Manila exec files raps vs councilor

Manila City Administrator Jesus Mari Marzan filed yesterday graft charges against Manila Councilor Dennis Alcoreza at the Office of the Ombudsman for conflict of interest and failure to divest his interest in the Dealco Farms Inc. and Meatworld International Inc., which is owned by the councilor's family, and operates the slaughterhouse in Vitas, Tondo.

Lawyer Renato de la Cruz, city legal officer, and Chief of Staff Ricardo de Guzman accompanied Marzan at the Ombudsman’s office.

In a statement, Marzan said that Dealco Farms Inc., owned by Alcoreza’s father, Delfin, entered into a 25-year lease with the former city administration to rehabilitate and modernize the 22,000 square meter facility and maintain it in accordance with health and sanitation standards set by the National Meat Inspection Commission.

Alcoreza was elected councilor of the first district on May 14, 2007 and assumed and discharged the duties and functions as such.

Dealco transferred the lease and management of the abattoir to Meatworld, a meat processing company without the consent of the City of Manila and in violation of the lease contract.

Dealco and Meatworld have the same incorporators—the children of Delfin Alcoreza, including Dennis. “Thus the veil of corporate fiction is properly pierced,” Marzan said.

Marzan said Meatworld was earning billions of pesos each year but failed to remit to the city its share of one percent, plus rentals and other obligations.

In his complaint, Marzan said Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act defines corrupt practices as: (a) causing any undue injury to any party, including the government, or giving any party unwarranted benefits in the discharge of official, administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence and (b) directly or indirectly having financial or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity or in which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest.”

Marzan said Alcoreza is liable since “through Dealco and Meatworld, he had been reaping unwarranted benefits under the contract without complying with their obligation to pay the city’s one percent share of the gross income for 2002 to 2007. Further, Dealco and Meatworld were able to evade payment of real property taxes for 2004 to 2007.”

Marzan said Dealco also subleased to Meatworld the management of the property, without the consent of the city government and the firm installed a spacious fitness gym and recreation center, without prior consent of city hall.

Alcoreza had “full knowledge of the transgressions of Dealco and Meatworld, being the officer and director, which are injurious to the city and its constituents in terms of unsafe and unsanitary foods and unrealized revenues, and yet he did nothing to correct the situation but instead kept silent in the hope of not being discovered,” Marzan said in his complaint.

“During the sensationalized takeover and recovery by the City of the abattoir, respondent publicly, openly and vigorously avowed his financial and material interest in the corporations and vehemently opposed and refused to give up the slaughterhouse which is a glaring indication of his determination to uphold and protect his personal and proprietary interest over and above that of the City’s,” Marzan said in his complaint.     – With Edu Punay