Village official hits Pamintuan camp

A village official here has assailed the camp of Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan for questioning the credibility of barangay leaders in connection with the job order employees issue.

“Napakababa ng tingin nila sa aming mga barangay official,” said Barangay Lourdes Northwest kagawad and Councilmen’s League of Angeles City (CLAC) Vice President for External Affairs William David.

The Pamintuan administration has included the relatives of several barangay officials in the list of job order employees without their knowledge, according to David.

“Tinatawag nila kaming sinungaling at kinekwestiyon ang aming kredibilidad,” David said, “Ano ba ang ibig sabihin ng ‘kredibilidad’ para sa kanila? Yun lang bang mayayaman na tulad nila ang mayroong kredibilidad o ang mga mahihirap na tapat na nagseserbisyo sa publiko?”

Earlier, David, along with several other barangay officials, aired their complaints regarding the inclusion of their relatives in the payroll of the Pamintuan administration’s job order employees, even when their relatives had no knowledge about it and have never received any salary from the City Government.

Pamintuan’s camp has previously denied such allegations and claimed that the documents containing the job order appointments, in which the names of the barangay officials’ relatives are listed, may have been forged.

“Nagbabanta pa sila sa radyo na idedemanda kaming mga kagawad,” David said, “Ang hamon ko sa kanila, kung talagang totoo ang sinasabi nila at kami ang nagsisinungaling, bakit hindi pa sila magdemanda ng tuluyan. Hindi na nila kailangang ulit-ulitin sa radyo ang pagbabanta nila.”

David challenged the Pamintuan camp to explain how all 40 names of the job order employees under the Philhealth Program of the Office of the Mayor ended up being names of relatives and friends of barangay officials, none of whom knew about their inclusion in the job order appointments.

“Kung isang pangalan lang yun, pwede pang sabihin na kapangalan lang ng asawa o kapatid ng kagawad,” said David, “Pero kung lahat ng pangalan sa listahan ay kamag-anak ng kagawad na hindi naman alam na nakalista pala sila bilang JO, siguro naman hindi na natin masasabing nagkataon lang ito.”

“Mali ba na magkomento at ilaban ng mga kagawad ang kanilang Karapatan ngayong ginagamit sa katiwalian ang pangalan namin at ng aming mga kamag-anak?” David said.

Earlier, Barangay Cutcut kagawad and CLAC Vice President Roy Ogurida and Barangay Salapungan Kagawad Renato Coronel also released a statement denying any knowledge about the inclusion of the names of their sister and wife, respectively, in the list of job order employees.

by; Reynaldo Navales

EdPam sees ‘close fight;’ Tarzan says ‘no contest’

Mayor Edgardo “EdPam” Pamintuan noted recently that the fight for the mayoralty post here will be “close” and “will not be a walk in the park” as he takes on the challenge posed by first district Representative Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin.

Pamintuan, who is seeking reelection, and Lazatin, who has shifted his sights from the congressional bid to the mayoralty seat he once occupied, have been in tangles recently, exchanging brickbats and hurling accusations at each other even before the filing of certificates of candidacy, and have reached the point of a call for a public debate.

During the recent “Kapihan with EdPam” at a coffee shop in Balibago, the incumbent mayor told media: “It will be a close fight in 2013. I’m sure 45 days before election time ay bakbakan na. That is, kung aabot siya [Lazatin]. It will not be a walk in the park though. I know that.”

“Tatalunin ko siya. Napasubo siya sa akin. He knows and Angeleños know that everything I promised, I delivered,” said Pamintuan.

However, Lazatin’s chief aide, IC Calaguas, shrugged off Pamintuan’s statements.
She said: “To us, it remains ‘no contest’ at all. The accomplishments of Representative Lazatin will speak for themselves kahit sinasabi ng kabilang kampo na hindi siya umiikot. That’s precisely the reason. Sila ang dapat umikot because our record proves that in the recent congressional race, we got 80,000 votes from Angeles City alone, considering the city has an estimated 150,000 voters. And our supporters are still there.”

“No contest,” Calaguas told Sun.Star Pampanga on Tuesday.

On the challenge for a public debate, Pamintuan said, “A debate is fine with me but I will not be the one to initiate it. At this point, I continue to work and as much as possible, leave politics behind. But because of the many accusations the Lazatin camp is throwing against me, I had to go on air [at dwRW 95.1 FM’s Talakayan recently] to clear them because there is no truth whatsoever to the opposing camps’ allegations.”
“Wala akong ginawang masama sa kanya. But Tarzan is Tarzan and Edpam is Edpam. I do not lie,” Pamintuan said.

But Calaguas said Lazatin is ready for a debate “anytime, anywhere.”
“The congressman is ready. Basta clear ang topics and the ground rules and regulations are laid down. Of course, Rep. Lazatin would want to tackle the corruption and bankruptcy issues the most. Para ma-settle na rin nila lahat and to prove who’s really lying and who’s not,” Calaguas said.

by; Jovi De Leon