Thursday, August 12, 2004 13 Capitol heavy units unaccounted for By Lizanilla J. Amarga
* Vehicles had to be retrieved by joint Capitol-NBI team
FROM cannibalized to ghost government vehicles?
A car dealer company disclosed Tuesday that the Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental bought around 30 service vehicles during the time of former governor Antonio Calingin, but a Provincial Board member said only 17 are accounted for.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, a sales officer of Toyota, Inc. said that there were about 30 service vehicles that Calingin bought during his term.
"Yes, they bought several vehicles from our company... I am not sure of the figure but it was around 30 vehicles," the source who requested anonymity said.
He added that most of the vehicles bought were heavy-duty pick-ups that were supposed to be used for the province-owned and controlled Misamis Oriental Telephone Systems, Inc. (Misortel).
Meanwhile, PB member Norris Babiera who was in-charge then of the infrastructure and engineering committee said they have received reports that Calingin bought around 30 vehicles during his two terms as governor of the province.
"Pero ang naa sa among inventory balig 17 raman kabook na-register... naa gyud diay discrepancy (But what is reflected in our inventory are only 17 vehicles not 30. There is indeed a discrepancy)," he said.
These 17 vehicles were not even actually turned-over by Calingin but have to be retrieved by the regional office of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Provincial Capitol's retrieval team that carried with them the writ of replevin issued by the court.
These 17 vehicles include the three "cannibalized" pick-up vehicles recovered last Sunday.
Babiera said the 30 vehicles referred to by the Toyota agent could have included the second hand vehicles that the province bought that were registered not as government vehicles yet.
"Apil na siguro ana ang kadtong mga private ang registration ug plate numbers pa wala pa ma-usab nga red plate na (This might already include those which still are still privately registered and still bear the private plate numbers and that they were not yet changed to the government red plate numbers)," he said.
Babiera said they are having a difficulty tracing these vehicles as they are like "ghosts" that have suddenly vanished.
"We are still trying to dig up more information regarding these vehicles but rest assured we are exerting all efforts as these vehicles were bought using the hard earned money of the people of Misamis Oriental," he said.
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