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DBI Prexy Clarifies Donation Issue

             MR. ROGELIO F. FUENTES, president of Damayan-Buluseño, Inc., would like to clarify the issue regarding the donation of the association to the Bulusan Local Government Unit (LGU) in connection with its fundraising project during the last town fiesta celebration.  Because of some miscommunications, the reputation of Mr. Juan G. Galindes, chairman of the Local Coordinating Board of DBI, was placed in a bad light.

            It all started when Ms. Luz Z. Gamba, 1^st vice-president of DBI informed the board in its meeting last May that Mayor Juan G. Guysayko would like the association to put up a candidate for Miss Bulusan Town Fiesta to support the project of the LGU.  The board approved the idea but upon realizing later that it would entail so much burden on the part of the officers who are all based in Metro-Manila, it was agreed upon to set aside the candidate and instead donate the solicited votes to the LGU.  This was relayed to the Mayor by Ms. Gamba.

            But, Mr. Joel Fulleros to whom Mr. Fuentes gave some envelopes did not turn them over in Manila.  Instead, he gave them to Mr. Galindes in Bulusan for him to drop into the ballot box during the last canvassing on July 13.  It was only then that Mr. Galindes knew that DBI has no more candidate for the said contest and was unaware on the communications between Ms. Gamba and the Mayor.  So, he did not drop the envelopes and decided to return them to Mr. Fulleros which was the just right move in such a situation.

            But a Sangguniang Bayan member concluded at once that those envelopes contain the donation of DBI and were supposed to be turned over to them.  When this SB member reported to the board on the results of the contest in its session after the town fiesta, he insinuated that Mr. Galindes pocketed the donation.  He did not know that Ms. Gamba gave the total amount of P35,000 to Mrs. Elvie S. Doloiras, SB Secretary, on the eve of the town fiesta, July 24^th, to be turned over to the Mayor who had then a visitor at his office.  P25,000 of the donation came from Ms. Gamba herself as her contribution for the sound/band expenditures while the remaining P 10,000 were from the DBI intended for the civic action.

            Mr. Fuentes would like to advise this Honorable Member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Bulusan to be extra careful in issuing official statements in a board session which will bismirch one’s reputation without first finding out the truth behind the issue, particulary of people like Mr. Galindes whose integrity is known to the Buluseños.  He also wishes to make it known to this gentleman that many of his constituents are now getting fed-up with his swell-headedness since he became close to the Mayor.

            According to Mr. Fuentes, he has received numerous reports that for sometime now, this guy has been the source of ugly rumors and malicious gossips against Mr. Galindes not realizing that by destroying the image of a good man, he destroys himself.  These actuations of this SB member made Mr. Fuentes to ask the Buluseños this question: “Betweeen Mr. Galindes and him, who is more credible and honorable?”

            As a warning, Mr. Fuentes reminds him that if he won’t refrain from such acts, which are unbecoming of an elected official, he might lose his seat in the coming 2004 elections.

Vol. XV No.9 (September - October 2003)

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