Mangaldan Dads turned around; support Mayor Bona’s P40 M Loan

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN – The long drawn schism between this town’s mayor and the majority of the members of the Sanggunian Bayan (town council) on the former plan to borrow P40 million at the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) has finally been over.

UPSIDES: Mangaldan Mayor Bona De Vera-
Parayno explains the upsides of the P40 million loan. 
She was with the members
of the town council who called the committee hearing
at the public market of the bustling town.

In the May 4 meeting attended by the lawmakers at the residence in Dagupan City of Mayor Bona Fe de Vera-Parayno, the majority of the lawmakers agreed among themselves to deliberate on the resolution and facilitate a public hearing on the request by the mayor to borrow the sum for the construction of the Phase 2 of the gutted by fire public market in 2009.

Sans Vice Mayor Manuel Casupang and Councilor Joel Meneses all the members of the August Body were at the palatial home of the mayor in Brgy. Bonu-an – Binloc in the city.

They were councilors Ma. Theresa Abalos, Atty. Pedro Surdilla, Bernabe D. Cervas, Alfredo M. Soriano, and Alfredo Leo M. Fabia.

“Councilors Roberto and Juvy Frialde and Manuel Cabrera have told us that they supported the move to start the discussion tomorrow of the loan that have been put in the backburner,” one of the town officials who were in attendance told this paper.

 Casupang and Meneses on the May 5 session of the SB vigorously opposed the loans.

EMOTIONS ARE HIGH:Vice Mayor Manny Casupang 
argues the downsides of the P40 Million.

But a political spectator who asked anonymity said the noise incessantly raised by the duo would be a shout in the wilderness since most of the members of the SB have already turned around and pledged their support to Parayno to expedite the loan.

The P40 million has been a sticky and acrimonious issue between the mayor and the SB headed by the vice mayor as the members procrastinate, without a convincing reason before, to pass a resolution for the mayor to contract the sum.

The P40 million has been part of the P100 million package approved by the LBP under the administration of then mayors Herminio Romero and Berex Abalos for this town to use in the construction of the Phases 1 and 2 of its public market

So far it was only Phase 1 that has been built through the first P60 million loans. Its construction was done under the administration of Romero.

The SB has been receiving flaks from various quarters who questioned why they would not allow Parayno to enter in a loan when the council approved the resolutions for then mayors Romero and Abalos to borrow at LBP.

Aside from the former vendors who were dislocated in their stalls after the old market was gutted by fire, the Phase 1 has been generating funds by three folds for the coffer of this town.

“Why would they not allow me to construct the Phase 2 when it would be self liquidating and will spike new revenues for the town from the rents the stall holders would be paying to the town?” Mayor Parayno posed to Northern Watch.

According to Juan Garcia, the market administrator, the town has paid LBP P10 million as amortization last year.

He added that Phase 1 earns more than P1 million a month from the rents of the stall holders there.

“It means kumikita ng more than P12 million a year ang Phase 1 para sa loan where the town did not subsidize it from its other sources of revenues. Ganoon din ang mangyayari sa mga meat section and others sa Phase 2 pag na aprobahan ang loan, self liquidating uli iyon. Mangaldan is doing good for its projects unlike other towns that borrowed money to build big municipal halls just to massage the ego of their elected officials and leave their taxpayers carry the burden of amortization,” the  source said.