Muntinlupa mayor 'can't recall' using public funds for HK trip with DepEd execs

Muntinlupa Mayor Aldrin San Pedro said the graft charges lodged against him on Monday by an opposition councilor in their city smacked of politics. The charges stemmed from an all-expense paid trip to Hong Kong allegedly shouldered by San Pedro — a reelectionist running under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD ticket — that included 32 Department of Education officials. The 28-page complaint was jointly filed by a certain Amelita Argana and Muntinlupa Councilor Allen Ampaya, who is running for re-election under the ticket of San Pedro's rival former mayor Jaime Fresnedi. [See: Muntinlupa mayor faces graft raps for taking DepEd execs to HK] "The motives of the alleged complainant, an incumbent Councilor... are already suspect considering foremost its timing," said San Pedro, who beat Fresnedi's wife during the 2007 mayoral race. Fresnedi was mayor of Muntinlupa for three terms from 1998 to 2007. "I suspect that it is politically motivated and, at the very least, intended to gain political mileage for his name and at my expense," he added in an official statement posted on the city government's official website. As to where the money used to finance the January 28 to 30 trip came from, San Pedro said: "I cannot recall that public funds were used for the reported travel." The Muntinlupa mayor said he would issue further comments, through his legal counsel, about the compalint once he receieves a copy of it. In their complaint, Ampaya and Argana accused San Pedro of "wasting" public funds to bring 10 division supervisors, two division coordinators, and 18 elementary and high school principals of DepEd Muntinlupa City for a trip abroad. The complainants suspected that the trip was meant to win over the DepEd officials, who the complainants claimed were the most likely candidates to become Board of Election Inspectors in the upcoming May elections. "Clearly, the favor he granted them was in expectation of certain favors they in turn will grant him when the time comes. This is nothing but crass political patronage," they added. — RSJ, GMANews.TV