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Provincial

Abucay town mayor not remiss in duties

ABUCAY, Bataan — Despite seldom holding office inside the municipal hall following the pandemic, Mayor Liberato “Pambato” Santiago is not remiss in his responsibilities.

This was the assurance made by municipal administrator Engr. Estoy Vergara, saying the day-to-day activities in the town such as providing services to the public are “business as usual as we are attending to their needs every day although Mayor Santiago is outside the municipal hall.

Vergara is reacting to comments on the supposed absenteeism of the mayor.

In social media, Santiago and town mayor Ramil del Rosario were being accused of “hiding.

The social media post read: “Nasaan ka na, mayor (Del Rosario)”

But Captain Michelle Gaviola, chief of police of Bagac, came to his rescue and denied this, saying the mayor is always seen in Bagac even as the town is struck by the dreaded coronavirus.

In fact, we are meeting with Mayor del Rosario every Thursday afternoon. It is unfair to accuse him of hiding, that is not true,” Gaviola told this writer.

In Abucay town, Santiago, 84, the oldest mayor in the province, if not in the region, was also accused of being seldom seen in the public places and at the municipal hall.

Mayor Pambato was also absent during the last week’s blessing of the soon-to-be-constructed New Abucay municipal hall that was attended by Gov. Abet Garcia, Gen. Val de Leon, Col. Joel Tampis and other local media practitioners here.

The 84-year-old mayor was also not seen during the burial of his ‘kapatid’, raising suspicion that he was infected by the coronavirus.

He is also seldom seen holding office in the newly-constructed Abucay municipal hall.

But for Vergara, the perceived trusted man of the mayor and dubbed as ‘Little mayor,’ denied all these allegations saying the issues were just being politicized by their political foes.

Mayor Santiago attended the burial but did not go down on his vehicle to mingle with people as per advice of his doctors,” pointed out Vergara.

Vergara added that Santiago did not actually attend the blessing of the PNP station as he per advice of his doctor and family to avoid interactions with several people.

Gov. Abet Garcia knows this and he understands the situation of Mayor Santiago, considering his age.” pointed out Vergara.

But Vergara said that all the activities and responsibilities that the mayor needs to attend to are given action and attention by him being the municipal administrator.