Bacolod City mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez yesterday said that he will create a “Truth Commission” to review and audit all previous transactions at the City Hall, as demanded by the public, in the “spirit of transparency”.
Benitez, who took his oath of office yesterday before Singcang Airport barangay chairman Rosinie Distrito, said that with the Truth Commission “we will know our starting point”.
He said the commission will be composed of several teams to audit the previous transactions of the city government.
Outgoing Mayor Evelio Leonardia has maintained that his administration is transparent.
Leonardia, who filed an election protest before the Commission on Elections, claimed that there was massive vote buying and that “fake” voters were allowed to cast their votes during the May 9 polls, that resulted in the “mysterious and unbelievable” outcome.
He also sought a manual recount of all 450 clustered precincts and asked the poll body to declare a “failure of elections” and conduct special polls in Bacolod City.
Benitez, who debunked such claims, called on Leonardia to “move on”.
“The election is finished. There is much work to be done,” Benitez said./GB
