DPS canvasser relieved pending investigation

CEBU, Philippines - The canvasser of the Department of Public Services has been relieved from his post effective yesterday pending the outcome of the investigation being conducted into the alleged overpricing of spare parts being purchased by the DPS.

DPS chief Dionesio Gualiza said during the meeting of the DPS Grievance Committee yesterday it was agreed that Joel Obenieta will temporarily be transferred to another job while the investigation is ongoing.

But Councilor Richard “Richie” Osmeña who exposed the alleged anomalous transactions at the DPS also wants the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to investigate the matter.

Osmeña said he will sponsor a resolution to this effect during the regular session of the Cebu City Council tomorrow and he will ask his fellow city legislators to support him.

It was Obenieta who prepared the Order Slip for the needed spare parts the DPS did not have in stock for the repair of their garbage trucks and those of the barangays.

The purchase documents gathered by Osmeña showed that the Order Slip prepared by Obenieta were noted by Arsenio Uy Jr., who used to be the head of the DPS Transport Operations Section, and also signed by Gualiza.

Gualiza, however, said Uy has been transferred already to another City Hall department even before the alleged overpricing issue was brought to the attention of the media.

Osmeña has been investigating the issue of alleged overpricing in the purchase of spare parts by the DPS for the past several months and he revealed it to the public after Gualiza complained about his slashed budget.

The proposed more than P200 million budget of the DPS for the maintenance and other operating expenses that includes the purchase of spare parts has been slashed by the City Council to only P92 million.

Gualiza said the amount is not enough to cover the several DPS projects for this year, particularly the purchase of spare parts for the 13 DPS garbage trucks and over 100 garbage vehicles belonging to various barangays of the city.

The DPS chief said he is very thankful to Osmeña who exposed the alleged anomalous activities in his department because he is even planning to ask the City Legal Office to look into it.

Osmeña yesterday showed The FREEMAN several documents that he claimed may help the anti-graft investigators unveil the illegal activities of some DPS personnel that may be one of the reasons its budget was slashed.

One document showed that the amount reflected in the DPS Order Slip for a two-tube radiator tank is reportedly P6,200 in the South Sea Auto Parts, but when Osmeña’s staff made their own canvass at the same supplier the amount is only P3,900.

A selector cable reportedly costs P5,800 but a canvass showed it was only P800. A distributor assembly was listed by Obenieta as P5,800 but Osmeña’s staff found out it was only P3,300.

“Gusto g’yud ko nga makigkita ni Konsehal Osmeña aron matabangan ko niya nga mahibaw-an kinsa g’yud ang nagbinuang,” said Gualiza who admitted he signed the purchase request of the vehicle spare parts.

In a press briefing last week, Gualiza said his office can no longer accommodate requests of barangay officials to carry out major repairs of their garbage trucks because of lack of budget.

According to Gualiza with a slashed budget for MOOE at P92 million he can only accommodate and prioritize minor repairs of the existing DPS garbage trucks and it cannot repair the barangay garbage trucks. (FREEMAN)