By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent .
MISAMIS Oriental provincial board member President Elipe on Wednesday denied being the brains behind the local legislature’s move to strip Vice Gov. Jose Mari Pelaez of his authority to augment funds.
Elipe also denied that the author of the resolution that clipped Pelaez’s powers, provincial board member Erik Khu, was given directions by him.
On Monday, the provincial board voted to take back the authority it gave Pelaez to use funds set aside for specific items in the legislative department for other purposes whenever the need arises. Pelaez and his brother Jeremy, a provincial board member, decried the move and called it a form of political persecution.
Elipe was among the provincial board members who voted in favor of Khu’s motion. He said he voted for it because he found Khu’s reason to be correct.
Elipe said it did not come as a surprise to him that Pelaez would blame him for the provincial board’s move.
“Kung iya kung gidudahan, dili nako matingala ana kay kontra gud ko sa iyang manghod. Kon dili ko kontra sa iyang manghod, dili tingali ko niya dudahan,” he said.
An appointed replacement of the late provincial board member Mario Emano, Elipe is the running mate of his brother-in-law, reelectionist Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano.
The Pelaez brothers have joined the ticket of Gov. Emano’s challenger, ex-vice governor Julio Uy. Vice Gov. Pelaez is running for congressman in the province’s 1st District while his younger brother Jeremy is Uy’s running mate.
Elipe said all the vice governor needs to do if he wants to augment certain funds in the provincial board is to ask for it. “Kon mangayo siya’g authority to augment funds, amo siyang hatagan basta maklaro asa niya i-augment ang pundo nga gisalig niya,” he said.
Meanwhile, Elipe explained that the provincial board did not remove the authority of Gov. Emano to augment funds because the legislative department cannot tell the executive department which funds to augment.
“Ang budget sa Sangguniang Panlalawigan dapat masayod kami asa kini gigasto sa vice governor kay sa amo man nga deparment kana nga pundo pero dili man kami under sa opisina sa gobernador kay legislative body man kami. Mao nang dili kami makapanghilabot sa pundo sa buhatan sa gobernador nga aprobado na atol sa deliberation sa budget,” said Elipe.
Khu also denied getting directions from Elipe.
He said that Pelaez was absent during this week’s session of the provincial board was only incidental. He said his proposal was No. 10 in the agenda and so, Pelaez knew about it.
“Wala ko gisugo. Magpasugo-sugo lugar ko? Unsa may pagtoo nya nako wa koy buot?” Khu asked rhetorically. (with a report from Shiela Mae Butlig)
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