Mayor's ' Gov. comw in GMA's defense

Mayors, Gov come in GMA’s defense

BY: JOEL P. MAPILES









CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Six mayors in the second district of Pampanga firmly defended and vowed to stand behind Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in the midst of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s tirades on the release of “calamity funds” for Pampanga during his Statement of the Nation Address (SONA) yesterday.
Mayors Eduardo D. Guerrero of Floridablanca, Mylene P. Pineda-Cayabyab of Lubao, Ricardo Rivera of Guagua, Yolanda M. Pineda of Sta. Rita, Condralito P. de la Cruz of Porac and Josefina C. Leoncio of Sasmuan, along with Gov. Lilia Pineda, clarified that their towns have not yet received the calamity funds mentioned by President Aquino in his SONA, saying their particular district is a recipient of said money in “shocking quantities.”
The new governor said documents will show that projects in the second district where former President Arroyo is an elected congressional representative are still waiting for fund release from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
With this status of the said calamity fund, the administration of Aquino has all the power and authority to withhold the money from release upon his order, the Pampanga officials said.
The town executives bared that several years of follow-up with the former Arroyo administration resulted in the approval by the DBM of some P105 million in mostly flood-control projects in their barangays, but the DBM has not released any of these funds yet.
Pineda-Cayabyab, speaking for the group, said they are willing to give up these funds if PNoy considers to use the money for some more important and priority projects.
Political and business leaders in Pampanga, however, reminded Aquino that he is no longer campaigning and is now President of all Filipinos, including the Kapampangans, whose well-being he is also sworn to look after.