Mike to seek blegal opinion on suspension of engineers

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama will not immediately implement the order of the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to preventively suspend the three city engineers accused of graft and corruption.

Rama said he will first ask the opinion of City Legal Officer Joseph Bernaldez on the matter since the respondents had already filed a motion for reconsideration.

Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol ordered Rama to preventively suspend Assistant City Engr. June Nadine Sison, engineers Juanito Pua and Joel Pasatiempo of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) because the evidence against them is “strong.”

Rama said once Bernaldez tells him to comply with the order, he will implement it immediately.

Robert Montenegro, a private contractor doing business with the Cebu  City Government, filed a case of grave misconduct against the three engineers whom he accused of demanding from him one brand new computer and a “high-tech” camera.

Montenegro said that since he already gave the respondents incentives and monetary dole-outs, he did not give in to their demands.

He claimed that his project was ordered suspended by the respondents due to the revision and finalization of layout/floor plan for the proposed hospital’s emergency room renovation in accordance with the standard of the Department of Health.

The respondents also refused to release the 10 percent retention money amounting to P150,000 of the road concreting project that he had undertaken in Barangay Toong despite of several follow-up.

Sison and the two other respondents strongly denied the accusation of Montenegro, although the anti-graft investigators found that the evidence of guilt against the respondents is strong.

The claim of Montenegro was supported with the affidavits of Dionesio Parba and Mark Khem Aguilella who said they witnessed when the respondents demanded the computer and camera from the complainant. –/MBG (FREEMAN)