Ethics body to Militar:
Tell all or be suspended
The Davao City Council committee on ethics and good governance has warned it would mete sanctions on former floor leader councilor Bonifacio Militar if he could not back his accusation that some councilors are making money out of local legislation.
Councilor Diosdado Mahipus, chair of the anti-graft.body, said Militar could be reprimanded or expelled if he cannot justify his accusation in the letter of resignation as floor leader, that some councilors are engaged in shady deals.
No show
Mahipus aired the warning as the committee held its first committee hearing on the Militar charge on Wednesday.. Militar, who is on sick leave, did not attend the hearing. Mahipus admitted yesterday that without Militar, the hearing could not take off. He also said Militar did not name the councilors he accused of graft in his resignation letter.
Militar also did not attend the Tuesday regular session of the council where he said earlier he would unleash his bombshell. In a previous radio interview, Militar had said “a councilor from the Third District” was the broker of the shady deals.
The chair of the ethics committee bared options available to the committee as committee member councilor Leonardo Avila asked what the ethics body could do if Militar refuses to attend hearings to divulge the names of the mulcting councilors.
Irresponsible act
Mahipus said the least of the options could be a reprimand slapped on Militar for “irresponsible act” if he would not support his allegation before the ethics body.
He also said the committee could recommend his suspension for the irresponsible act that damaged the image of the city council and its members.
Mahipus however said the committee would no go to the worst scenario of recommending the expulsion of Militar, saying it would be too harsh. He also dismissed the idea of asking the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct a probe, as Militar did not name names in his letter of resignation.
But Mahipus said the ethics body might terminate action on the charge if Militar pushes through with his plan to use the council session to defend his allegation and name the unnamed councilors he referred in his resignation letter.
Give him time
Councilor Rachel Zozobrado, a member of the committee, said the ethics body should stretch its patience and allow time for Militar to attend the hearings. She said she knew Militar had a reputation to protect and would not dish out false accusations.
Militar reportedly on sick leave up to March 3, would be attending the session the following day next week.
Mahipus said he was not discounting the Militar charge was in retaliation against those behind his losing the floor leadership, which he said is unfair. Two weeks ago, over persistent talks he would be ousted, Militar, who has been replaced as floor leader by councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, jumped the gun on the plotters by turning in a resignation letter.
Legislation for a fee
In the letter, Militar said he was resigning as some councilors are forcing him to bend rules to accommodate certain legislation that apparently had price tags.
Councilor Nilo Abellera yesterday attended the hearing to clarify a privilege speech he delivered on the day the Militar resignation letter was read on the floor. Abellera took exception to media reports that a caller had told him on the phone about a housing developer who coughed up P1.5 million to a councilor in exchange for approval by the council of a permit. Abellera told the hearing the caller, a man, did not give his name and did not say that the bribe money came from a housing developer.
Filed under: City councilors, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, corruption | Tagged: city council, corruption, mahipus, militar
