Marquez seeks extension in reply to plunder raps

Parañaque City Mayor Joey Marquez and four other city officials have filed a 15-day extension with the Office of the Ombudsman to answer the plunder charge filed against them by "concerned residents" of the city.

The complaint stemmed from alleged irregularities in the renovation of the P130-million Parañaque public market

In a two-page letter dated Aug. 29, city legal officer Leo Luis Mendoza told the Office of the Special Prosecutor that Marquez and the other respondents in the case "have no knowledge or information regarding the charge or accusation of the complainants who are merely designated as "concerned residents of Parañaque City.’"

Aside from Marquez, city officials charged with violation of the Plunder Law and the Anti Graft Law were city administrator Antonio Abad, city engineer Reydivino Deval Santos, city treasurer Liberato Carabeo, and internal auditor Eduardo Hayab.

Also included in the charge was PLERM Construction and Development Corp. represented by a certain Engineer Efren Martinez.

In his letter, Mendoza emphasized that while Special Prosecutor II Cicero Jurado Jr. required the respondents to appear before him and submit the necessary documents on Aug. 30, the respondents received the prosecutor’s subpoena only last Aug. 29.

The subpoena was dated Aug. 23.

In a telephone interview, city adviser for legal affairs, lawyer Patricio Asoy said he believes that the case filed against Marquez was merely a form of harassment.

"We don’t even know who these concerned citizens are," he said. Nevertheless, Asoy added that he and Mendoza are now in the process of getting a copy of the complaint so that they can prepare the documents, which they would present in 15 days, or by Sept. 13.

The public market located in La Huerta near Quirino Avenue was constructed in year 2000. According to Asoy, the city government built the four-story market to replace the old one, which had only one floor.

The public market was originally pegged at P99,859,289 but reached over P130 million. The city government borrowed the amount from the Philippine National Bank to pay the contractor.