DPS chief blinks when confronted on budget cut

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Department of Public Services chief Dionesio Gualiza belied media reports attributed to him that his department could no longer repair the garbage trucks from the barangays after the city council slashed his budget.

Gualiza denied having issued such statement to the media when confronted about it by the members of the council.

“Wala ko magsulti ana mam (I did not say that mam),” Gualiza told Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña.

The council invited Gualiza yesterday to clarify his statement before the media that his office could no longer implement several projects including the repairs of the garbage trucks from the different barangays.

Gualiza’s denial has prompted Osmeña and Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young to challenge the DPS chief to state for the record that he was misquoted in the media reports.

Gualiza was also asked by the members of the council to call the attention of the reporters, who were present in yesterday’s session, for misquoting him.But instead of heeding the call, Gualiza had apologized to Osmeña.

“I’m sorry mam,” Gualiza said.

Young believes that Gualiza lied before them because he could have easily called the attention of the reporters who were also present in the session hall if indeed the reports attributed to him were not true.

Gualiza also endured yesterday the grilling from Councilor Richard “Ritchie” Osmeña over his designation of a metro aide as canvasser.

Ritchie earlier exposed the alleged overpricing in the purchases of spare parts at the DPS. The councilor questioned why Gualiza designated Joel Obenieta as canvasser when his item is metro aide.

Gualiza admitted having recommended Obenieta for the job claiming that the latter is capable of doing it.Obenieta, however, was relieved last week days after Ritchie exposed the alleged overpricing of the spare parts at the DPS.

Ritchie found out the alleged overpricing when his staff made separate canvass on the price of a radiator tank bought by the DPS based on the order slip prepared by Obenieta and approved by Gualiza.

Based on the DPS order slip the two-tubes radiator tank costs P6,200 at the South Sea Auto Parts. However, in the separate canvass made by the councilor’s staff in the same supplier the spare part is actually P3,900 only.

Another anomaly discovered by Ritchie was the purchase of a vehicle selector cable at P5,800 when it is only P800. A distributor assembly for Suzuki vehicle was canvassed by Obenieta at P5,800 but the councilor’s canvass with the same supplier was only P3,300.

Young said they only approved 60 percent of the proposed P200 million budget for maintenance and other operating expenses of DPS because the records show that they did not consume their total budget last year. — (FREEMAN)