Gov dispels rumor on stance in special polls

Gov dispels rumor on stance in special polls
by Angel Baybay / MP PIO

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Amidst the growing political unrest, provincial governor Maximo Dalog took time to answer accusations on his alleged negative stance for the conduct of a special election to fill up the post of the late congressman Victor Dominguez.The prevailing political atmosphere has seeded a cloud of suspicion and distrust between and among local political bigwigs. Among the many suspicions circulating is Dalog’s supposed opposition to the holding of a special election.In his weekly program at the local radio station, the governor stated that he is not against the holding of an election for the people to choose who will fill up the vacant post. “Just like all citizens of the pro-vince, I share the belief that the authority to decide who will occupy any elective post resides in the people. In fact, I did not oppose the earlier moves by provincial officials and other groups when they sought an audience with officials of the Lower House asking them to come out with a legislation to set the parameters of the election. But it was unfortunate that the problem on funds to bankroll the expenses of an election dimmed the collective efforts,” he said.With the problem on where to source out the needed funding, the office of the sangguniang panlalawigan forwarded to the governor’s office an excerpt of their meeting requesting Congress for the passage of a legislation for the conduct of a special election and providing among other things that the provincial government will shoulder the financial requirement for the election. But aware of the threat of some groups to sue the governor should he use any amount from the provincial coffers for a political exercise that should be funded by the national government, he referred the matter to the provincial attorney for his legal opinion. “It was this specific question of whether or not it is legal to use funds of the provincial government and not whether or not it is legal to hold a special election that was referred to the provincial legal officer,” Dalog said, refuting allegations that his decision to seek the advice of the legal officer is a delaying tactic to ward off the attempts of some groups lobbying for the special election.The provincial attorney, however, refused to act on the matter until a copy of a resolution supporting the excerpt of the meeting signed by majority of the members of the local legislative body will be furnished his office.“I hope this will dispel the growing suspicion that I am against the holding of an election. I may have lobbied for the assignment of a caretaker congressman but this does not mean denying the people their right of choice. A caretaker is one who will temporarily oversee the concerns of the congressional district until a replacement has been chosen,” Dalog said.