Gamboa to cooperate with SP investigation, but…

Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr., during the interpellation after his privilege speech last March 23, 2022, described the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) Resolution authored by Councilor Archie Baribar “to Investigate the Alleged Cancellation of a Public Hearing Set Last March 8, 2022 and to Create a Committee for Said Purpose” as INAPPROPRIATE and FRIVOLOUS because the Title of the said Resolution is not congruent to its “whereases” – but is willing to cooperate and respect the collegial decision of the body.

A Public Hearing was scheduled on March 8, 2022 at 1:30 PM relative to the Gamboa approved Resolution No. 82, Series of 2022, “Respectfully requesting an explanation from the management of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) on the Local Tax imposed on its member-owner-consumers posted January 2022 billing”, but which was cancelled without prior Notice of Cancellation through the intervention of Baribar.

Gamboa explained that this investigation resolution, authored by Baribar, cumbersomely creating a committee to investigate “an allegation” are the most common form of rationalization and could be among the proofs that the alleged intervention to cancel the March 8, 2022 Public Hearing on the “Local Tax” with the Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CENECO), indeed existed.

He likewise clarified that his privilege speech said it all; he has an open-communication lines with the CENECO management who are more than willing and ready to explain the “Local Tax” issue early that day of March 8, 2022, much to his consternation, however, that a letter response to his said Public Hearing from CENECO dated March 7, 2022 was subsequently received by the SP Secretariat 10:30 AM of March 8.

Gamboa stressed that the said CENECO letter response to (his) Resolution 82 series of 2022 has a “Dear Councilor Baribar” opening greetings, inferring that “I smell something fishy here”.

He added, in any investigation, the fact remained that Baribar was nowhere in the picture when the resolution was taken up and approved in February 9, 2022, in the afternoon of March 7, a piece of information was received that the public hearing was cancelled by the SP Secretariat, they cannot issue a Notice of Cancellation, and a “Dear Councilor Baribar” letter was received.

Baribar had a meltdown when nothing can be gleaned from Gamboa to produce proof of his intervention except an “I will neither confirm nor deny” answer following the courtroom antics of forcing him to answer a “yes or no” question, also and interrupting the latter (Gamboa) numerous times.

Gamboa said that Baribar appeared to be converting the august halls of the SP into a courtroom by forcing him to answer the way he wanted to; the former (Gamboa) simply took the words of the SP Secretary Atty. Vicente Petierrre III at face value, “that a phone call was received from Baribar.”

Baribar’s media interview clearly confirmed that he communicated with the SP Secretariat, questioned them about “a Public Hearing of the Energy Committee” and “Nga waay nag-agi sa akon” (that this matter did not pass or referred to him officially), an indication that Baribar threw his weight behind the SP Secretariat to cancel the scheduled public hearing.* (VAM)