By Edith B. Colmo

As a Filipino citizen and as a taxpayer, Romy Niere, one of the controversial broadcast commentators here, strongly condemns the reported unbecoming act of a lawmaker/legislator in Bacolod Cong. Monico Puentevella. Niere based his reactions on the result of an audited report of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) which demanded the congressman to refund the Philippine government the amount of P50,500,000.00 released to the Bacolod Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (BASOC) during the SEA GAMES held in Bacolod.

But allegedly according to Niere, the said amount was deposited in the personal bank current account of Cong. Puentevella, where signatories are the congressman himself and his family - wife Josefa and son Bryan, with former bank manager Edwin Javellana.

In any accounting and auditing rule, government funds should be deposited in a government’s entity bank account, and expenditures must be supported with official receipts.

Niere said as congressman, Puentevella must understand the law. He keeps telling the people that he is for good governance yet his action was like a “highway robbery.”

Niere also said we need to safeguard the money of the people, so he is determined to file cases of plunder and violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices against the congressman. His action, Niere said, was an embarassment to the Republic of the Philippines, malversation of public funds, and plunderous.

If this is what the congressman does to his constituents, the congressman seems to be a lawmaker, at the same time a lawbreaker. He should not be in congress. His slogan I LOVE BACOLOD is not true because actually, HE ROBS BACOLOD, and this is too much! Niere said as a taxpayer. Niere is questioning the credibility of the congressman, because how come he deposited the government money in his personal bank account? If this is so, is it still active or not? And how much is the current balance?

According to PIO Agnes Jundos, Puentevella’s reaction was simple: “He (Niere) is still here? Isn’t he a fugitive hiding from justice? Why file such case only now?*