CEBU, Philippines - “Pure and simple political harassment.”
Thus said barangay Pusok captain Tranquilino Omolon with regards to the complaints filed against him and four other barangay officials in the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas for 36 counts of falsification of public documents.
He said he only learned about the filing of the complaints only in the local media.
In a joint affidavit-complaint filed by barangay councilors Vicente Famador, Bonifacio Gomez, barangay record keeper Marianne Malong, and utility worker Roselyn Bensi who filed a joint affidavit-complaint against Omolon, barangay treasurer Lido Beduya and Bids and Awards Committee composed of councilors Alberto Booc Jr., Edgardo Patalinghug and Victoriano Booc, claimed that Omolon and company manipulated public documents making it appear that there was bidding for the purchase of medical supplies, camping materials, electrical supplies, and toilet bowl.
Famador, Gomez, Malong and Bensi alleged that the Bids and Awards Committee composed of councilors Booc, Victoriano Booc, and Patalinghug and Beduya signed and approved the purchase order of the various items amounting to P40,325.
They alleged that the barangay officials came up with sales invoices in order to justify that there were purchases made for the materials.
Omolon said the complainants are misinformed on the facts of the purchase saying that the bidding was properly conducted as it goes to the pre-qualification of the Commission on Audit and the barangay funds will not be released by the city accounting if the papers and documents are not complete.
The complainants attested in their complaints that the projects did not actually materialize as Omolon would like it to appear saying that the items were never delivered and used for alleged projects.
“Nagpaila lang na sila sa ilang pagka-ignorante. Unsaon man nila pagkahibalo sa panghitabo sa barangay kung sila mismo wala tunga-tunga sa barangay. Motunga ra man na sila og ting-honorarium na,” Omolon told The FREEMAN.
In the same complaint, Bensi and Malong accused Omolon, Beduya and Booc of hiring ghost personnel to work for the barangay.
They said that sometime in March and April, the barangay allegedly hired a daycare worker, a health worker, a traffic aide, a garbage collector, a utility worker, and an SK clean and green and Gender and Development worker.
Bensi and Malong attested that the nine personnel did not work for the barangay.
But Omolon said they must be blind.
“Ipakita kuno kinsa man ni sila kay dili ta anang tumo-tumo lang,” Omolon said.
OMOLON ALLEGED THAT BENSI AND MALONG ARE JUST GETTING BACK AT HIM. HE CLAIMED THAT THE TWO HAD ONCE FORGED HIS SIGNATURE TO GET A LOAN. (FREEMAN NEWS)