Probe on “irregularities” in Ombuds-Visayas sought

Is it possible for the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas to commit irregularities in the investigation of the alleged overpricing in the procurement of computers for the northern barangays of Cebu City in 2002?

This was the issue raised by Roque Nacar, a resident of barangay Labangon, in his letter to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez asking her to investigate the case, as he alleged that “the Office of the Visayas Ombudsman may have been remiss in dismissing” the complaint against the procurement.

Nacar said there were actually two complaints filed at the Ombudsman-Visayas, the first of which was on January 3, 2003 filed by Carreta barangay councilman Antonio Conahap against the then barangay captain, Mariano Ando.

The second complaint was filed by Mariano Nadera on January 13, 2003 for violation of the Republic Act 3019 otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against Congressman Raul del Mar, former barangay captain Helen Bolabola, and the official of the Global Trade Development Corporation who supplied the computers.

In the Conahap complaint, he asked for help from the Ombudsman-Visayas over the perceived anomaly in the auditing of the financial assistance released by the Department of Budget and Management for the purchase of computers for barangay Carreta.

In the Nadera complaint, he alleged that the computers distributed to all barangays in the north district were bought at P100,000 each, when it actually cost only P39,000 each. He further alleged that the bidding was rigged by del Mar and Bolabola, the congressman’s chief of staff.

The P10 million used to buy the computers was taken from the local government service equalization fund of the congressman, Nadera said.

The complaint however was dismissed by Primo Miro, the then Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas, upon the recommendation of director Virginia Palanca-Santiago, for lack of evidence.

In a resolution on August 27, 2003, the Ombudsman-Visayas said that there was no injury to the government yet because the voucher for payment of the computers were cancelled. The Ombudsman only admonished the officials involved to be more circumspect in conducting the transaction, and advised the Carreta barangay officials to conduct a re-bidding only.

Nacar, in his letter to Gutierrez, however insisted that what was dismissed by the Ombudsman-Visayas only pertained to barangay Carreta.

He further alleged that the other barangays in the north district also received P500,000 financial assistance for the purchase of computers also supplied by Global Trade Development Corporation at P100,000 per unit.

Based on the notice of cash allocation from the DBM, barangays Zapatera, Pahina Central, Ermita, Luz, Lahug, Busay, Guba, Adlaon, Binaliw, Lusaran, Paril, Sambag I, Mabolo, Agsungot, Hipodromo, Kamputhaw, Apas, Sto. Niño and Pulangbato also received the same amount. —Fred P. Languido/RAE