UNA says graft case vs Cebu Gov. Garcia a form of political harassment

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. INQUIRER PHOTO

Manila, Philippines— The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) hit the filing of a graft case against Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, saying the move was a form of political harassment.

“The cruel and conspicuous timing of the filing of the graft case and the impending suspension of Governor Garcia appears to be more political harassment than a genuine desire to rid the government of scalawags,” said UNA spokesperson, lawyer JV Bautista, in a statement Friday.

On Thursday, the Office of the Ombudsman charged Garcia with two counts of graft and one count of illegal use of public funds at the Sandiganbayan for the purchase of Balili Estate for 99 million in 2008 for a housing project. It turned out that 19 hectares of the 24.9 Balili Estate were under water.

Seven other Cebu officials who were also involved in the province’s purchase of the said estate were also charged with graft. The Ombudsman said the officials lied about the real condition of the land and disregarded findings that more than half of it is under water to ensure passage of a provincial board resolution authorizing Garcia to enter into the deal.

Bautista lamented how the news of Garcia’s suspension only surfaced when she was declared an official senatorial candidate of UNA, and warned of a possible pattern of harassment of local officials sympathetic to UNA by government officials “more loyal to their party than their offices.”

“Governor Auring Cerilles of Zamboanga, whose sympathies are with UNA, is also reportedly another target of harassment. Local executives are being threatened if they refuse to join the ruling party. The on-going rigodon of police, fire, and prison officials, who are not aligned with their political supporters, shows that the dirty tricks being played are not confined to the elected officials,” Bautista said.

Bautista also urged the administration of President Benigno Aquino III to “shun” political harassment and persecution lest they risk losing “the moral high ground from where it claims to draw popular support.”

“Electoral contests must be fought with dignity and high principles, not with harassment and dirty tricks,” Bautista said.

Bautista, in a press conference at the Coconut Palace on Thursday, had also warned against a possible suspension order for Garcia from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and called on the DILG to “address more important matters than the political harassment of local officials.”

“We just want to give fair warning that UNA is not going to take this sitting down. Narinig po kasi namin that the possible suspension of the governor would be coming from no less than the DILG. We hope that the DILG will take care more of governance, and peace and order, and other things that need to be looked after rather than the political harassment of local officials who are doing well but who have decided or opted to run in the senatorial slate of UNA who does not happen to be an administration party,” Bautista said.