Suplico brings up 'ghosts' of the past
Suplico
Care for "Sharkpins" soup anyone? Or "Sweat and sour fish" maybe?
If you were among the invited ones in a three meetings of two former board members in the Capitol, then you could have tried both.
Problem now though is, not only those dishes appear to be 'suspicious,' the meetings are altogether now dismissed by no less than Vice Governor Rolex Suplico as such – highly suspicious and 'ghosts from the past.'
Subjects of a privilege speech yesterday, the vice governor charged former Fourth District Board Member Domingo Oso and first cousin, former Fifth District Board Member Niel "Junjun" Tupas Jr. as behind the questionable claims.
With a total of P154,640,00 feared to have been ripped off the financial coffers of the Iloilo Provincial Government, Vice Governor Suplico challenged his cousin to issue a rebuttal.
"The sooner, the better!," the vice governor said in his speech. "If not, his ability as an elected official will be placed in doubt by the Ilonggos who voted him into office and he will continue to be haunted by the ghosts of his past. He must not forget that a public office is a public trust!"
Tupas Jr. is now the district's congressman.
"The smoking gun in the case the Tupas ghost meetings is found in the spurious guest lists and in the certification," he charged.
"I can go on and on ad infinitum. But the conclusion remains the same: The Guest Lists are lies. They are forgeries. They are a standing insult to the people of the 5th District in particular and to the Province of Iloilo in general," the vice governor continued.
And to prove his point, Suplico had the names listed checked and the use of the supposed venue verified.
"I have talked to Mayors, Vice-Mayors, Sanggunian Bayan Members, municipal officials, Barangay Captains, Kagawads, SK officials, Barangay officials, school heads, teachers, leaders and plain voters in the 5th district. Nobody, and I repeat this: Nobody has attended much less heard about a "consultative dialogue meeting with the different municipal and Barangay officials of the 5th District of Iloilo" held on October 3,2 004, February 16, 2005 and April 14, 2005 in Sara, Iloilo or in any date and in any place in and outside the 5th District sponsored by Board Member Tupas. In fact, they were sincerely surprised that their names are here in the Guest List at all!," he added.
And to further prove his charge, Vice Governor Suplico got a Certification from Carlos Zaldarriaga III, Municipal Administrator of Sara, Iloilo stating that no activity took place on said dates.
Among the supposed guests were veteran columnist Herbert Vego, KIMWA Construction's Joe S. Go and Chitong Lua and former broadcaster Japhet Salinas of Oton, Iloilo. Salinas was listed as a Councilor of Sara, Iloilo.
As for former Board Member Oso, Suplico summed up his statement saying "the smoking gun in the case of the Oso ghost meetings is found in the Attendance Sheets."
Oso, he also added, retorted to "classic wet dog defense."
"A wet dog will violently shake itself wetting everyone. But then again, the danger is that it was an admission against interest. Worse, it was also a confession. Ironically, I am able to thank Board Member Oso for that!," he said.
Former Board Member Oso is incidentally the brother of Catholic priest, Monsignor Meliton Oso, principal figure in the community's fight against corruption in government.