Another BMO solicitation hit
Another Barangay Mayor’s Office (BMO) finds itself in controversy for allegedly using the seal of the barangay in soliciting funds for its Christmas party and Sinulog participation.
In a letter dated January 19, Mambaling Barangay Captain Wilfredo Go asked Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to impose disciplinary action on the BMO staff in his barangay “who are using your office for their personal gain.”
His letter comes just about a week after Osmeña fired a staff member of the BMO in Barangay Apas who allegedly made solicitations from business establishments using the City Hall seal.
Attached to Go’s letter were two solicitation letters: one was a December 20 letter to a mall signed by a certain Narciso Gador, officer of Mambaling BMO, while the other was a November 16 letter of Richard dela Torre, choreographer of the Mambaling BMO contingent to the Sinulog, asking funds from Barangay Mambaling.
The second letter was also signed by Mambaling councilman and BMO head Emier Hamis and councilman and assistant BMO head Arturo Belciña.
City Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia showed the media copies of Go's letter and the attached solicitation letters at a conference yesterday.
“I'm appealing to the mayor to shut down all BMOs because of this particular violation, that's number one. Number two, we are hearing that grabe ang pag-abusar sa ilang authority bringing the mayor's name, and that leaves a very bad taste to the people,” Garcia said.
He cited Section 7 (d) of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees that “public officials and employees shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office.”
Garcia said the BMOs in barangays are a duplication of the existing barangay halls and must therefore be abolished.
Osmeña, for his part, said he will investigate the matter, though he has not received and read Go's letter as of yesterday.
Asked if he was keen on shutting down all the BMOs after the alleged irregularities, the mayor said it “is none of the business” of the opposition-allied councilors.
“Any government where people will abuse, are we going to kill everybody? If there's corruption in Customs, if there's corruption in Congress, are we going to kill congressmen?” he said.
Osmeña said BMO was created to “represent the mayor,” similar to the previous administration's “City Hall at Your Doorstep” program.
Though he promised to look into the complaint to see who can be held liable, Osmeña remained unalarmed by illegal solicitations made by BMOs since no “stealing of money” was involved.
“It's probably their zeal to have a nice presentation so they are asking for help. It's clearly not for pocketing the money; it's for something that's really for a purpose that they thought was appropriate,” he said.
EXPLANATIONS
Interviewed separately, Belciña said the office has not received financial assistance from the solicitations made with the seal of the barangay.
He also said the BMO took back solicitation letters from business establishments that bore the seal when they knew it was prohibited.
Belciña said the Mambaling BMO made another solicitation letter without the seal of the barangay, his signature, and that of Hamis.
He added he's willing to explain the side of the office if there is a need. He was also quick to lace political colors on the move of Go, who allegedly did not assist the barangay's contingent to the Sinulog Grand Parade.
Gador echoed Belciña's statement that the office did not receive money from solicitations. What the group received were water and biscuits for the snacks of the dancers during rehearsals.
Dela Torre explained he only signed the letter in his capacity as choreographer but he did not have a hand in the collection or disbursement of solicited funds.
The solicitation letter in question was also noted by Fr. Mhar Vincent Balili, parish priest of Archdiocesan Shrine of San Roque in Mambaling.
“Richard de la Torre, a parish chapel president and head of the Mambaling Sinulog contigent, sought my assistance for the performers by allowing them to practice at the parish gymnasium and to sign the solicitation letter to help defray the expenses of the contingent,” Balili said.
Balili said he gave his full support because it was for a cultural and religious undertaking.