With holidays over, politics seethes anew in Davao Sur

DIGOS CITY—After the holidays, politics continued to seethe in the province of Davao del Sur with the wife of a detained former governor, blaming their rivals for the ex-governor’s detention for a media murder case, accusing the incumbent governor of wasting public funds.

Rep. Mercedes Cagas (first district), wife of detained former governor Douglas Cagas, said Gov. Claude Bautista has been wasting funds in the guise of Christmas parties.

Douglas is in jail after he was charged with masterminding the murder of journalist Nestor Bedolido.

Speaking over a radio station that her family owns and another radio station here, Mercedes said funds were wasted as Bautista gave cash away to recipients, among them village officials.

Bautista, however, simply laughed off the tirade. The capitol, he said, has not spent any centavo on parties or cash giveaways.

The money he gives to beneficiaries, said the governor, came from his own pocket and his siblings.’

“Business is very good to me and sharing whatever blessing I have is just appropriate,” the governor said.

Bautista’s family owns banana plantations, fishponds and other businesses, including radio stations.

“She always spoils the fun and I can only suspect that she does not want the people to be happy,” said Bautista in reply to Mercedes.

He said the Cagas clan should explain instead where their pork barrel funds went.

In November 2013, then Rep. Marc Douglas and Douglas, also former Davao del Sur representative, were in the second batch of lawmakers sued by the Department of Justice for misuse of public funds, graft and bribery at the Ombudsman.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said based on documents, Douglas Cagas, congressman until 2007, channeled part of his pork to the Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc. (PSDFI), a nongovernment organization identified with detained wheeler dealer Janet Lim-Napoles. Eldie Aguirre, Inquirer Mindanao