Bohol Sunday Post | April 12, 2009

The Sangguniang Panlungsod Wednesday voted to declare Barangay Councilor Roberto “Batchoy” Alba “persona non grata” in Tagbilaran City for conduct unbecoming of a public official and grave abuse of the freedom of speech.

Eight councilors voted for the resolution, two others abstained while another walked out when the vote was called on the resolution that sanctioned Alba, a block-timer on Station DYRD.

Those who voted for resolution no. 34-09 were Councilors Edgar Bompat, Oscar Glovasa, Leonides Borja, Nerio Zamora II, Faro Cabalit, Lucio Balbin, Edgar Kapirig and Danilo Bantuga.

Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso, a party mate of Alba in the 2007 polls, relinquished his post as presiding officer to Bompat.

Meanwhile, Zenaido Rama walked out of the session when the vote was called. This is the second time that Rama has walked out of a session.

The resolution against Alba was passed after the Poblacion II councilor criticized Bishop Leonardo Medroso following complaints raised by disgruntled parishioners in Dauis town over a memorandum of understanding entered into with philantrophist Bea Zobel.

The verbal attack waged by Alba against Medroso however did not sit well with the majority in the city council who noted that as a public official and duly elected barangay kagawad of Poblacion II, he is “sworn to respect and uphold the Constitution including the rights of citizens from baseless, unfounded and malicious attacks”.

In their resolution, the councilors said Alba is committed to observe and respect the separation of church and state and the authorities subject to governing laws.

According to the resolution, Alba “maliciously ascribed wrongdoing and subjected to scurrilous verbal attack” no less than Medroso, bishop of the diocese of Tagbilaran, on his radio program last April 3.

The resolution said such malicious imputations are totally unfounded except for the perceptions of impropriety manifested by certain quarters within the diocese of Tagbilaran specifically by a few disgruntled parishioners of the Dauis parish church.

The councilors said the scurrilous verbal attack uttered by Alba over his radio program on Station DYRD “exceeded the bounds of decency and respect for the authority of the church and its inviolable personality as a separate institution”.

They noted that this is not the first time that Alba “has spewed unfounded and malicious allegations an official of the church”.

“(H)is repeated, vulgar and unbridled assaults against the church particularly at this time of sobriety and repentance has become a source of embarrassment not only to the parishioners of the Diocese of Tagbilaran but even to the City Government of Tagbilaran,” the resolution added.

The resolution said Alba disregarded his responsibility as a public official to safeguard and defend the rights of citizens from unfounded allegations and especially from scurrilous attacks that violate their right to dignity and self respect.

It added that Alba, by his actions and pronouncements, “have shown gross disregard and disrespect” for the church and state, the very institutions upon which are founded the law and order of the community.

The resolution said it has become incumbent upon the city council to come up with a position reflecting not only the need to inculcate sobriety and propriety in the exercise of the freedom of speech but to ensure that the line separating the church and the state is respected and upheld.

The councilors said the arrogance of Alba in launching unfounded, baseless and malicious attacks against the highest official of the church in the diocese has made it incumbent upon the city council to take a concrete and decisive position on such acts.