Ganzon, 5 city councilors accused of ‘dereliction’

ILOILO City – Former city councilors Joshua Alim and Plaridel Nava filed an administrative complaint for dereliction of duty against Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon and five city councilors at the Office of the President.

The absence of Ganzon and councilors Ely Estante, Lady Julie Grace Baronda, Jay Treñas, Leila Luntao, and Ma. Irene Ong during the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s (SP) regular session on April 23, 2019 jeopardized the general welfare, according to Alim.

The SP on that day was supposed to tackle the recommendation of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) to declare a state of calamity due to the El Niño phenomenon. Due to a lack of quorum because the five councilors and Ganzon did not show up, it did not push through.

“Under the Local Government Code, councilors have the obligation to attend sessions. If a councilor could not attend the session, he or she should first file for a leave of absence. Ini ‘ya, gulpi lang sila nag-absent. Wala gani sila nag-file leave of absence,” said Alim.

In an order dated July 4, Ganzon and the five councilors were directed by the Office of the President to submit – within 15 days from receipt of the order – their verified answers to the complaint.

In their complaint, Alim and Nava sought for dismissal from public service of the respondents.

Councilor Treñas played down the complaint.

“That is their prerogative to file a complaint. But I don’t see anything wrong (with what we did on April 23). We have nothing to hide. The decision we made aimed to protect the coffers of the city,” said Treñas.

Ganzon and the other respondent councilors declined to comment; they were yet to receive their copy of the complaint, they said./PN

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here