MikeLigalig.com

by Bohol Standard

Mayor Apolinaria Balistoy and Kagawad Lynn Iven P. Lim, who is of the same political fence with the former during the last elections of this town, share the same interest in their respective family business.

Both have the same type of trade, engaging in retail of petroleum products in the town. And their business outfits are in the names of their respective fathers.

Their respective gasoline stations are situated along the national highway. The mayor’s family gas station is located in barangay Malayo Norte here and that of Lims along the national highway in barangay Upper La Paz. Only that Lim’s gas station has yet to start and open for business while processing the documents is still hoped for.

Lim ran under the tandem of Balistoy and Vice-Mayor Danilo Montero and won.

But their companionship in the political arena and in running the government faded away and has turned sour lately for a lot of reasons, said Lim. He said that even just few days prior to the election, he and other companions under the Balistoy umbrella have divorced from her line-up because of very big “pot money” to the tune of PhP500 each of the candidate for kagawad while that of the vice-mayor was a million pesos asked by the mayor.

He did not agree, he said, because he finds no reason to spend that much of a very small town. He and his other candidates in the tandem broke away just few days before the elections, he said.

Lim, who did not hide interest in his family business and protect it in the name of fairness, has got another option---legal --- to compel Mayor Apolianrio Balistoy to “entertain” his family’s application to set up a gasoline station at barangay Upper La Paz.

Lim, who earlier cried harassment following the refusal of the mayor’s office to have the application received, said in an interview yesterday at his residence here that he is constraint to do it (legal action) if his business application is still not received by said office.

He said that his family has already complied with the many requirements and processing of the documents, such as the Environmental Compliance Certificate from the DENR, certification from the Dept of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), barangay clearance after due public hearing and others.

He said that he was told their application needs zoning clearance considering the proposed gas station is along the highway at Upper La Paz. But he said that how come he can comply with the said clearance for zoning since the mayor’s personnel refused to received his application.

He confirmed that under the old set-up, Upper La Paz is classified as residential are. But under the new zoning regulations, any area which is within the populated along the highway is already considered as commercial area. But he did not say if the town’s zoning measure has already classified as such.

He said that for fairness how come that the mayor’s family gas station retail business has been installed when he alleged that it has no ECC and “I’m sure it has not secure a DPWH certification,” he said in mixed English and vernacular.

Lim said that the SB is always at the receiving end because of the mayor’s penchant of putting the blame to them (kagawads and vice-mayor) for no legislative action to support for her program and projects.

He cited as their legislative actions for Barangay San Roque’s water reservoir in the amount of PhP700,000 and PhP1.2M for street lighting but none came out except few flash lights.

He said he was blamed by residents of San Roque, where he was number one in last elections, for not acting the said project. He said he told the barangay folk there that the SB has already acted on it, appropriating the amount of PhP700,000 for the said water tank but he cannot answer why the mayor allegedly failed to implement the project.

A visit to the mayor’s residence in Lindaville phase II in Tagbilaran City yesterday for comment proved fruitless since she was not around. There was no answer from her when contacted through her cell phone, either. (RVO)

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