of Police, Paulino Alecha and a former Parish worker of the Parish of San Jose, Midsalip, Precioso Tapitan took the lead in filing the actions. The local Bishop, Emmanuel T. Cabajar, C.Ss.R - Bishop of Pagadian, is supportive of the actions and has appeared in the local court room at hearings. The delays in progressing the cases is very frustrating. Of course with politicians being the respondents, you can imagine the delaying tactics and other antics that are used to obstruct the achievement of justice for the people. Indeed, while central government has publicly stated that it was going tough on corruption, the reality is that central government is itself graft and corruption ridden.
The main issue is that the Midsalip officials are taking the salaries of First Class cities, of which there are only two in the country, Manila and Cebu. Midsalip is classified as a fifth class municipality has no authority under the Local Government Code or any other enactment to implement another salary schedule pertaining to any other type of local government unit. The stipulation that total appropriations, whether annual or supplemental, for personal services of a fifth-class municipality shall not exceed fifty-five percent (55%) of the total annual income, is vital.
Midsalip, which receives some Ł270,000 annually from central government ought to be using much of this (55% at least) for health, infrastructure and the development needs of the people.
The time it is taking for the local Court and the Supreme Court to resolve the issues put the very lives of Alecha and Tapitan and others in danger while citizens are being robbed of the services they are entitled to under law. Fr Sean Martin has been very concerned about the death of children because basic services are not provided while the IRA is

used totally to provide bloated salaries for the mayor and municipal staff.

Legal Action Taken
Special Civil Case No. AZ-20-260 was filed before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur for Injunction with Preliminary Injunction and Issuance of TRO.
GR No. 164506, a case for Certorari is before the SUPREME COURT - (re. the action of the Ombudsman for Mindanao in Davao City in Criminal Case No. OMB-M-C-3-0314 regarding:
a) The Unlawful collection of the Salary Schedule for SPECIAL CITIES.
b) The Unlawful collection of Personal Relief Allowance (PERA)
c) The unlawful collection for Representation and Travel Allowance for SPECIAL CITIES (RATA)

P100 = Ł1

What was said in the media.
Tinuod ba ni, Pre?... Is it true mate?...

Zamboanga del Sur has 19 ‘special cities’
Officials recieve bloated salaries
By Rudy Rojas

THIS may as well be in the Guinness Book of World Records, but based on records from the Department of Budget and Management, there are 19 municipalities in Zamboanga del Sur considered as “special cities” with their local officials receiving First Class salary rates usually allocated only for special cities based on LGU classification.