BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – The mayoral race here between two former political allies continues to take interesting twists and turns as the sitting vice mayor El Cid Familiaran, billed early into the campaign as “untarnished” faces a graft charge before the Office of the Ombudsman, an anti-corruption body in the country.
But as claims against him fly thick and fast on social media, Familiaran’s contender for the mayoral post of this highly-urbanized center of Negros Occidental province, has unveiled a platform dubbed HOPE and has so far remained mum amid intense issues made against him from Internet trolls and even blogggers.
These issues, however, have not been owned by his opponent.
“This sums up my dream for every Bacolod family,” former broadcast journalist and three-term solon Greg Gasataya told DNX as his publicist releases graphic cards detailing his priority administration areas topbilled by Health.
The graphic release also identified opportunities, public works, and education as Gasataya’s priorities.
As the last week of the official campaign period rolls in, Gasataya’s lone rival – Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran – has foumd himself in testy waters as three former job order workers of City Hall hired during the Leonardia administration filed a charge against him before the Ombidsman, alleging that they were made to work at Familiaran’s house and private businesses in 2017.
One of them, Pacifico Baldevieso, told DNX he and his two companions spent personal money to go to Cebu City to file the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas.
He added they filed it only now after they were abe to gather enough money.
He did not furnish DNX a copy of the complaint.
Baldevieso or Toto, 50, said he was hired by Familiaran as a casual employee in 2017 through the vice mayor’s brother.
He said he was first detailed at the vice mayor’s office at City Hall but was later assigned to a private property of Familiaran near his house in Taculing village.
There, he claimed, he was made to take part in maintaining the personal vehicles of Familiaran like scraping off rust and, at times, serving guests until the wee hours of the morning at Familiaran’s house.
He was also ordered once to slaughter a goat for a party at Familiaran’s house.
Familiaran, sought for comment by DNX on the same day the interview with Toto was released, was not available, his wife, Portia, said.
She, inatead, sent a canned video of the vice mayor answering the claims of the casuals.
He said the three were indeed assigned to him but he had them report to his house as it was the COVID pandemic and working from home was allowed.
Meanwhile, Gasataya, who is facing issues from apparent Internet trolls, has yet to respond to issues against him.
His publicist, however, has released graphic cards outlining his priorities if he gets elected to office in the city of more than half a million people that is also the highly-urbanized center of Negros Occidental province.
