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By: Mae Singuay
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Tuesday, May 30, 2017
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BACOLOD City – The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has ordered elected officials and City Hall employees to file their counter-affidavits on their criminal and administrative charges in relation to the alleged irregularity in the purchase of a private lot in 2008 in Barangay Felisa for the Solid Waste Disposal Facility.
The order was penned by Jane Aguilar, officer-in-charge for evaluation and investigation of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
Respondents for the criminal charges for violation of the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019) were Mayor Evelio Leonardia; Cong. Greg Gasataya (former Sangguniang Panlungsod member); Eduardo Ravena (former city accountant); Goldwyn Nifras (former secretary to the mayor); Maphilindo Polvora (City Assessor); Josephus Cerna, Efren Canlas and Lemuel Reynaldo (Department of Public Services); Maximo Sillo (Department of Environment and Natural Resources); Noel Impresso (Task Force Clean and Green Coordinating Action Team); Annabelle Badajos (former City Treasurer); Ricardo Dahil-Dahil (Management and Audit Services Office officer-in-charge); and Teresita Guadalupe (former City Engineer officer-in-charge).
For the administrative charges, the respondents were Leonardia, Ravena, Nifras, Polvora, Cerna, Sillo, Impresso and Gasataya.
In the order dated March 21, 2017, Aguilar said respondents should file counter-affidavits and other controverting evidences within 10 days from receipt of the copy.
According to Leonardia, he has yet to receive a copy of the order.
Associate graft investigation officer Johana Sanchez said the case stemmed from a complaint filed by a concerned citizen on the alleged irregularity in the purchase of a P23.8-million private lot in Barangay Felisa during the administration of Leonardia.
The complaint was based on the Commission on Audit’s (COA) Annual Audit Report (AAR) in 2009.
The AAR showed that the price contracted by the city for the purchase of lots totaling 70,000 square meters in the amount of P340 per square meter or a total value of P23.8 million was found to be “excessive.”
On July 8, 2008, the Deed of Conditional Sale was entered and executed between Dynasty Agricultural Corp. and the City of Bacolod, Sanchez explained.
Part of the condition stated that the vendor offered to sell to the vendee and even threatened to close the existing dumpsite if the city will not acquire a portion of the land for its Solid Waste Disposal Facility.
But on June 5, 2008, the City Appraisal Committee issued Resolution No. 06 series of 2008 recommending the appraised value to P360 per square meter.
The property owner agreed to sell the property to the city in the agreed amount of P340 per square meter, manifesting that the reduction from the original demand of P600 per square meter is their “generous” contribution to the city in its quest to comply with the mandatory provision of law on solid waste management.
The complaint also cited that the contract price per Bacolod City Appraisal Committee is P23.8 million, but the contract price per COA appraised valuation is P18,323,719.05. The amount disallowed by COA is P5,476,280.95./PN
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