By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Grupo Progreso (GP) members of the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) released a joint statement in response to City Councilors Wilson Gamboa, Jr. and Claudio Jesus ‘Kalaw’ Puentevella’s call for the suspension of the P1.7 billion Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) loan the Bacolod City government plans on borrowing.

The group reiterated comments earlier expressed by Bacolod City Councilor Caesar Distrito, a GP member, explaining the measure obtained the required number of votes.

They also repeated a previous point, noting, approval to enter into a loan “does not require a public hearing.”

Last November, Gamboa claimed the SP vote to approve loan requirements was “railroaded” and said the proposal should have been given at least a week in order for more studies to be conducted.

“It was not made in haste,” the group insisted. “This was thoroughly discussed and debated upon, and all the requirements required by law had been complied with.”

Among the city councilors lending their name to the rebuttal included Ana Marie Palermo, who ran in the last election as a member of opposition coalition Magbinuligay Kita para sa Kauswagan.

Last Friday, Gamboa and Puentevella discussed a letter penned to the lending institution, where they questioned the relationship between the terms of the loan and the deed of assignment, wherein ownership rights over an amount of debt are determined, which the city officials claimed was written on behalf of Bacolod City taxpayers.

They asserted, city taxpayers have not been made fully aware of contract details, pointing out, “The borrower is a local government unit and the subject loan shall be paid by public funds.

DBP has since replied to the letter, with DBP Executive Vice President Anthony Robles indicating the matter had been referred to Senior Manager Nernardo Castillon Jr., who heads the Negros Occidental Lending Center-Bacolod./DGB, WDJ