Iloilo City declares Drilon’s accuser ‘persona non grata’

For his "blasphemy" that Iloilo has become a so-called "nest of corruption," former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada has been declared persona non grata in Iloilo City.

 

The city council on Tuesday voted for the resolution declaring Mejorada persona non grata, with a vote of 11 to 1, GMA Iloilo reported.

 

City Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo has branded as "blasphemy of the highest degree" Mejorada's claim that the city has become a "nest of corruption" over the alleged overpricing in the construction of the Iloilo Convention Center.

 

Mejorada made the claims about corruption during a hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the alleged overpricing in the construction of the convention center.

 

The majority of the city council found Mejorada's "nest of corruption" claim baseless and an insult to the dignity of Ilonggos.

 

City Councilor Leone Gerochi abstained in the voting, saying the resolution could have condemned the message and not the messenger.

 

On the other hand, Councilor Joshua Alim voted in favor of the resolution even if he is allied with the United Nationalist Alliance.

 

Mejorada filed a plunder complaint before the Ombudsman against Senate President Franklin Drilon over the project.

 

But at the Senate hearing, he admitted having no evidence to back his claims, and that he based his "findings" on open-source online encyclopedia Wikipedia. —Joel Locsin/NB, GMA News