Saturday, September 29, 2007 Ombuds orders Bing, others to answer graft complaint By Gil Alfredo B. Severino
NOT yet off the hook. If Mayor Evelio Leonardia rejoiced after the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas dismissed the case filed against him by former city accountant Pioquito Quiñones over the alleged illegal disbursement of funds, he must now again begin the process of clearing his name.
The Ombudsman in the Visayas has also recently issued an order for Leonardia and 15 others, including former vice mayor Renecito Novero and the councilors, to explain within 10 days the complaint lodged against them by Victor Eduardo and Sancho Nagar Sr.
The complaint centered on the mayor’s alleged violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act related to the controversial new government center project still being constructed at the Circumferential area in Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod.
The Ombudsman order was dated August 10, 2007, but until now, the parties claimed they have not received the notice yet.
“Who says then that their problems are over? What they are doing is just posing unresolved questions, one after another,” said Eduardo.
Eduardo, a former policeman and who is now a private citizen, charged Leonardia with graft and grave misconduct related to “undue haste” in releasing P85 million for the new government center (NGC).
In the documents sent to Sun.Star-Bacolod, Eduardo presented two orders signed by Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago, stating that Leonardia is given 10 days to present his counter-affidavits on the complaints.
“It is because the Ombudsman has found enough bases to proceed with the administrative investigation of the case,” Eduardo said, adding, “I am calling on all members of the media to take cognizance of this. Do your role in watching over the developments of this case which is of plunder proportion.”
In earlier reports, Eduardo and Nagar filed charges against Leonardia on grounds that the P85 million “mobilization fund” paid to Hilmarcs Construction Corp. for the building of the center was highly irregular and anomalous from the very start.
Aside from Leonardia, the other respondents are Novero, Councilors Al Victor Espino, Greg Gasataya, Dindo Ramos, Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Jude Thaddeus Sayson, Homer Bais, Napoleon Cordova, Arturo Parreno, Marx Louis de la Rosa, City Treasurer Annabelle Badajos, City Accountant Eduardo Ravena, Engineer Belly Aguillon, Budget Officer Luzviminda Treyes, all government officials of the city, and Efren Canlas, president of Hilmarcs Construction Corp (HCC).
