Bermejo-Del Rosario tiff getting worst
ROXAS CITY – In an apparent retaliation, the allies of City Mayor Vicente Bermejo exposed Cong. Antonio del Rosario's alleged payroll padding and financial assistance anomalies.
Earlier, Del Rosario accused Bermejo of having a P3.3 million worth of "ghost project" when the latter was still governor of Capiz.
Bermejo denied the alleged P3.3 million "ghost project" saying that the money was spent as part of the circumferential road leading to Culasi Nuevo, a 15-hectare relocation site, also a controversial project in Lawis, Culasi. According to him, the said project existed at Sitio Monchit contrary to Del Rosario's reports that it never exists.
On the other hand, Del Rosario said in a radio interview that he was never involved with the alleged "ghost employees" and financial assistance anomalies. He defended that because of the volume of documents being signed by him when he was mayor of Roxas City, he was not aware that the payroll and financial assistance vouchers that he signed were anomalous.
Documents obtained by The News Today-Capiz revealed that during the stint of Del Rosario as city mayor, some 260 casual employees were able to claim daily wages at P130.00 from February 1-15, 2006 in the total amount of P371,000.
The said payroll claimants were of different names but it looked like they were signed by one person who has the same style of signatures. It was observed that their community tax certificate numbers were in synchronized order. A local radio station here announced the names of all 260 casual employees over the airlanes but no one surfaced to testify that the payroll is real.
It was also revealed that during Del Rosario's time a series of vouchers for financial assistance ranging from P10,000 to P 50,000 were given by the city government. However, several relatives of the beneficiaries came forward and said that they have never received the amount stated in the vouchers.
On the other hand, City Administrator Ronald Amigo denied having furnished the media of the documents regarding Del Rosario's alleged "ghost employees" and financial assistance anomalies that took place in 2006 when the latter was still mayor of Roxas City.