Liloan VM files admin plaint vs Frasco

For allegedly distributing P3 million in scholarship grants without an appropriation ordinance, Liloan Mayor Vincent “Duke” Frasco is facing administrative complaints before the Provincial Board (PB).

On Friday last week, Vice Mayor Lucelito Pilapil filed complaints of grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, and conduct unbecoming of a public official against Frasco.

Pilapil’s affidavit was referred to the PB Committee on Complaints and Investigation in yesterday’s regular session.

He also asked the PB to place Frasco under preventive suspension to prevent undue influence on witnesses or evidence.

The vice mayor claimed that what was irregular in the distribution of the grant under the DUKE Scholarship Program was that it was released without an approved appropriation ordinance from the town council.

The amount used for the distribution of scholarship grants came from a P6-million allocation for the municipality’s solid waste management program, an ongoing project financed by the town’s development fund.

While he said that the council passed a resolution to enact an ordinance realigning the amount for the scholarship grant, the appropriation ordinance for that purpose itself was not approved.

Pilapil said the release of the grant was “hastily done obviously in anticipation of the birthday of” Mayor Frasco on Oct. 27 and “a clear political gimmick prior to his departure on Oct. 26, 2015.”

The vice mayor clarified that he was not against the scholarship program, a project of Frasco’s since 2007, but that the mayor should have just followed the proper procedure.

Pilapil, the mayor’s former ally under the Garcia-led One Cebu party, recently transferred to the Durano’s Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (BAKUD) party.

He will be running for town mayor in 2016 against Frasco’s wife Christina, daughter of Cebu 3rd district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia.

Frasco, on the other hand, will be running for vice mayor.

He earlier said that Pilapil would have been his running mate had he not jumped ship to another party.

In a statement, Mayor Frasco said that Pilapil’s complaints are politically motivated.

The scholarship program, according to Frasco, has benefited over 6,000 high school and college students in the past eight years.

In all that time, he said Vice Mayor Pilapil never raised any questions regarding the program, “being aware of its legality and knowing that education is the top priority of (Frasco’s) administration.”

“So my question is, WHY ONLY NOW? Vice Mayor Pilapil is well aware that the scholarships are supported by valid and legal appropriation. After all, he was the presiding officer of the Sanggunian that passed it. Clearly, his complaint is not only baseless, it is malicious,” the statement read.

Furthermore, the mayor said he is “fully confident” that with a “fair and objective investigation,” the PB will dismiss the charges against him.