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Saturday, November 19, 2005
Mayor, councilors told to produce land titles
By Lizanilla J. Amarga and Joey P. Nacalaban
THE Office of the Ombudsman in Manila has ordered Mayor Vicente Emano and 12 Cagayan de Oro City councilors to produce within 10 days all loans, list of beneficiaries, land titles, and tax declarations relating to the controversial Piso-Piso Land Resettlement Program.
They were also ordered to produce a copy of the multi-million-peso GV Diversified International Inc. (GVDII) contract on the Balulang-Indahang Bridge and road network.
The Ombudsman-Manila order was in relation to the 18 counts of graft charges filed against them by former Senate Blue Ribbon general legal counsel and opposition lawyer Ed Tamondong based on the 2001 Commission on Audit (COA) report.
This developed as Tamondong's legal counsel, lawyer Butch Bagabuyo, disclosed Friday that they have just filed a petition for the preventive suspension of Emano and the other respondents.
Bagabuyo said putting Emano and all the other respondents under suspension would prevent them from manufacturing or tampering the documents they were required to produce.
Also, it would ward off any pressure exerted by Emano and his officials on City Hall employees who might be called upon to produce the documents or even to witness for the case.
"This is to make sure that the integrity of the records is intact and that records would not just vanish blaming some ghost residing at City Hall," Bagabuyo said.
18 political counts
Bagabuyo said they are also requesting the Ombudsman-Manila to order Emano's administration to produce all the deeds of sale it issued when the mayor supposedly sold the parcels of land at P1.00 per lot.
Tamondong said Emano's camp would be asking for an extension, as it could not submit the documents.
Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro failed to get the side of Emano or the other respondents as of press time Friday but Emano's "Magic 8" topnotch political lieutenant City Councilor Alexander Dacer defended the mayor and his colleagues.
He slammed Tamondong and Bagabuyo for filing "baseless" charges.
"In fact, that we might as well call the case the 18 political counts," said Dacer.
Tamondong's complaint for the 18 counts of graft charges was filed last October 22, 2003. These were based on a COA special audit report.
The report stated that various Emano-initiated projects, transactions, and contracts including the piso-piso land program scheme are "irregular, illegal and disadvantageous to the government."
First time
Vouchers, memorandum of agreements, other contracts, and ordinances from the City Council and executive orders from Emano supported the COA findings.
Each of the 18 counts of graft carries a penalty of six years imprisonment in case of conviction.
The councilors include lawyers Michelle Tagarda, Maryanne Enteria, Edgar Cabanlas and Alvin Calingin. Also included are Reynaldo Advincula, Alfonso Goking, Juan Sia, Ian Acenas, and President Elipe.
The order was based on the records of the clarificatory hearing of the 18 counts graft case held last September 30 when Emano for the first time in his life took the witness stand over graft charges.
Respondents Emano and the city councilors were asked to submit to the Ombudsman-Manila within 10 days with proof of service to the complainant several documents relating to the Piso-Piso Land Resettlement Program.
These include certified true copies of all documents relative to the purchase by the Cagayan de Oro City of all lots covered by the on-site and off-site resettlement programs of the city whether under the piso-piso program or not, including certified copies of the corresponding torrens titles and tax declarations thereof.
Verified statements
Bagabuyo said the torrens title and tax declarations would show how the land purchases made by the Emano administration for the Piso-Piso program was grossly disadvantageous to the government.
He said the torrens titles would show that there were some lands purchased by the government that were still under litigation in court.
"The tax declarations would show nga labihana pagkamahal sa pagkapalit sa gobyerno aning mga yutaa naa pagani kadtong uniform lang unta nga P100 per square meter pero hag-as nahimong P160 na dayon pag-abot ni Emano," he said.
The Ombudsman-Manila is also asking for the complete lists of awardees and beneficiaries now occupying these on-site and off-site resettlement areas, certified correct and under oath by the city official concerned.
This along with a verified statement regarding loans procured by the government of Cagayan de Oro City used in the purchase of lands for the piso-piso program, if any, the amounts thereof and to whom and how much the same were actually paid.
(November 19, 2005 issue)
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