By Mortz C. Ortigoza
STA. BARBARA – This robust P380 million annually budgeted local
government in Central Pangasinan has thrived aesthetically and economically that its former mayor
could not accept it, the incumbent chief executive told this newspaper.
“Three hundred eighty
million pesos (P380 million). Dati P240 million pag upo ko. Hindi niya
matanggap iyon, “reelectionist Mayor Joel delos Santos cited the present annual budget of the local government he steered since he became the chief executive here in June 2019.
He is pitted with the politically seasoned come backing mayorship candidate Lito Zaplan for the May 9, 2022 election. Zaplan has been the chief executive of this town for decades.
REELECTIONIST Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan Mayor Joel delos Santos (left, photo) and rival former Mayor Lito Zaplan. The duo and their supporters have been hurling charges in a tense election as the May 9 D-Day approaches.
Delos Santos confirmed the observation of people in and out
of Sta. Barbara that he aesthetically developed its park and gymnasium in three years’ stint after he
beat by 147 votes the son and namesake of his rival in the 2019 election.
The town now has more or less 50,000 registered voters.
“Rehabilitation of our
plaza pinagtatanggal iyan. Nilinisan pinalawak, tinabunan, gumawa ako ng bagong
stage may mga bleachers, inayos ang surrounding, pavemented lahat, tapos
landscape”.
He allocated P40 million of the P130 million loan in
the Land Bank to the plaza.
“Forty million pesos
(P40 million) only. Taliwas sa sinasabi niya na P130 million”.
He cited the P80 million renovation of the Santa Barbara Gymnasium
that swell from its former size by converting it to a 3,000 square meters’
building foot prints that could accommodate 5,000 occupants.
He rebutted Zaplan who accused him of giving false reports to the media about the overpricing of the plaza funded by the loan the
local government unit contracted from the bank.
“Yes! Siya din noong
pag upo iya nag loan kami P100 million. Now sini single out niya doon sa P130
million plaza lang. Kabobohan! Plaza at gym,” the former vice mayor –turned
– mayor pugnaciously said.
He cited too the solar project seated on a 27-hectare in
Barangay Erfe here he interceded to materialize.
It is owned by the Manaoag Solar whose former partner was
Manila based businessman Joey de Venecia.
Delos Santos cited that the P40 million of the P380 million
annual appropriation budget this year come from the local taxes of this first
class town.
P21 to P25 million of it came from the real property yearly tax of the giant liquor maker’s Ginebra San Miguel. The other revenues come from RC Cola and Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, Inc., and other.
With his determination to end the electoral return of the
Zaplans - where their matriarch became a mayor here, too – the Mayor boasted
that the two village chiefs (Kapitans) and his allies became nine, the then 37
village councilors and allies became 1,000 now, and the 300 political leaders swell to 1,300.
“Bawas na sa kanya. Kapitan meron na siyang tanod may
BHW may hawak siya senior citizens malamang pupunta na sa akin iyon. Okay
iyong kagawad from 57 to 100 merong 63 na dumagdag. O ilan na iyan? Mag-aanak pa
iyan pamilya nila. Multiply by three babawas sa kanya dadagdag sa akin”.
Delos Santos
confidently told this writer that he will easily defeat the patriarch of the
Zaplans in winning the votes of the 50,000 registered voters here.
He said the block voting Iglesia ni Cristo (InC) will
support him because he is the incumbent.
But as of press time, reports received by this newspaper
showed that Zaplan got the support of the block voting sect.
The religious Delos Santos is a Southern Baptist and
licensed architect.
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