Garin, Valencia ‘no’ votes reek of 2016

“Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike.” Alexander Hamilton

By Alex P. Vidal

We don’t kick a person who is already down and politics is addition.

These could be the two wisdom or schools of thoughts behind the nay votes registered by Iloilo first district board members Ninfa Garin and Dennis Valencia during the voting September 15 whether to uphold the decision of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) committee of the whole to suspend Maasin Mayor Mariano Malones.

The committee found Malones “guilty of simple misconduct” and slapped him with a three-month suspension last September 8.

This was in connection with the complaint filed by dismissed Maasin municipal assistant human resources officer, Elsa Maternal.

When the committee report was tackled for approval, only Garin and Valencia voted not to uphold it.

Those who voted to uphold the committee findings suspending Malones were board members Demetrio Sonza, June Mondejar, Carmen Rita Monfort-Bautista, Emmanuel Gallar, Jesus Salcedo, Jeneda Salcedo-Orendain, Paulino Pari-an and Niel Tupas III.

INHIBIT

Those who inhibited from the voting were board members Licurgo Tirador and Shalene Palmares-Hidalgo.

We have a message for Tirador and Palmares-Hidalgo: The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who refuse to make a stand in times of great moral or political conflict.

While we respect their stand, we find it illogical for Tirador and Palmares-Hidalgo to remain neutral since the provincial board had already approved the committee findings and all that was needed was for them to uphold or reject it.

Neutrality has no place in the committee findings voting.

Meanwhile, other reason for Garin’s and Valencia’s no votes could be political.

Garin’s husband, Oscar Sr., is rumored to be eyeing the gubernatorial post in 2016.

They can’t afford to relinquish the vote-rich Maasin as well as the other towns in the third district where Malones is popular.

When they cast their votes last September 15, Garin and Valencia probably were looking beyond Malones’ suspension.

Malones now owes them a “debt of gratitude” and any payback, if ever the votes had political strings attached, will be settled in the 2016 elections.

Since Malones’ suspension is only for three months, he will still be there when Oscar Garin Sr., or any member of the Garin dynasty, will woe the voters of the third district in 2016.

FEARS

Also, there are fears that Malones’ feud with Board Member Manny Gallar might escalate.

Malones may have lost the provincial board war but the battle with Gallar isn’t yet over.

Before the provincial board rendered a verdict last September 9, Malones and Gallar were locked in a heated verbal tussle with the mayor accusing the board member of maintaining “ghost employees.”

Malones could not forgive his former political ally for supposedly influencing his fellow board members to decide against the mayor’s favor, an accusation vehemently denied by Gallar.

The board members convened as a committee of the whole chaired by Vice Governor Raul Tupas to declare Malones “guilty of simple misconduct”.

The bigger battle is supposed to be Malones’ allegations of “ghost employees” against Gallar.

The accusation did not come from an outsider. It came from someone who knows where the bodies are buried, so to speak.

Malones is also a former board member and is familiar with the culture of hiring casual workers in the provincial board.

DISPUTE

Gallar has never categorically disputed Malones’ charges, but fired back at Malones by claiming that the mayor also had his own “ghost employees” in Maasin.

It appears that nobody from the provincial capitol is interested to tackle Malones’ allegations against Gallar.

Malones did not just whisper to any Tom, Dick and Harry his attacks. He announced them over radio RMN-Iloilo.

Did Malones accidentally unload a bombshell against the entire provincial board?
Tupas and the other board members should conduct a motu propio investigation on the “ghost employees” brouhaha so that the people will not think that they, too, are maintaining their own “ghost employees” and are deliberately playing deaf and blind on Malones’ muckraking.