Andaya to expose Capitol excesses

By Jose B. Perez NAGA CITY --- Camarines Sur First District Rep. Rolando ‘Nonoy’ Andaya, Jr. reiterated he is running for governor of the province to win. “But, of course, I can accept defeat – their defeat,” Andaya said referring to his possible poll opponent in the forthcoming 2019 local elections. Kidding aside, Andaya, who is completing his third and final term as congressman of Camarines Sur’s 5-town district, has publicly announced his intention to run for the premier seat in the province as early as two weeks ago. He said it is about time that the longest running political clan that has been holding the reigns of the provincial government must go. Without even once mentioning the names of the incumbent father-and-son tandem at the Capitol and at the province’s 2nd congressional district, the former Budget secretary during the time of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said that while issues may be hurled against him, he is prepared to face and answer them. But, what is more worrisome, are the “goods that I have against the father and son,” Andaya told a crowd of friends and close ward leaders during a dinner and brief dialogue at a downtown hotel here last Sunday, March 18. He said the present occupants at the provincial capitol in Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur should answer the many serious allegations of graft and corruption, including plunder and unconscionable waste of taxpayers’ money, that “I will bring to the fore in the course of the political campaign.” Saying that he has facts and a ‘bagful’ of evidence and documents to back up the allegations, Andaya, for starters also gave numbers to beef up the graft accusations. “Numbers don’t lie, and these [corrupt practices] will surely knock them out sooner than later. He said per documents he obtained from the Commission on Audit, the provincial capitol since the time of the father (then Gov. LRay Villafuerte) until to now (son Gov. Migz Villafuerte’s) has accumulated a total of P150M disallowed disbursements. “Such amount is equivalent to the salary of 500 public school teachers for one year, or 60 kilometers of water irrigation canal or potable water irrigation system,” Andaya explained. “Such length is equivalent to the linear distance from Naga to Polangui in Albay,” he added. Andaya, who also had served as House appropriations chairman said a subsidiary ledger on the provincial government enterprises that covers the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC) and Gota Beach in Caramoan initially declared a gross profit of P18.2M on CWC’s initial year. Eventually, this went down to P1.8M and the latest report put to P3.9M in net loss.” He also accused the father and son tandem (LRay and Migz) of false propaganda and deceit. “How can they claim that they had “established” a district hospital in Ocampo, Camarines Sur when that was built by then Gov. Josse Bulaong and a district hospital in Libmanan when that was built by then Gov. Felix Fuentebella?” the congressman asked. “Panahon na para purgahon ta (an capitolyo)” (It’s time to purge and expose the ills obtaining at the provincial capitol), Andaya said. Andaya enumerated other questionable purchases and disbursements with corresponding documents that he offered to show for scrutiny to those present but reminding them to “please be careful with them and return them to me before I leave because my lawyers will be needing them when we file the appropriate charges.” These involve, among others, a yacht (christened M/V El Ray) which a captain’s logbook reveals is on “Standby,” meaning it has not been put to use for some time but with a pending unpaid gasoline bill for P5M and large purchases of sacks of rice presumably for disaster victims but are now the subject of COA findings regarding the multi-million peso questionable rice purchases and distribution. Andaya highway? Well, it may not be your ideal roadway but repairs are being done to put it in good shape, the lawmaker said as he assured that he would have time to report its true status and answer for its shortcomings. He asked those present to imagine that there is no such Andaya highway at this time that for a long time now we do not have a railway. He also hinted the utility of the Fuentebella highway. “But have we heard of a Villafuerte highway?”