“I
don't blame people who suspect my performance. My own mind suspects it. How can
I blame them?” Sri Chinmoy
By
Alex P. Vidal
Either
he is a victim of black propaganda by some people who want to ease him out from
the graces of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog or he really is a crook.
First,
Vicente de la Cruz was linked to the murder of a young lady, a single parent
shot to death outside a big mall in Iloilo City on January 27, this year.
Then
he was relieved of his post as Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) chief.
Reportedly
on a “floating status” after being assigned in the city mayor’s office, de la
Cruz is now being accused as one of the “tuklo” (thief) masterminds in the city
public markets.
In
a recent city council committee on public market hearing, de la Cruz’s name
surfaced as among those behind the alleged city public market anomalies.
Whistle-blower
and committee chair Rodel Agado called for the investigation on suspicion that
de la Cruz was being pampered by Mabilog.
Media
also lashed at Agado for his refusal to name names after he aired the “tuklo”
brouhaha on several interviews this year.
ANSWER
De
la Cruz did not answer his critics in relation to the mall murder where his
former casual worker, Enrico Robles Jr., was said to be the triggerman that
killed Frances Lei Reyes, a 22-year-old resident of Oton, Iloilo.
But
de la Cruz broke his silence when his name was mentioned in the committee
hearing November 13 in relation to the tuklo issue.
“Ambot.
Waay ko kabalo pero. I’m sure nga waay ko ‘ya gapanuklo (I don’t know about
that and I’m sure I am not stealing),” he swore.
De
la Cruz insisted that he never awarded stalls contrary to allegations and “I
know that for a fact.”
He
admitted though that he allowed interested vendors to temporarily occupy empty
stalls sans awarding and letting them pay cash tickets “for the interest of the
city”.
The
local market law did not prohibit such practice, de la Cruz added.
“Kanugon
lang sang empty stalls kun indi magamit kag makolektahan sang city,” de la Cruz
told the committee investigation.
Accountable
Officer Emmalene Diana claimed de la Cruz ordered LEEO job hire Fedelyn
Villalobos to issue illegal receipts to a certain “Lilia Cordova” for her stall
rentals from January to February 2014.
RECEIPTS
The
receipts were tagged under Diana’s name.
Diana
included de la Cruz’s alleged order in the affidavit she submitted to the
executive department’s market committee and Agado’s committee.
“Cordova”
had arrears from July 2011 to Dec. 2013 amounting to more than P100,000 and
must not be issued receipts for January to February 2014, according to Virgilio
Tunogbanua, Iloilo Terminal Market in-charge.
De
la Cruz asserted that he never ordered anyone to issue receipts to Cordova.
“I
have not done anything that would affect the collection of the city,” he added.
Now
that de la Cruz has been allowed his day in court, critics should give him now
the benefit of the doubt.
In
fairness to de la Cruz, if his guilt has not been proven yet, detractors should
refrain from making speculations so as not to muddle the issues leveled against
him and his alleged cohorts.
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