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Saturday, October 29, 2005
Ex-mayor hits Emano on cars 'fiasco'
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
FORMER Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Pablo Magtajas and several opposition lawyers said Mayor Vicente Emano could face administrative charges regarding the alleged failure to account 311 units of service motor vehicles.
The Commission on Audit (COA) in Mindanao failed to account for the vehicles during the conduct of the physical inventory last year.
Vice Mayor Michelle T. Spiers earlier debunked the charges in a television interview saying COA might have done the accounting of the vehicles "while the vehicles were used" for City Government operations or activities.
Meanwhile, a lawyer believed that there could be "widespread conspiracy" on how all these 311 units remain unaccounted for.
He also considered these units as "moving coffins" considering that COA-Mindanao reported that these units are without registration at the local Land Transportation Office (LTO) and insurance of these vehicles at the regional office of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
Some lawyers said it is possible that these motor vehicles could either be used "privately and taken home" by some of Emano's underlings and this is a sign of the latter's "mismanagement and even inefficiency and gross neglect."
In an interview with Sun.Star Friday, Magtajas said all the vehicles bought and used by City Hall during his administration were fully registered at the LTO and insured with the GSIS.
He said he has always instructed the head of the City General Services Office (CGSO) to comply with these requirements as provided for by law.
"I don't know what happened under Emano's administration as to why these vehicles are not fully accounted for and not registered and insured. That is illegal," he said.
The former mayor was also surprised with the number of unaccounted vehicles saying it is possible the vehicles were "taken home" by any of Emano's supporters.
Former city vice mayor Antonio Soriano for his part said the COA-Mindanao report of 311 units being not fully accounted for is nothing so shocking saying, "Are you referring to our city? Are we still surprised?"
Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental (IBP-MisOr-CDO) former president and congressional bet lawyer Manuel Ravanera for his part said, "That's the highest indication of inefficiency and gross neglect of duty on the part of the local government. They can be made administratively liable."
IBP-MisOr-CDO former legal aide lawyer James Judith III said the unaccountability of 311 units of service motor vehicle is an indication that "something is really wrong" and that the person behind this should be held accountable.
"This is a sign of massive, rampant and widespread conspiracy kadaghan anang 311 ka vehicles!" he said.
Judith believes that these units that remain unregistered and uninsured are "moving coffins" as it would be hard to pin down the City Government should these units figure in a crash accident and incur damage to other properties or even cause injury or death to another person.
"Because these vehicles are not registered and not insured so the one driving them could be held liable even if he used such a unit for official functions," he said.
Magtajas and Soriano said City Hall could still be held liable particularly if there are City Council ordinances or resolutions appropriating for the purchase of these 311 units of motor vehicles.
COA Mindanao has issued a recommendation that Emano should "issue a directive to all department heads prohibiting the use of all unregistered service vehicles and to impound the unregistered vehicles until the same are registered.
The COA report said an appropriation was provided for the insurance and registration of motor vehicles.
But this appropriation was not spent which resulted to the non-registration of the motor vehicles with LTO-10 and the failure to have these vehicles insured by GSIS.
"Existing laws require that motor vehicles shall be registered with the Land Transportation Office annually," the report reads. "Pursuant to pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 656, otherwise known as the Property Insurance Law, said vehicles shall be insured with the Government Insurance Service System."
COA-Mindanao reported that during their physical inventory last year, it was found that "registration and insurance of various motor vehicles used for operation were not renewed."
The agency revealed that on January 21, 2005 they received from the City General Services Office (CGSO) the complete list of unrenewed and unregistered vehicle of the City Government of Cagayan de Oro "after we requested for the same based on our observation during the physical inventory."
"The list discloses that 311 units of service motor vehicles were either unregistered since the time of their acquisition or no new renewal of the registration was made," the report reads.
(October 29, 2005 issue)
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