P23.2M barangay honoraria renders SP counter-moves moot and academic
Any counter-moves to over-ride the latest veto of Governor Niel Tupas Sr. have been rendered moot and academic.
And no less than Vice Governor Rolex Suplico has seemingly given up on the matter with one exception - the Vice Governor wants his uncle, Governor Tupas and his first cousin, Fifth District Representative Niel Tupas Jr. to pay.
Literally too, the Vice Governor said in a The News Today (TNT) interview when reached for comment on the governor's veto.
In a letter sent to members of the 9th Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP), Governor Tupas made official his veto saying the SP overstepped its boundaries.
Not right too, the SP body was told, for them to direct the governor on how to distribute the P23.2 million meant as honoraria to some 11,659 barangay volunteers.
As such and not waiting for the SP over-ride, the volunteers got the money in a distribution made during a gathering in the Capitol grounds. Another set was also distributed in the governor's hometown of Barotac Viejo.
Developments that got the ire and dismay of Vice Governor Suplico.
"We have the right to provide on how the money will be spent. It falls under the power to appropriate..how the money will be dispensed," Vice Governor Suplico said. "And we set those directions – for the distribution to be coursed through respective municipal treasurers for three reasons – economize, convenience of the recipients and no politics. Governor Tupas pre-empted our over-ride."
The governor did went ahead to distribute and to further the dismay of Suplico, the vice governor discovered that the barangay volunteers were made to pay for the incidental expenses.
"I was told by the recipients that they were the ones who paid for their fare and lunch. Imagine the trouble and unnecessary inconvenience of those who had to spend over P200 for fare alone," Suplico said. "Because of that, I make this call for Governor Tupas and his son to reimburse the barangay workers. Decency dictates that if you want to let the people listen to your speeches, you must pay the bill. Worse still, in the Barotac Viejo distribution there was an announcement made that I tried to block the release of the honorarium. That is a big lie and contrary to the approval my committee gave. What we just wanted was to set a better way of distributing it."
The governor's veto was the second on record in what already were historic moves in the affairs of the Iloilo Provincial Government.