Rosal slams COA order release

By Manuel T. Ugalde

DISQUALIFIED Albay governor Noel Rosal strongly criticized what he described as politically controlled trolls, including social media, following the suspicious release last week of the Commission on Audit’s concurring order regarding the charity allowance he distributed during the 2022 election ban period.

Rosal, the former mayor of Legazpi, was disqualified as governor by the Commission on Elections four months after the May 2022 elections due to the cash distributions he made to tricycle drivers and senior citizens in Legazpi. He was elected governor by an overwhelming majority, defeating re-electionist Gov. Al Francis Bichara.

A defeated city council candidate, who is also a tricycle driver, filed a case of vote-buying and violation of the Omnibus Election Code against Rosal immediately after the May 2022 elections, questioning the charity cash distribution scheme. Four months later, the Comelec released its findings, which resulted in Rosal’s removal as governor. Ironically, just three months after Gov. Rosal was disqualified, his wife Geraldine, who succeeded him as Legazpi mayor, was also disqualified by the Comelec as a co-conspirator in the cash distribution scheme under the guise of pandemic relief.

Last week, social media was flooded with posts about the COA’s disallowance order against the Rosal couple, amounting to P64.7 million, as reported in newspapers. The disallowance order pertains to the cash Rosal distributed to tricycle drivers and senior citizens during the 2022 election ban.

It is unclear whether Rosal will run for governor or return as mayor of Legazpi in the 2025 elections. A contractor aspiring for the Albay 2nd congressional post claimed that Rosal’s survey results showed a strong rating for the governorship. All indications suggest that Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda and Rep. Edcel Lagman of the province’s first district are both planning to run for governor.

It should be noted that the P64.7 million cash distribution during the 2022 election ban was the basis for the COA’s disallowance order against the Rosal couple, following the Comelec en banc resolution dated July 31, 2024. Rosal sought relief from the Supreme Court for a Temporary Restraining Order, but failed, prompting the Comelec to install Vice Governor Grex Lagman as his successor by operation of law. The COA’s disallowance order also includes members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod involved in the ordinance covering the cash distribution.

When asked if the COA disallowance order was released following the Comelec’s disqualification order four months after the 2022 election, Rosal confirmed this, while also lambasting social media for sensationalizing the reissued COA disallowance. He claimed that a political force was behind the release of the second COA disallowance order, which is merely a reiteration of the first.

According to Rosal, the malicious posting of the COA disallowance order on social media by politically motivated trolls is sub judice, citing a pending case in the Supreme Court involving his disqualification.