Iloilo governor, DILG exec avoid junket

ILOILO CITY—The province’s highest ranking official and a top provincial official of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) are staying away from the controversial convention of village chiefs in areas in the province hit by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in a mall in Manila this weekend.

Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor and Teodora Sumagaysay, provincial DILG director, will not attend the convention to which they had been invited to be main speakers.

“I will not attend the convention to be consistent with my earlier stand,” Defensor told Inquirer.

Sumagaysay said she, too, will not attend the convention in line with the position of the DILG in Western Visayas for village chiefs to avoid excessive and unnecessary spending and for them to give priority to rehabilitation efforts, especially in areas worst hit by Yolanda.

“I can deliver my message in Iloilo where more people can hear it,” said Sumagaysay.

Defensor has also withheld the P200,000 in regular subsidy for conventions of the Liga ng Barangay provincial chapter.

Other projects

He said the subsidy will instead be given in support of other projects and activities of the village officials’ group.

“I cannot stop them from pursuing their trip. They will be answerable to the people,” said the governor.

Defensor earlier advised the village chiefs to hold their provincial convention, set on March 22- 24, in Iloilo instead of at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

He had pointed out that the province, especially the northern towns, are still reeling from the devastation of Yolanda, the world’s strongest storm in recent memory.

The Inquirer sent text messages on Wednesday to Board Member Jeneda Salcedo-Orendain, president of the Liga ng Barangay (village) in Iloilo, asking for an interview but she didn’t reply.

A call was made on her mobile phone but it was turned off.

In an earlier interview, however, Orendain said the village officials’ trip would provide an opportunity for them to visit government offices and agencies and interact and learn lessons from their counterparts in Manila on how to deal with disasters.

‘Ondoy’ lessons

Village officials of Manila, Orendain earlier said, could share lessons on how they dealt with the effects of Tropical Storm “Ondoy.”

But various critics have pointed out that except on its last day on March 24, a Monday, the three-day convention falls on a weekend when government offices are closed.

The Manila convention of the provincial chapter has also drawn criticisms from nongovernment organizations, church officials and news organizations in Iloilo who view the trip as a junket.

The registration for each participant is P16,800 excluding travel expenses. The expenses will be taken from barangay funds, according to Orendain.

Village chiefs from several towns, including Estancia, Calinog and Janiuay, will not attend the convention due to lack of funds and as a result of Yolanda.