Dingle town engineer files graft raps vs mayor, 4 officials
The mayor as the approving authority of a deal and the mayor and his wife as recipients of that deal? Apparently too hard to swallow for a municipal engineer. As such, redress has now been sought before the government's anti-graft body with criminal complaints filed by the aggrieved town official.
Citing violations in Republic Act 3019 otherwise known as the "Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act," complainant is Engineer Cornelio Pedregosa, municipal engineer of Dingle, Iloilo. Respondent co-town officials are no less than Mayor Rufino Palabrica III, Municipal Budget Officer Romeo Deala, Municipal Planning and Development Officer Romeo Librando, Municipal Treasurer Jocelyn Devera and Municipal Accountant Joyfa Ramos.
Documents obtained by The News Today (TNT) showed evidences of Engineer Pedregosa that included his two-paged Affidavit-Complaint, vouchers and charge invoices of the transaction.
The complaint stemmed from a streetlight project in Barangay Sinibaan here worth P50,000 and P37,840 respectively. Construction materials were apparently requested for the streetlight extension in said village.
The town's Bids and Awards Committee (BID) decided on "shopping" as the mode of procurement.
Engineer Pedregosa said that through the "influence" of the mayor, all bid documents were given to Tri-B Marketing owned by the mayor and his wife, Theresa. In fact, he stated in his affidavit, it was the mayor who allegedly prepared the prices of other supposed suppliers.
Deal apparently processed, the project was indeed awarded to Tri-B Marketing.
"That despite being the owner of Tri-B Marketing, the Municipal Mayor Rufino Palabrica III issued the Purchase Order to Tri-B Marketing so that the items would be delivered to the Municipality of Dingle......," excerpts of the affidavit-complaint went.
Other respondent town officials were held equally liable for graft by Engineer Pedregosa saying "that Mayor Rufino Palabrica III together with Romeo Dela, Romeo Librando, Jocelyn Devera and Joyfa Ramos conspired and confederated so that the Tri-B Marketing would get the contract knowing fully well that the same is owned by Mayor Rufino Palabrica III and his wife Theresa Palabrica....."
The Palabrica's application for business license and permit was then approved by former Dingle Mayor Reblun Lacson.