The House Committee on Public Accounts issued a show cause order against Mayor Joedith Gallego of Silay City, Negros Occidental, for failure to appear at its hearing on Monday, Feb. 3, Rep. Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod) said.
The committee is investigating alleged irregularities in the procurement process of more than P1 billion in infrastructure and other projects in Silay City.
Paduano, committee chair, said Gallego’s citing the state of Kanlaon Volcano and Silay City’s having been chosen as an evacuation site as the reason for his absence is an unacceptable excuse.
“He must be present at the next hearing or ill have him subpoenaed or the committee could cite him in contempt,” Paduano said.
Silay City Legal Officer Janus Jarder, who remains at large, also failed to appear at the hearing, Paduano said.
The police served a contempt order at Jarder’s residence in Silay City on Jan. 6 but he was not there and has not been found.
Jarder was cited for contempt twice for alleged lying and for being evasive in answering questions during a Committee on Public Accounts hearing in December.
Gallego issued a written order for Jarder to comply with the contempt order and report to Congress but he failed to comply, Paduano said.
Jarder can be charged with insubordination for failure to comply with the mayor’s order to report to Congress and after 30 working days he can be declared absent without leave (AWOL) and dismissed, he said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government Legal Department said the 30 days started Jan. 2 when Gallego issued a memorandum to Jarder to report to Congress, Paduano said
Paduano said they will seek the opinion of the House Legal Department for the possible filing of a disbarment case versus Jarder. The grounds would be his failure as an officer of the court to follow orders from the mayor and House to appear before the Committee on Public Accounts, Paduano said.
The Land Bank of the Philippines has suspended the release of the rest of the more than P1 billion loan of Silay City pending the outcome of the Committee on Public Accounts’ hearing, Paduano said.
If there is an adverse finding by the committee the bank will not release the funds for the SIlay City Government Center, City College and market, Paduano said.
Paduano said he advised Silay Vice Mayor Thomas Maynard Ledesma and the personal legal counsel of Gallego, who were present at the hearing, to stop demolishing the Silay market and transferring the vendors.
Paduano said the Silay City government failed to secure a clearance from the National Historical Commission for the demolition of the market.
More hearings on the Silay projects will be conducted during the break if the House Speaker allows it, Paduano said*