Amatorio admits existence of 'fixers' at CEO
Illegal "fixers" indeed exist at the City Engineer's Office (CEO). This was admitted by City Engineer Marito Amatorio in yesterday's (Tuesday) hearing of the Sangguniang Panglungsod ad hoc committee headed by City Councilor Perla Zulueta.
"But it is not as worst as being painted by Ricardo Gumabong," Amatorio said.
Amatorio further clarified that he only heard of such information but has not received formal complaints about it.
"Mga haka-haka man lang (all of it were mere hearsay)," Amatorio said.
Nevertheless, Amatorio said he has previously issued a memorandum order prohibiting all CEO employees from processing applications for building and occupancy permits.
Amatorio's statement meant to counteract the allegations earlier hurled by Gumabong.
In the previous hearing Gumabong said employees, particularly those assigned at the administrative section under Imelda Aguadera, usually look for loopholes and cause the delay on the processing of the building permit so applicants could avail the services of the "fixers" for a fee.
Gumabong added that there are also cases when the CEO employees will either keep the applications or hasten the approval of the application depending on the deal the applicant had made to the fixer. Each transaction costs the applicant some P3,000 to P10,000 while the regular rate should have been P3,000. He said most of the CEO officials have shares in the proceeds of the illegal transaction.
Gumabong claimed that part of the grease money received by the fixer goes to Amatorio and Engr. Marcelino Umahag.
Allegation which was strongly denied by Amatorio and Umahag during the hearing. As part of their strategy to cripple and weaken Gumabong's allegations, Umahag presented a copy of the letter from the PRC certifying that Gumabong is not a licensed master electrician as what he has been claiming when he entered the government service.
Gumabong became employed at the CEO during the time of former Mayor Mansueto Malabor.
The ad hoc committee accepted the copy of PRC's letter presented by Umahag but he was told by the committee to present the documents before the City Legal Office (CLO) which conducts the investigation on Gumabong.
The ad hoc committee centers its investigation on Gumabong's allegations that CEO officials are involved in some "monkey business."