COA auditor takes the stand

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

WHILE the Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the administrative guilt of all public officials accused in the lamppost case, the Sandiganbayan, the country’s anti-graft criminal court, continues to hold its trials.

Justices of the fourth division held one in Cebu City yesterday, transforming the 9th branch of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) into their tribunal and calling a state auditor to the stand.

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Alfredo Torrequemada of the Commission on Audit (COA) 7 presented to the tribunal a report from the agency’s Technical Services Office on the allegedly overpriced purchase.

No involvement

“They are mandated to review contracts and appraise projects pursuant to the audit code,” he said of the office.

The report indicated, among others, project accomplishment details submitted by the contractor to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Inspectorate Team.

Defense lawyer Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu pointed out that nothing in the report Torrequemada presented shows the involvement of local government officials.

“The engineers of Man­daue and Lapu-Lapu never had a hand in this transaction,” she said in an interview after the hearing.

Dalawampu represents Hidelisa Latonio, Gregorio Omo, Mario Gerolaga, Aflredo Sanchez Jr. and Rosalina Denque in the case, which is one of seven cases the anti-graft office filed and raffled off between the Sandiganbayan’s five divisions.

Each case refers to one contract and each contract involves the purchase and installation of decorative lampposts used to beautify some streets during the Asean Summit held here in 2007.

89 lampposts

The case before the fourth division deals with the purchase of 89 decorative lamps from the Fabmik Construction and Equipment Supply Company Inc. and their installation along Mandaue City’s W.O. Seno, C.D. Seno, Plaridel and J. Briones Sts.

The purchase and installation of this batch cost the government P19,980,000, even though, according to a COA canvass, the 89 decorative lamps were only worth P13,934,547, based on the price of similar “park lamps.”

During the hearing, defense lawyers raised a motion asking that the term “bloated” be removed from the records of Torrequemada’s testimony, despite his use of the term while at the stand.

They cited that Torrequemada did not make the report and was simply relying on the findings of the Technical Services Office.

Justice Gregory Ong, who heads the fourth division, noted the motion, saying it will be treated like a manifestation. No ruling was handed down, with the tribunal instead setting the next hearing on Jan. 30 and 31 in Manila.

August decision

Last August, the CA upheld the administrative guilt of all the accused in the lamppost case.

Provincial Board Member Thadeo Ouano, mayor of Mandaue City when the lamppost case was filed, and Rep. Arturo Radaza, then Lapu-Lapu City mayor, were spared the penalty, owing to the Aguinaldo Doctrine.

The CA ruling dismissed Robert Lala, Gloria Dindin, Marlina Alvizo, Pureza Fernandez, Cresencio Bagolor, Augustinito Hermoso, Luis Galang, and Restitutu Diano, Buenaventura Pajo, all from the Department of Public Works and Highways 7 from service.

It also sacked Dalawampu’s clients Latonio, Omo and Mario Gerolaga and Engrs. Julito Cuizon, and Rogelio Veloso of the local engineering office in Lapu-Lapu City.