Puentevella confident he will hurdle graft case

MANILA, Philippines - Former Bacolod City lone district representative and now Mayor Monico Puentevella expressed confidence that the lone case filed against him with the Office of the Ombudsman would ultimately prove his innocence. 

In a statement, Puentevella said, “We respect the recommendation of the Ombudsman and we will exhaust all legal avenues that are available for us under the circumstance.”

“We are confident that we will hurdle this challenge. In the meantime, I will continue to serve our people and focus on programs and projects that Bacolod needs,” he added.

Puentevella was charged with the alleged overpricing of information technology (IT) packages that were given allocations in 2002 to address the needs of public elementary and high schools in Bacolod that were lagging behind private schools who enjoyed access to IT facilities. 

The case was filed in 2007 or five years after the program had been implemented. 

The project was undertaken under the direct supervision of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Region 6 and did not involve Puentevella in the procurement process, the former lawmaker’s statement said. 

Not a single signature of the former lawmaker was found in any of the purchases while the Commission on Audit did not issue any notice of suspension or disallowances on the project, it added.

Records also show that many other local government officials, including governors and congressmen, even a DepEd principal, also embarked on a similar project, according to the statement. 

The DepEd endorsed the IT project that included CDs, workbooks, trainings and computer units, the statement added.