Tinga told: “Don’t disown problems you left in Taguig”

“Wag sanang takasan ng dating mayor ng Taguig na si Freddie Tinga ang mga problemang ipinamana niya sa syiudad nung sya ay nanunungkulan pa”.

This was the challenge issued by the camp of incumbent Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano to the son of mayoral candidate and ex-Supreme Court Justice Dante Tiñga whom she defeated in the last elections, in response to claims by the former mayor that crimes in the city is on the rise.

Team Cayetano spokesperson and former Councilor Atty. Darwin Bernabe Icay explained that there was no factual basis to support the claims by defeated Tiñga’s son, now District II Congressman Freddie Tinga.

Icay added that the data released by Taguig police chief, Sr. Supt. Camilo Cascolan in fact revealed otherwise.

The report showed that index crimes this July 2010 registered 105 cases, which are lower than what was recorded during the same month in 2009 with 126 cases when Tiñga was still at the helm.

Index or common crimes include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery and theft.

These false claims by the former mayor, Icay said, were just meant to divert attention from the questionable, multi-million contracts that the Tiñga camp entered into to the disadvantage of the local government.

Among the costly contracts entered by Tiñga and subsequently approved by the City Council were those on garbage collection worth P500 million (half billion); closed circuit television (CCTV) camera worth P80 million; two months worth of unpaid gasoline debts reaching over P7 million and many others.

The former councilor also noted that the price of the CCTV contract was incredulously high, given the fact that nearby cities that have the same project only shelled out P26 million for it.

Aside from sucking the city’s coffers dry, the past administration should also be held accountable for the garbage problem since the contractor approved by the Tiñga-led council runs until September of this year, Atty. Icay said.

“Wala tayong palalagpasin dito, dapat panagutin kung sinu man ang dapat managot sa mga maanumalyang kontratang ito,” he warned.

Icay added that city hall officials in the frontline services are starting to experience the ill-effects of donating nearly 300 city-owned vehicles to barangays allied with Freddie and Dante Tiñga.

“The vehicles would have been of great help in patrolling the city and curbing crime, had these been only used properly,” he claimed.

“Even so, the local government under the new administration is now coordinating with proper authorities in our effort to find solutions to these problems,” he said. ###

FILIPINO VERSION:

“Huwag mong takasan ang problemang iniwan mo sa Taguig”

“Wag sanang takasan ng dating mayor ng Taguig na si Freddie Tinga ang mga problemang iipinamana niya sa syiudad nung sya ay nanunungkulan pa”.

Ito ang hamon ng kampo ni Taguig City Mayor Lani  Cayetano sa anak ng tinalo niyang katunggali nung nakalipas na halalan na si ex-Supreme Court Justice Dante Tinga.

Sa katunayan, ayon kay Team Cayetano spokesperson at dating konsehal Atty. Darwin Bernabe Icay, walang factual basis na magsusuporta sa bintang na tumataas ang kriminalidad sa Taguig. Aniya, ito ay gawa lamang ng iresponsableng grupo ng kalaban sa pulitika.

Taliwas ito sa report na ni-release ng Taguig police chief na si Sr. Supt. Camilo Cascolan, ang dating hepe ng Taguig police na nanungkulan sa panahon ng mga Tinga.

Batay sa datos na galing kay Sr. Supt. Cascolan, ang index crimes nitong Hulyo 2010 (105 cases) ay mas bumaba kumpara sa parehong buwan (126 cases) nung 2009 habang si Tinga pa ang nakaupo.

Ang index crimes ay kinapapalooban ng murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery at theft.

Ayon kay Atty. Icay, ang paratang ng dating mayor ay sinadya para pagtakpan ang mga kuestyionable at baluktot na mga kontratang pinasok ng kampo ni Tinga na sadyang lumimas sa kaban ng bayan Taguig.

Kasama na dito ang mga dambuhalang kontrata na pinasok ni Tinga at inaprubahan ng konseho sa basura na nagkakahalaga sa halos P500 million (kalahating bilyon), closed circuit television (CCTV) camera, P80  million,  at mahigit sa P7 million utang sa gasolina sa nakalipas na dalawang buwan lamang,  at marami pang iba.

Sa kontrata sa CCTV lamang, sinabi ni Atty. Icay na kahinahinala ang laki ng kontratang ito dahil kung ikukumpara sa karatig na bayan na may parehong proyekto, aabot lamang sa P26 million ang ginastos para dito.

Bukod sa nilimas na pondo ng Taguig, hindi dapat maghugas kamay si Freddie sa problema sa basura dahil hanggang Septiembre pa ang kontrata na inaprubahan ng konseho na pawing kaalyado ng dating mayor.

Nabanggit din ang masamang dulot ng pag-donate ng halos 300 sasakyan sa mga barangay na kaalyado ni Freddie at Dante Tinga.

Aniya, malaking tulong sana sa pagpapatrolya at pagsupil ng kriminalidad ng buong syiudad ang mga sasakyan kung ito ay nagagamit sa tamang paraan.

“Gayun pa man, puspusan na ang ating pakikipagusap at pagkilos upang mahanapan na ng solusyon ang mga problemang ito,” ani Icay. ###