By SHIELA MAE BUTLIG
Correspondent
MISAMIS Oriental Vice Gov. Jeremy Jonahmar Pelaez and members of the provincial board reached a stalemate on who has the power to name a replacement of their secretary.
Tension gripped the provincial board Monday as Pelaez and provincial board member Dexter Yasay exchanged heated words as they argued over the question on who is the appointing authority.
Yasay cited the rules of the provincial board to assert that the legislative body should appoint a temporary board secretary in the absence of lawyer Ernesto Sotto.
But Pelaez stood his ground, asserting that the Local Government of 1991 provides that the appointment can only come from the vice governor.
Although documents were still being signed by him, Sotto’s continued absence caught the ire of provincial board members. Last week, they decided that they should choose a temporary provincial board secretary.
When Yasay broached the idea of the provincial board appointing a temporary board secretary, Pelaez shut him down by asserting that only the vice governor, the administrative authority of the board, is mandated to choose the board secretary based on the Local Government Code of 1991. It was unclear, however, what specific provision in the Code he was referring to.
As the officials argued, provincial board member Wayne Militante butted in and told Pelaez to just let Yasay finish his speech. If not, Militante said, Pelaez can opt to suspend the house rules.
Pelaez shot back: ”Ayaw pag singgit-singgit kay wala baya ’ta naulit dani.”
After a few minutes of exchanges and raised voices, Pelaez declared a recess.
“How can we hear each other kung nag-duet mong duha (Pelaez and Yasay)?” a visibly irked provincial board member Gerardo Sabal III spoke out loud during the recess.
Sabal told his fellow legislators that they were not “elementary students.” He also said Pelaez should regard the provincial board members as his co-equals.
“We are not perfect in this world,” Pelaez replied.
When the regular session resumed, Yasay pointed to the provincial board’s Internal Rule No. 11 that states that in the absence of a provincial secretary, the members of the board would choose who will serve as secretary.
But Pelaez again asserted that only the administrative authority, the vice governor, can choose who can replace Sotto based on the law.
Hearing this, Yasay suggested that they divide the house, and provincial board member Nancy Madjos said she agreed with Yasay.
Pelaez, however, rejected the idea even as he told the provincial board members: “If you question my authority, wala ta’y problema. You can ask any agency kung ensakto ba akong gibuhat o dili,” Pelaez told members of the board.
He also told the provincial board members challenge the legality of his position before a court if they wanted to.
Pelaez declared another recess and subsequently adjourned the session without a ruling on the question of who should appoint Sotto’s temporary replacement.
After the session, Sabal said: “Naa na mi napili pero dili man siya (Pelaez) mamati. Dili man siya maminaw sa among suggestion.”
