Repeat scams, as in double déjà vu

 Few decades ago today, there was that jolting P86 million scam in Central Visayas involving certain DPWH personnel, LGU engineering people, and private contractors who were hied to court and most were convicted.

The corpus delicti centered on under-delivery of filling materials for the road shoulders. Instead of a full dump truck of so much cubic meters per pile, it was unloaded in three piles; thus, a dump truck of, say, 6 cubic meters was computed 3 times, or a false total of 18 cubic meters. Payment for each truckload was jacked up and exploited 3 times, or under-delivery of two full truckloads.

The saddest thing about that P86M anomaly was the indictment of all line bureaucrats who had affixed their signatures, plus those affixing only initials who hardly shared the graft money.

Being axiomatic, history has a way of repeating itself. Man who wants to get rich quick, forgets the bitter lessons of history… After that P86 million scandal that scourged LGU engineers including in Mandaue, a déjà vu of sorts caught up recently with two city mayors and their engineers. This time, the main offense was over-pricing the decorative street lampposts for the 12th ASEAN Summit by 10 times and more, or over 1000%, says the Ombudsman-Visayas.

The millions malversed differ since the ASEAN lamppost scandal vastly surpassed the P86M corruption. Moreover, the latter didn’t link LGU mayors; whereas, the déjà vu lamppost mega anomaly burned both Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu mayors.

Observers like Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña, put graver onus on Ex-Mayor Thadeo Ouano of Mandaue and his engineering subalterns. Obviously, it’s anchored on the preparation of the program of works and estimates (POWE) originating from the Mandaue end.

These gold-priced lampposts spoiling the 12th ASEAN Summit held at the CICC in Mandaue had also been preceded by similar deco lampposts previously installed few years back at the Mandaue City Hall premises, bloated at P120,000 each. They ate up almost P5 million of its alleged P11 million wastrel. Other magnified items were the 20 three-seater concrete benches costing P10,000 each.

These precursor-lampposts hiked by 1000% in costs, could have served as “inspiration” or stokers to the ones lining the Lapu-Lapu-Mandaue-Cebu City streets during the said ASEAN Summit that were originally super-bloated from P200T to P300T per POWE...

It’s also providential that after Mayor Jonas Cortes had restored to vehicular traffic the then blockaded Mabini Street west-end and the Sotero Cabahug Street from Tribunal northward, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) complained with the Ombudsman-Visayas. They are claiming that Hizzoner destroyed the P11 M “heritage” project, insisting that the Mayor’s abatement of the nuisance per se, had no “clearance” from the COA. If they were that “competent” as they often profess to be, they should have known that the COA’s post-audit role frowns on issuing so-called “clearance”, especially on matters dabbling in political dramatics.

Besides, for lack of foresight, the SP has opened a Pandora’s box that boomerangs on their political godfather during whose term the P11M misnamed “heritage” was made an excuse for irregular cash advances by “inter-familia” insiders and cohorts.

Indeed, history repeats itself, as in déjà vu. And to complete the irony, it’s the opposition SP who has made possible the airing of the scandal. To quote a gambler’s lingo: “Naunay sa kaugalingon nga buwang o tari”.

But here’s an opposite shocker which may decide the 2010 political fortunes – and could also be a stunning déjà vu in reverse – owing to the brewing whispers concerning some inner circle in governance allegedly veering from the straight and the narrow… Just a word of caution: “Walay aso nga makumkom”. Smoke always ekes out and diffuses for all to sense.

*  *  *

Email: [email protected]