Taguig mayor, engineer face graft charges

The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft charges against Taguig Mayor Ricardo Papa Jr., and a municipal engineer for illegally demolishing a flea market of a local vendors association.

Also charged with violation of Section 3, paragraph e of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act, was Renato Maniquis, municipal engineer of Taguig.

Ombudsman Prosecution Officer II Edgar R. Navales recommended a bail of P30,000 for the temporary liberty of each of the accused.

Records showed that on Nov. 21, 1997, Papa and Maniquis ordered the demolition of the flea market of the Taguig Pinagsama Vendors Association, Inc. (TPVAI) at Block 61, Pinagsama Village Phase 2, C5R4 relocation site, Taguig, resulting in the destruction of the stalls and merchandise amounting to a total of P2.91 million.

Teofista Lariosa, one of the officers of the TPVAI, said that the steering committee composed of the National Housing Authority, Department of National Defense, Environment and Natural Resources, Social Welfare and Development and the Housing Urban, the city government of Makati and municipal government of Taguig and the Pinag-isang Samahan ng Pitong Barangay ng Fort Bonifacio (PINAGSAMA), which is managing the C4R4 relocation site, allowed their organization (TPVAI) to temporarily use the property for their flea market on June 17, 1997.

Lariosa said that the municipal government of Taguig required them to pay P150 each in business fees while the residents of Pinagsama Village Phase I put up their own flea market, which was allegedly fully supported by Papa.

Lariosa said that to remove competition between the TPVAI and the flea market of Phase I, Papa allegedly made representation with the Steering Committee to relocate the TPVAI’s flea market in the guise of paving the way for the construction of a chapel.

Because of Papa’s intervention, Lariosa said that their group (TPVAI) was forced to propose to the Steering Committee the transfer of their flea market either to the open site near the William Yu Construction Company in Phase II, Pinagsama Village or to the open site or easement near the main road "and that in the meantime, the Steering Committee ordered a status quo for the TPVAI’s flea market."

Lariosa said Patricio Domingo, chairman of the Inter-Agency Steering Committee, was forced to issue on Aug. 29, 1997, a permit to the TPVAI to temporarily occupy the open space or easement near the main road because of Papa’s insistence to vacate the TPVAI members from the C5R4 relocation site. – Jose Rodel Clapano