BACOLOD City – The Office of the Ombudsman dismissed the administrative and criminal charges filed against former mayor Monico Puentevella and three city hall employees.
There was “lack of probable cause”, according to Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
The Ombudsman decision was dated Dec. 2, 2021 yet but the respondents received their copies only last week.
Aside from Puentevella, the other respondents were retired General Services Office head Jerome Solinap, former chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee(BAC); then Assistant City Engineer Josephus Cerna, former member of the Technical and Working Group of BAC; and maintenance foreman Harry James Magbanua of the City Engineer’s Office.
The complainant was Sammy Montoyo. He filed the complaint on June 6, 2017 for alleged violation of sections 3(e) and (j) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. It stemmed from alleged irregularities in the procurement of a 61-seater bus with an engine that was purportedly a 1994 model instead of being brand new.
The Ombudsman order stated: “There is no evidence that respondents committed the very acts complained of. The LTO (Land Transportation Office) certification upon which the complainant anchored this case merely certified that the bus, not its engine, was a 1994 model.”
The respondents were able to show certifications that the engine of the bus was indeed brand new based on the standards set by LTO./PN
