FRIENDS AGAIN

Mejorada-Syjuco reunion stirs hornet’s nest

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

WILL the reconciliation between Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada and Technical Education Skills Development Authority (Tesda) chief Augusto “Boboy” Syjuco change the political equation of Iloilo province?

While their reunion only concerns the promotion of Tesda programs, Mejorada said he also talks politics with Syjuco.

“It cannot be avoided that we talk about politics during our previous meetings. But nothing has been concretely discussed because we are more concerned with Tesda,” Mejorada said.

Analysts and pundits opined that Governor Niel Tupas Sr. may have dispatched Mejorada to Syjuco in a bid to solidify the looming candidacy of his son, Barotac Viejo Mayor Raul “Boboy” Tupas.

Mejorada coyly said Tupas approved his reconciliation with Syjuco and there is also the possibility of an alliance between the two political behemoths in 2010 “but 2008 is still far from the election year.”

Mejorada also confirmed that Syjuco mentioned the name of former provincial board member Cecilia Hubag-Capadosa as a possible mayoralty bet in Pavia, Iloilo opposite incumbent Mayor Arcadio Gorriceta.

Syjuco and Gorriceta have been at loggerheads over the dakal-dakal issue of a provincial road in Pavia, Iloilo.

“But nothing has been decided at this time. I even want the political forces in the second district to reunite for the sake of development,” Mejorada said.

In an interview with Aksyon Radyo, Gorriceta said he might decide to go up against Syjuco “if he continues to make a fool out of Pavia.

Gorriceta said Pavianhons have learned their lessons after Syjuco and his wife Rep. Judy Syjuco allegedly tried to hijack the Pagsanga-an-Tigum-Cabugao Norte road concreting project.

Capadosa said she does not see herself striking an alliance with Syjuco “because I believe in the leadership of Mayor Gorriceta.”

“I ran against the Syjuco in 2007 and I don’t think I will lick my own spit. And I believe that Mayor Gorriceta is doing a good job in Pavia,” Capadosa said.

After working for Syjuco in the late 90s, Mejorada lambasted and sued the former congressman over alleged irregularities.

One of the cases filed by Mejorada was the P12-million heavy equipment scam in which Syjuco allegedly rigged the purchase of DPWH equipment and sold his own road grader, pay loader, bulldozer and dump trucks to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The case filed in April 2006 is the only case that moved, with the Ombudsman directing Syjuco to submit his counter-affidavit sometime in July 2006. But the case became inactive from then on.

The third case involved the P3.25 million that the Tawo kag Duta sa Kauswagan Cooperative, also fully controlled by Syjuco, allegedly siphoned from the municipality of Alimodian, filed last March 2006.

The fourth case was the alleged diversion of P4.2 million in public funds that the Department of Agriculture gave to the Tagipusuon Foundation, another NGO fully-owned and controlled by the Syjuco couple.

Mejorada also sued Rep. Judy Syjuco over the P6.2-million purchase of 1,582 units of Nokia 1100 mobile phones by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) for the second district.

Mejorada said he wants to have peace of mind reason why he patched things up with the Syjucos as early as February 2008.

“But let me set it straight – it was Boboy Syjuco who approached me, not the other way around. Will I refuse his friendship? We are facing a fight against the opposition-led Sangguniang Panlalawigan. If I continue the fifth with Syjuco, I might spread myself too thin,” Mejorada said.