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Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Vergara, Domogan eye libel raps vs mayor
By Ernie N. Olson Jr.
FORMER Baguio City mayor Bernardo Vergara Tuesday said he and Baguio Representative Mauricio Domogan will be filing libel charges against incumbent Mayor Braulio Yaranon after the Holy Week.
This developed after Yaranon directly accused Vergara, Domogan and a city Government department head of "colluding" with Jadewell Parking Systems Corporation in causing the operation of the pay parking firm in Baguio.
"As soon as possible, after the Holy Week, we will be filing libel and criminal charges against Mayor Yaranon for his malicious imputations of corruption on our persons regarding the Jadewell operations and recently, also on the construction of the flyover project at the Baguio General Hospital rotunda," the former chief executive said.
"Having been in public service for over 45 years, we made sure that all transactions were above board, taking into consideration accounting and auditing rules and regulations, unlike the mayor now who speaks of good governance but disregards existing laws and ordinances by issuing administrative orders contravening them," Vergara said.
"In the issue of Sun.Star this weekend and in all his speeches, he keeps accusing us of being corrupt. On the flyover issue, this has been bidded out and awarded over two years ago, and is now being implemented. The bidding and award of the flyover contract was done by then Department of Public Works & Highways Secretary Gregorio Vigilar, a straightforward and strict Cabinet official. How could we have done any corrupt act under the nose of Vigilar, who was a very disciplined former Army officer?" he said..
"On the Jadewell issue, this was passed through the City Council then and the ordinance for its pay parking operation was enacted under his wife's leadership when she sat as its temporary presiding officer. In my case, I was the representative of Baguio working in Congress when this was approved, and when I sat as mayor, the pay parking system was already upheld by the courts as being legal and constitutional. How could I have 'harassed' Jadewell into allowing me to 'collude' with them?" Vergara added.
He also revealed that aside from the libel charges that they will be filing against Yaranon, "other criminal and administrative suits will follow."
"These other charges will be for his blatant disregard of our laws by issuing AOs contravening our existing ordinances such as allowing their favored Panagbenga sponsors to deface or paint (on their names and logos) on our overpasses in spite of their previous pronouncements that this year's staging will not be commercialized. These overpasses are considered by law as government edifices which should not be defaced," Vergara said.
"We will also be filing criminal charges against him for the discriminatory demolition and closure orders he issued against certain tenants in the city, and also for his utter disregard of the bidding law for the purchase of medicines during and after the meningococcemia scare," he said, adding that a P2 million fund was spent without public bidding for the purchase of equipment and medicine for the City Health Office, while another P1 million given by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office was allegedly also spent the same way.
"We are also filing additional charges against him for closing Lake Drive and other roads within Burnham Park, without any resolution from the City Council, causing local businessmen like stallholders and transport operators to incur considerable economic losses," Vergara said.
In an earlier interview, Domogan explained there was a basis when Jadewell was allowed to operate here, through the approval of an ordinance. The congressman also confirmed that former Councilor Lilia Yaranon, wife of the incumbent mayor, even signed the ordinance. "It's unfortunate that it happened this way. We did not commit corruption."
Budget Officer Leticia Clemente, a member of the bids committee, also said the mayor's accusation is unfair as she said that the mayor has to show evidence that they committed graft and corruption.
(March 23, 2005 issue)
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