VILLAGE CHIEFTAINS AFFIRM COTABATO CITY PROGRESS By Dom Cusain

AT LEAST 28 village leaders have expressed solidarity with Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema in affirming the obvious and meaningful progress that the city has enjoyed over the past 8 years.

Meeting on February 14 at the New City Hall – itself the iconic symbol of development – the officials took turn in denying the claim made by ex-Congressman Didagen Dilangalen that the city is declining.

Last week, the former solon stated over radio station DXMS that if not for him, there would be no projects in the city.

Gabby Usman, chairman of Bagua 2, remarked that the two steel bridges erected in his village under the term of Mayor Sema overshadow all other projects completed by agencies aside from the city government.

Chairman Rodolfo Pesante of RH 9 asserted that it is only under Mayor Sema that a road was opened to finally link the said village to RH 8.

Similarly, Tamontaka 5 village chieftain Guiani Diocolano praised the city mayor for completing Pagalamatan Bridge and the Cotabato City-Kabuntalan road.

Through this, Diocolano said, residents of the easternmost part of the city do not have to ride boats and take the circuitous route in Taviran just to reach the city. He also thanked the electrification project of the city mayor in the contiguous villages of Tamontaka 2, 3, 4 & 5.

All the rest were unanimous in saying that significant projects have spawned truly meaningful development in their respective villages and this development spawned the influx of migrants from nearby areas as evidenced by the thousands of new houses constructed this past 8 years.

Surprisingly, some village leaders expressed wonder on the real status of the multicab vehicles given them by Congressman Zeny Dilangalen.

They complained that the MR (memorandum receipt) and registration of said vehicles are with the local government of Upi, Shariff Kabunsuan Province. Perry Palacala of Bagua complained that they have difficulty in making trip tickets when using the multicab.

He also wanted to be clarified as to what agency will take care of registration and insurance of those vehicles for year 2007. Some also doubted the absence of a memorandum of agreement between the city government and the Muncipality of Upi which appears, based on the MRs, as the grantor of the vehicles.

It was also raised whether Upi was in the best position to donate vehicles when its villages do not have their own Mayor Sema explained that it was precisely for these dubious circumstances that he did not personally accept the vehicles. He stressed that he objected to the absence of bidding process for the said vehicles.

Relatedly, the Commission on Audit has already instructed through a letter dated Feb. 7, City Accountant Primitivo Glimada, Jr to “book-up to their respective book of accounts of the 37 villages the said multi-cabs”.

The documents appear incomplete since even the MRs do not bear either the date or cost of acquisition. Interestingly, the city accountant has to request first the municipal mayor of Upi to get documents pertinent to the delivery of said vehicles. (Mindanao Examiner)