We are not obstructionists: Talisay City opposition on de los Reyes’s allegations

NO, THEY’RE not obstructionists.

That’s what members of the Talisay City Council said in response to Mayor Johnny de los Reyes’s allegations during his State of the City Address (Soca) last Monday.

Otherwise, the mayor wouldn’t have been able to implement any of his programs since he took office, said Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante during the council’s regular session yesterday.

In a five-minute speech, former mayor and Councilor Socrates Fernandez justified the council’s slashing of the mayor’s budget this year.

He said the council had no choice since the City did not have enough funds last year, as de los Reyes continues to hire job-order workers even though the City had limited funds.

Gripes

“We are just merely protecting the people’s money,” Fernandez said.

Aside from Fernandez, the mayor’s former allies in the council used the regular session to air their gripes against the mayor.

Villarante, who did not attend the mayor’s Soca but listened to it on the radio, said what happened last Monday was not a Soca, but a “miting de avance.”

Villarante, a former ally of the mayor, said he is not afraid of de los Reyes’s attacks against him.

“I’m not nervous with his accusations against me and the council. His accusations are nothing but desperate moves,” he said.

He said the City continues to suffer a moral problem as the mayor continues to employ relatives at City Hall.

Councilor Danilo Caballero also lambasted de los Reyes for claiming projects for himself when the council was instrumental for their approval and implementation.