City dad slams city's legal, budget officers
No less than City Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo has called on City Legal Office chief Atty. Edgar Gil and City Budget Office Ninda Atinado to resign from office for alleged incompetence and ignorance of the law.
Peñaredondo in a strongly worded privileged speech at the Sangguniang Panlungsod lambasted the two city officials for sleeping on his personal transaction with the city government.
Peñaredondo could not hide his anger after Atinado and Gil refused to pay the lot he sold to the city last year.
The deed of absolute sale was already signed by Mayor Jerry Treñas.
The lot measuring 3,606 square meters and is located in Barangay Sooc, Mandurriao would be made a relocation site for squatters.
Despite his call for the resignation of Atinado and Gil, Peñaredondo believes that the two will not resign from their positions.
"They are the kind of people who believed that death first before dismissal or termination," the councilor said.
Atinado, as budget officer, refused to sign the documents signifying the availability of the funds for the payment prior to its final release. The lot was bought by the city government for P400 per square meter. It has an appraisal value of P605 per square meter. The entire property costs P1,442,400.
Atinado for her part believes that the transaction between Peñaredondo and the city government is an "illegal business transaction" and questionable based on Article 179 of the Implementing Rules of the Local Government Code which deals on prohibited business and pecuniary interest.
It says, it shall be unlawful for any government official or employee whether directly or indirectly to (1) engage in any business transaction with the local government unit in which he is an official or employee or over which he has the power of supervision, or with any of its authorized boards, officials, agents or attorneys, whereby money is to be paid, or property or any other thing of value is to be transferred, directly, out of the resources of the local government to such person or firm.
Atty. Gil, on the other hand, said the property should be subjected into an "expropriation proceedings."
Peñaredondo said it is not part of Atinado's job to declare the transaction legal or illegal. "She has no authority to render her legal opinion on the transaction as she is not a lawyer," Peñaredondo said.
"All she has to do is to signify the availability of the budget. What's wrong with her is that she is stepping on other people's work," he added.
Peñaredondo said City Treasurer Katherine Tingson already signified the availability of the funds for payment. It will be taken from the 2006 Internal Revenue Allotment of the city.
Peñaredondo defended that what he is doing is not a business transaction. I am only collecting payment from the city government.
"The mayor has already affixed his signature in the deed of absolute sale, meaning the transaction is legal. However, the city budget officer is questioning the transaction," Peñaredondo said.
Peñaredondo even added, the mayor is a Bar topnotcher and Atinado is not a lawyer.
"I have already donated 2,891 square meters of lot to the city government, it is worth more than P1.7 million and now they will refuse to pay me. The title is already transferred to the city government," said Peñaredondo.
Peñaredondo added that Atinado even asked him to produce a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) to sell the property as the lot was named after him and his wife.
"She is not my lover, and why is it that she is interested in my property? She has nothing to do with my life?" the angry city councilor quipped.
On Gil's statement regarding expropriation proceedings, Peñaredondo said the city legal officer is "ignorant of the law."
Expropriation proceedings can only be done if the property will be utilized for government projects and the owner and the government do not agree with the price. Even a non-lawyer understands what is expropriation proceedings, Peñaredondo said.
The city councilor said he will be forced to file a complaint before the Civil Service Commission (CSC) should the two department heads continue to refuse paying him.