Plaint filed vs Leonardia, 17 others over P1.7-B loan

BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio  Leonardia and 16 other local officials have been slapped with a civil complaint in relation to the city government’s P1.7-billion loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

Aside from the city officials, DBP-Negros Occidental Lending Center head Bernardo Catillion Jr. was also listed as respondent in the complaint.

Former vice mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, former councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and businessman Antonio Wong filed the complaint before the Bacolod City Regional Trial Court on Jan. 18.

The other respondents were Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran; councilors Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Em Ang, Elmer Sy, Ana Marie Palermo, Dindo Ramos, Bartolome Orola, Sonya Verdeflor, Lady Gles Gonzales-Pallen, and Ayesha Joy Villaflor;

City Council Secretary Vicente Petierre III; City Treasurer Giovanni Balalilhe; City Budget Officer Maria Imelda Williams; and City Accountant Corazon Cardel.

Atty. Cesar Beloria Jr. – speaking in behalf of Sayson, Sigue and Wong – said the civil complaint included a prayer for a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and/or preliminary mandatory injunction.

The complainants also sought certiorari, prohibition and annulment of the loan contract between the city government and DBP.

The P1.7-billion loan will be used for four flagship projects of Leonardia. These projects include the P350-million development of the Progreso Village Relocation Site, P350-million development of the Bacolod City College, P800-million construction of the Bacolod MassKara Coliseum, and the P200-million road and bridge construction program.

Councilors Ricardo Tan, Wilson Gamboa Jr. and Claudio Puentevella were spared from the complaint for opposing the approval of the loan contract, according to Beloria.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod ratified the loan last December, authorizing Leonardia to enter into the contract.

But Beloria said no proper public hearing was conducted regarding the loan.

“There was no invitation to the public…[There was] no publication or information on this very important affair,” he added.

Distrito, for his part, said the filing of the complaint was “purely politicking and meant to delay and stop the development of the city.”

“The law does not require a public hearing…No publication is required,” he added.

Other councilors also denounced the complaint, saying that they voted for the approval of the loan to improve facilities in Bacolod.

“The projects [under the loan] are pro-people. Opposing them is going against the welfare of Bacolodnons,” Novero said.

Orola added: “This was not made overnight. This is a product of thorough discussions and in-depth debates in the Sanggunian.”/PN

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