MAYOR Evelio Leonardia said they will attend the joint clarificatory hearing on the New Government Center (NGC) project this August 26 at Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol, in an order signed by Assistant Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago dated August 13, called both parties as well as officials of the Commission on Audit (COA) Cluster 4-Visayas Local Government Sector, Sub-Cluster 3, Negros Occidental Audit Group, Team 2, Bacolod City, to the clarificatory hearings. He said “no postponement is allowed.”

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Victor Eduardo and Sancho Nagar Sr. filed criminal and administrative charges against Leonardia, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, former vice mayor Renecito Novero, Councilors Al Victor Espino, Greg Gasataya, Dindo Ramos, Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Homer Bais, Napoleon Cordova, Arturo Parreno and Marx Dela Rosa, City Treasurer Annabelle Badajos, City Accountant Eduardo Ravena, City Engineer Belly Aguillon, City Budget Officer Luzviminda Treyes, and Efren Canlas, president of Hilmarc’s Construction.

Leonardia said their lawyers are now ready to answer the case, adding “we are even happy with what’s happening because that way, we can ventilate our side, and we hope that it would become a venue for us to let the people know both sides with regards to the claims of the complainants.”

In their supplementary affidavit, the complainants attached an audit report of COA on several facts they raised: “that the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), in the conduct of the public bidding for the P400-million NGC, modified the eligibility requirements provided in Sec. 23.6 of RA 9184 by requiring additional documents which were required under Section 25, and that such modification by the BAC of the eligibility requirements ran counter to IRR-A of RA 9184.”

Also, “despite Hilmarc’s non-compliance with BAC’s modified eligibility requirements, the BAC did not declare it ineligible to participate in the public bidding for the construction of the P400-million NGC just like the other eight prospective bidders that were disqualified.”

What’s more, they added that “the P394.9-million proposal submitted by Hilmarc’s Construction Corporation for the construction of NGC did not include the landscaping for site development as required in the project’s terms of reference (TOR), and that the Bacolod City government appropriated P15.64-million as of December 31, 2008 and undertook the construction of the perimeter roads despite its inclusion in the bid of Hilmarc’s for the construction of the P400-million government center.”