Inmate questions CPDRC vehicle rental scheme

Political detainee and Argao council aspirant Jigger Geverola asked the Ombudsman to look into a supposed scheme adopted by the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in renting vehicles for the transportion of its inmates.

In a letter, Geverola asked the Ombudsman to look into the rental of vehicles reportedly used to transport CPDRC inmates from the jail to the Palace of Justice during the hearing of their cases.

Geverola alleged CPDRC has been renting the vehicles of different models since the first quarter of 2006. Each vehicle reportedly costs P5,000 up to P1.2 million per year, an amount reportedly more than enough to buy more than one brand new vehicle to transport the inmates and for other official purposes.

"This is totally scandalous and greatly disadvantageous to Cebuano taxpayers," Geverola said.

Records he reportedly acquired showed that the vehicles rented are owned by several individuals including Nerissa Rago Takenaka who owns the Isuzu Elf (GVY 328), Teresita Cang who owns the Mitsubishi van (YAZ 306), Cherryl Abdon Tabares who owns the Toyota bus (YAZ 196) and Phoenix Publishing House that owns a Kia Ceres (URN 261).

Geverola said Capitol security consultant Byron Garcia reportedly described the move as an "outsourcing scheme" during an interview over radio station dyLA.

"The public must know that kind of transparent bidding process this scheme of great disadvantage to government has undergone. The public deserves to know what is the extent of the conditionalities (sic) of the memorandum of agreement or contracts signed in behalf of CPDRC. The public deserves to know who engaged, negotiated and approved this onerous scheme," Geverola said.

Moreover, Geverola said the public also needs to know what capacity Garcia has to transact dealing for and in behalf of CPDRC and impose sanctions and policies therein when, in fact, he is but the governor''s security consultant. - Joeberth M. Ocao/BRP