City officials face raps on dumpsite acquisition
BACOLOD CITY -- Two taxpayers formally filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas against Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson and 14 others for criminal and administrative cases or violation of R.A 3019, particularly but not limited to Section 3(e), otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and for grave misconduct and acts prejudicial to public interest in the administrative aspects.
Complainant in this cases were Othello Ramos a former employee of Bacolod City Government and Serafin M. Oro Jr. who executed a joint complaint affidavit against the Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Councilors Greg Gasataya, Homer Bais, Dindo Ramos, Wilson Gamboa Jr., Al Victor Espino, Napoleon Cordova, Roberto Rojas, Alex Paglumutan, Reynold Iledan, Diosdado Valenzuela, City Treasurer Annabelle Badajos, City Engineer Teresita Guadalupe, City Assessor Attty. Maphilindo Polvora and Dynasty Agrcultural Corporation.
The complainants alleged that the seven hectares property which was acquired by the city through conditional deed of sale from Dynasty Agricultural Corporation represented by Ester Lopez, is prejudicial to the best interest of the City because it was purchased for the price of P340 per square meter whereas another property owner identified as Moya-Guanzon & Sons Farms Inc. had offered their lot for only P80 per square meter.
The complainants presented documents that the 7-hectare lot valued at P340 per square meter or at a cost of P23.8 million is grossly disadvantageous because the Landfill site of Moya-Guanzon & Sons Farms Incorporated covering a bigger land area of 16.0835 hectares under TCT No. T-114276 valued only at P80 per square meter will only cost a total price of P12,866,800 per assessment by the Geological Team of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
According to the Joint Complaint Afffidavit of the complainants, had the city officials involved in this anomalous, illegal and unlawful transaction opted to purchase instead the offer of the Moya-Guanzon and Sons Inc. for landfill site, the City could have saved the amount of P10,933, 200.
But despite the proffered reduced price of only P12,866,800 which would have saved the city with P10,933,200, these public officials motivated by evident bad-faith, manifest partiality and gross inexcusable negligence, chose a much higher price of P23,800,000 giving the Dynasty Agricultural Corporation the undue advantage and unwarranted benefit and preference, therefore, grossly violating R.A No. 3019, in particular, but not limited to Section 3(e) therefore and for grave misconduct and Acts Prejudicial to Public Interest.