbauan, Oton, Igbaras and Tubungan, we demand a share of the pork barrel that belongs to us."
In closing, the Mayor's group has this message to Garin, "If it would be too much for your comfort to give Miagao, please give it to other towns in the First District."
Iloilo's First District has since been a Garin stronghold following years of leadership under then Congressman Oscar Garin. Millions in infrastructure works were realized as funding from the national government poured in. Recent elections saw heated campaign with the Garin camp lording it over the group known to be sympathetic to Flores.
A former Army General, Flores has since joined politics and kept his influence in Miag-ao minus any link nor support from the Garins.