Bohol official, ex councilor face corruption charges

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — Bohol Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio II and former Tagbilaran City councilor and now businessman Zenaido Rama were charged with corruption charges over purchase of generator sets last year.

Doctor Celestina Ma. Jude Dela Serna, chief of provincial government-run Congressman Natalio Castillo Memorial Hospital in Loon, Bohol, filed corruption charges against the two yesterday before the City Prosecutor’s Office.

Dela Serna’s charges, under NB Docket VII-14, INV-16A-032, accused the two of “malversation of public funds thru falsification of official documents.

According to the charge sheet, a copy of which was obtained by The FREEMAN, Rama was “doing business under the name of Michelle & Donalds with residence at Calceta Street, Tagbilaran City and Damalerio, the present provincial administrator, holding office at the Governor’s Mansion, Tagbilaran City.”

Dela Serna, in the charge sheet, accused Rama and Damalerio for conspiring “with each other to illegally extract P140,730 from the provincial government of Bohol, which was finally received by Zenaido Rama on December 11, 2015, as shown by a certified copy of a check issued to Rama by the provincial treasurer, and the corresponding collection receipt issued by Michelle & Donalds, also dated December 11, 2015.”

Dela Serna alleged that the amount (P140,730) is the 10 percent retained fund from the purchase price of a generator set delivered by Rama before the earthquake.

The generator set was overpriced by 400 percent since it was only priced at P350,000 in the Internet price tag but “the province bought the genset of Rama for P1.4 million,” Dela Serna alleged.

The gen-set was not installed “nor was it used during the blackouts resulting from typhoon Yolanda in 2013, ... and was only installed sometime in November 2015, the allegations further said.

Dela Serna claimed that Rama repeatedly asked her to sign the certification that the “generator set was used during the blackouts,” and that Rama allegedly asked her also to sign the disbursement voucher  (No. 101151226) for the amount of P140,730.

Dela Serna said she “stood firm” and refused to sign the two documents, insisting that the gen-set was overpriced and that the certification allegedly contained false statement. “I then saw the signature of respondent Alfonso ‘Ae’ Damalerio as the approving officer of the disbursement voucher,” she added.

The doctor’s father, lawyer Victor dela Serna, assisted her in filing the cases against Damalerio and Rama. This was verified by Assistant City Prosecutor Mary Lyn Añora.

The two accused were, however, still going to submit their responses to the accusations. (FREEMAN)