Lanao del Sur Guv denies to obliged teachers on Roxas rally

By JONG D. CADION

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur (Jan 15, 2016) --- Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal ‘Bombot’ Alonto Adiong denied that he threatened to deduct an amount from their salaries if they failed to attend the provincial sortie of Liberal party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II Tuesday, January 12 in Marawi City.

“I read the national dailies that I was accused by a DepEd official of forcing public school teachers in the province to attend the visit of former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas to the provincial capitol last Tuesday and that they shall be marked absent from work if they failed to show up. This is not true and is mere hearsay as never have I made such an unlawful threat to any DepEd officials, Governor Adiong press statement said.

Adiong said Secretary Roxas came to Maraawi City upon the invitation of the Federation of the Royal Sultanate of Lanao del Sur. They bestowed upon him the title of Datu because they believe he can continue the development efforts President Aquino has given to our province.

Adiong said that his supporters in the province head of his visit and so they went to the provincial Capitol and gathered in the gym where Sec Roxas met them so that he may learn the issues and concerns affecting them.

Because he went to us, it was but natural that we welcomed and accommodated him well, Adiong explained.

Adiong added that those who went to the capitol can attest that none of our employees were compelled to attend the said event they were all in their work stations performing their usual tasks during work hours.

“If there were teachers there, I presume they came in their personal capacity,” the Governor said.

“Besides, I have no direct authority and supervision over our public school teachers. Their daily time records do not pass my office so i do not see how I can influence them at all, much less mark them absent." Adiong press statement said.                                                                                                          

Mona Macatanong

Mona Macatanong, Marawi City's Schools Division Superintendent accuse the governor that on Sunday he told the other OIC Superintendent of Marawi City Pharida Sansarona that the teachers need to attend (the visit of secretary Mar Roxas) in the Provincial Capitol Gymnasium because if they failed to attend, they would be marked absent.

"We were mad. We teachers should be non-partisan but they forced us to go there,” Macatanong said.

She said that, with all the teachers in Marawi city compelled by the provincial government to attend Roxas’ sortie in the province, “more or less, we had more than 10 big schools in the province that were closed yesterday."  

“No students was able to attend classes Tuesday morning," Macatanong said.

Macatanong, who was replaced by Marawi Assistant Schools Division Supt.Pharida Sansarona last Sunday, said "more than 500 teachers in Marawi City were not able to receive their salaries from January to March of 2015.

She also said that their Performance Based Bonus for last year were being held by the DepEd's regional office of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

OIC schools Supt of Marawi City Pharida Sansarona issued also a statement that they were cordially invited to join the royal sultanate of Lanao to witness the enthronement of former Interior sec Mar Roxas as Datu and for adopting him as son.

“At the same time, we wanted to meet our ARMM regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman who accompanied sec Roxas in the provincial capitol to see if we could discuss some concerns of the DepEd constituents here in Lanao,  Sansarona said

“Never did Gov Adiong force our teachers to attend or else they shall be marked absent," She added.