'Sarah' a scam in the city 'land scam'
Peņaredondo
Iloilo City -- The task force tasked to probe the alleged overpricing on the purchase of the San Isidro relocation site in Jaro district finds no anomaly in the said transaction.
City Councilor Eduardo Peņaredondo, a member of the task force, disclosed that the allegations of a certain Sarah Jane Magdalo were mere fabrications and full of inconsistencies.
Peņaredondo said the task force even suspects that the name Sarah Jane Magdalo is fictitious.
He said Magdalo could be a casual employee of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) and not of the National Housing Authority (NHA). He, however refused to identify the person and to which office he belongs but said it was a male casual employee.
This suspicion is shared by the counsel for the landowners whose property was purchased by the Iloilo City Government for the project-affected people in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro. All innuendos, lawyer Manuel Justiniani said of the hoopla generated by the Magdalo expose that was even sent to the Office of the President in Malacaņang.
In a radio interview, Justiniani said verification made by his office showed "highly suspicious" documents such as those passed off as supposedly from the National Housing Authority (NHA). The Magdalo claims included the purported offer to sell of P300/square meter of the chosen Mirasol lot yet the records in the City Government reportedly reflected the final sale of P390/square meter. Translated into supposed overpricing, "Magdalo" in her Malacaņang complaint charged that at least P14 million was defrauded of the government.
However a check made with the Office of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treņas proved negative for any or such offer to sell.
Peņaredondo is one of the members of the task force purposely created by Mayor Jerry Treņas to conduct an investigation on the alleged land scam. City Legal Office chief Atty. Edgar Gil heads the task force. The other members of the task force are City Assessor chief Nelson Parreņo and Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office chief Roy Firmeza.
Peņaredondo said the same casual employee once asked Marilyn Mirasol Inocencio, the land owner, to authorize him to act as realtor of the property but the land owner refused.
Instead, the owner consented Efren Gimeo to act as their attorney-in-fact and transact business regarding the 16.2 hectare lot in San Isidro, Jaro.
The task force's suspicion was also affirmed when NHA chief Engr. Isagani Cuevas declared that they have no employee in the name of Sara Jane Magdalo as what the sender alleged in her letter dated January 30, 2006.
Cuevas along with Engr. Al Fruto of the programs and planning division of the Department of Public Works and Highways were among the people invited by the task force to shed light on the accusations hurled by a certain Sara Jane Magdalo.
The task force also found out that Magdalo forged and tampered the documents he provided to the media. The fonts or letter size of the third page of Gimeo's offer to sell differs from the original documents presented by the realtor to the city government.
He explained that the figures and letter in the third page of the offer to sell was altered. The price was changed from P300 per square meter to P700 per square meter. The original price offered by Gimeo was P700 per square meter and not P300 per square meter as alleged by Magdalo.
Peņaredondo said there was malice and bad faith on the part of the letter sender when he/she claimed that the land deal was grossly overpriced.
Peņaredondo pointed out that the transaction entered into by the city government was above board.
He said they will ask Treņas to push through with the land deal since the documents presented by Magdalo are falsified and there is no reason for the city to hinder the commission of the transaction.
It was learned that the city suspended the processing of the voucher for the payment of the transaction after Magdalo came out with the expose.
Meanwhile, Justiniani warns, in due time, he assures, the true identity of this "Sarah" will be unmasked and appropriate charges will be filed by his clients.