TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero lashed out at his critics for their ‘witch hunting’ activities and early politicking that have projected a negative image of the city from the perception of the people inside and outside the province over the past several months.
The first-term city chief executive claimed the series of accusations against him on the alleged overpriced purchase of thermal scanners, relief goods among others are obviously politically motivated because his detractors tried to project that the said transactions were questionable even without the conclusive report of the Commission on Audit (COA) which has the sole jurisdiction in determining whether or not such purchases were not done pursuant to established guidelines.
“We believe the accusations being repeatedly hurled against us on the alleged overpriced thermal scanners, relief goods among others are premature because the COA, the government agency tasked to audit purchases and other transactions, is still evaluating and assessing the same, thus, there is still no substantial basis for the filing of the cases against us,” Mayor Estrañero stressed.
The city mayor claimed his detractors are obviously desperate in finding the faults of his administration as reliable sources informed him that his critics will question every transaction that will be entered by the city to reportedly exhaust his resources and weaken his re-election bid.
However, Estrañero emphasized he will sustain the gains that the city have achieved when he assumed the city’s mayoralty post last year because it is the welfare of the city’s populace that matters through the efficient and effective delivery of basic services.
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According to him, it is unfortunate he is being subjected to trial by publicity in the social media but such allegations are being addressed based on established rules and regulations governing the different transactions that are also subject to review, evaluation and assessment by COA.
Mayor Estrañero stated his detractors are desperately doing everything they could to discredit him before the city’s constituency but they are also facing alleged corruption charges from individuals that they reportedly victimized in the past.
He assured the city residents that despite the efforts of his detractors to continue discrediting him by their alleged falsehoods, the delivery of basic services by the city government and the implementation of priority development projects will not be hampered or unduly delayed because he will still prioritize the interest of the greater majority of the populace.
The mayor rallied the people not to be carried away by their emotions in judging the malicious falsehoods of his detractors but for them to analyse all aspects of the issues being raised before coming out with conclusions based on what is true and factual.
He revealed the city government will continue providing the needed services to the people amidst the efforts of some quarters to ruin the momentum that was achieved because public service will remain at the hierarchy of needs over and above the personal and political interest of the officialdom.
By Hent
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