Who should take credit for Cebu province’s financial standing as the wealthiest in the country in the 2014 report of the Commission on Audit?
With equity of P26.1 billion – the value of all its assets minus liabilities – Cebu province topped the list of 80 provinces in the annual COA Financial Report.
Former governor Gwen Garcia, said the wealth was “inherited” from her administration before she was elected congresswoman of the 3rd district.
Gov. Hilario Davide III said on the contrary, Garcia was “bleeding our coffers dry” before she was suspended on Dec. 19, 2012 for six months for grave abuse of authority by the Office of the President.
Read how each official sizes up the issue:
Rep. Gwen Garcia:
Gov. Hilario Davide does not have bragging rights about the Capitol’s robust fiscal standing now in terms of equity and assets, because the P28 billion is merely an inherited value from my administration.
Last August, he dared me to prove that Cebu was number one during my term, telling reporters that “it was just in her imagination.”
And now he says “Wow! That is such good news” as a response to the current COA report? Cebu had always been number one based on COA financial performance reports during all those years that I served as governor.
In fact, it was in my first term that we increased the P5 billion assets of the province to what is now P28 billion. In other words, that value was merely inherited from my time.
He can check the report, check out the facts. Claiming that the province was bankrupt when he took over (in 2013) was a brazen lie. In the same way, pretending not to know anything about those political sloganeering banners at the CICC which have now boomeranged against him is another brazen lie.
This administration has started with a lie. They continue to lie, taking the Cebuanos for fools.
Naanad nag pamakak. Pero ang nakalisod sa bakak kay moabot ra ang panahon nga mabuking.
Governor JunJun Davide:
We are in a better position now that we could ever have been under Gwen Garcia.
Remember, the province was fortunate the former governor was suspended when she was (in December 2012) because she was already bleeding our coffers dry.
The healthy state of our resources is a testament to the good sense of fiscal management of acting governor Agnes Magpale during Gwen Garcia’s suspension and in this administration. The financial standing is brought about by giving our officers the full trust and confidence they deserve.
We don’t need Garcia’s false sense of self and all baggage that comes with it. We need someone who can bring us all together to work together. That is not Winston or Gwen.
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