BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
WITH the “spat on the spot” between Councilor Al Victor Espino and traffic czar, Police Major Junji Liba, Bacolod City’s Mayor Albee Benitez is torn between the two.
In a text message, Carmela Arcolas-Gamboa, acting as information officer of the city, said the mayor referred the current “Al-Junji wrangle” to the City Legal Office (CLO).
The mayor, Carmela stressed, is close to both Al and Junji. So, he “distances” himself from the mess which is all about the “problematic” traffic in the city.
The mayor, furthered by Carmela, simply wants the City Legal or the Good Governance Committee “to independently look into the issues.”
Is that so?
The case, for me, is just simple. It all started when Al, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s (SP) Committee on Transportation, recommended last week that Junji, head of the Bacolod City Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), be replaced as soon as possible.
Discontentment on Junji’s performance was Al’s exact basis.
Al also cited City Ordinance (CO) No. 230, series of 1999, which states that BTAO shall be headed by a civilian and not by a policeman.
But quick facts: former BTAO chiefs were also senior policemen that included Colonels Luisito Acebuche, Levy Pangue, and Armando Tobongbanua.
Asked for comment, Junji calmly said: “I’ll wait for the mayor’s order. If he says so, I’ll step down immediately.”
THREAT?
On Aug. 29, Al claimed he received “death threat”.
“Someone called me not to remove Liba at BTAO or else something will happen to me,” he said.
But who was that someone?
Al has refused to divulge it yet. He, however, stressed that such “threat” can’t affect his work.
“I’ll just do what’s good for the city. We should solve the traffic congestion in Bacolod,” Al said.
Junji, on the other hand, retorted: “I don’t know about it (threat).”
Can’t Mayor Albee summon the two and iron out the kinks right there and then?
If it’s true that he’s close to both, why let the media “feast” on it every day? Distancing himself from the mess sends a “wrong signal” for Bacolodnons already fed up with previous hullabaloos.
I think it’s time for Mayor Albee to prove that, indeed, he’s a first-rate “captain of the ship” (as what he promised during the campaign period).
WHERE IS AGNES?
There’s another baffling thing at the New Government Center (NGC). For more than two weeks now many have been asking where Agnes Lira-Jundos is.
Agnes is the city’s information officer. Upon assumption to office at noon of June 30, Mayor Albee brought Agnes with him to head the city’s PIO.
Agnes is a seasoned broadcast journalist-turned-public relations (PR) practitioner. City hall beat reporters are looking for her. They instead found Carmela, reigning Philippine Centennial Queen, taking over the helm at the city’s PIO.
Agnes and Carmela were former talents of the defunct ABS-CBN TV 4- Bacolod – Agnes as former station manager while Carmela as host of “Mag-TV Na Amega!” program.
To date, Mayor Albee remains silent. Was Agnes axed?
#pabago-bago, bakit?
Also, the city’s official Facebook page, Bacolod City Public Information Office, was deactivated by Sept. 1. This shocked the Bacolod media.
At 5 p.m. of the same day, the city government launched a new official FB page, BCD PIO.
Then the mayor issued an official statement on the cover page: “I am inviting all Bacolodnons to like and follow BCD PIO as the official Facebook page 100 days onwards of Bacolod City under administration.”
Why is this happening?
Is it true that the mayor reportedly got irked with the controversial posts by Carmela on the previous FB page of the city’s PIO regarding the proposed housing project of the city?
But wait, there’s more. What happened to Atty. Bong Dilag?
The media haven’t heard Atty. Bong, the mayor’s spokesman, talk or hold a press conference for more than a month already. Isn’t it weird that a spokesman has turned speechless?/PN
