CORDILLERA Basic Sectors Transport Cooperative (CBSTC) members have sought aid from the Baguio City Council once more fearing bankruptcy amid accusations of illegal activities from the cooperative’s leadership.
In a letter to the council, the CBSTC members accused coop chair Jude Wal of “illegal management,” with accusations of tyrannical and unilateral management, lack of transparency, illegal collection of fees from members, piling up financial obligations, missing money from the cooperative’s coffers, inaccessible cash flow records, and poor maintenance of jeepney units.
Wal also stood accused of incurring an P18.7 million debt for the cooperative, non-payment of monetary shares in the government’s Libreng Sakay initiative, illegally conducting an election of the board of directors only participated in by allies and supporters, and the expulsion of members critical of his leadership, among other things.
CBSTC member Rolando Yambot, speaking for the cooperative members, said that Wal’s actions and leadership threaten to plunge the cooperative into bankruptcy, which would in turn cause public transportation problems in the cooperative’s three serviced routes along Aurora Hill, Trancoville, and Dominican Hill.
“A lot of people might be affected by this, including those people who consolidated with us in 2018,” Yambot said.
Yambot was recently elected by the cooperative during its general assembly as the new chairperson. Still, Wal’s actions continue to threaten the cooperative, prompting Yambot to freeze the cooperative’s funds to put a stop to the bleeding.
Wal was called upon by the council in an attempt to resolve the matters, but Wal continues to be a no-show, prompting the council to consider a declaration of persona non grata if he continues to ignore the summons.
The city council had earlier urged the Cooperative and Development Authority (CDA) to hasten its investigation of the alleged violations of Wal, but no action has been taken yet against Wal.
