Monday, April 09, 2007 Cuenco alleges wholesale vote-buying
ECSTATIC after the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas cleared him of any irregularity over the purchase of 20 multicabs for the barangays, Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco yesterday warned he might file a complaint for vote-buying against his political opponent Jonathan Guardo.
That is, if in-house and independent surveys show that Guardo’s alleged money-giving spree has already affected his chances in the May 14 elections, Cuenco said.
The south district congressman said that several barangay captains are willing to submit formal statements that Guardo offered P1.5 million to each of them, but he is just holding his horses because he leads “70-30” over the sports patron. (No other details to support the estimate were provided.)
In obvious reference to Pasil Barangay Captain Romeo Ocarol, Cuenco said that one village chief changed camps after receiving P500,000 as initial payment from Guardo.
He said he already identified the “paymasters,” whom he said would not be offering cash had Guardo not bankrolled their efforts.
“If worse comes to worst, we will file a case before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), if it becomes necessary. There is already massive, wholesale vote-buying never before seen in Cebu City,” he said.
He said that over 7,000 families have already accepted Guardo’s offers of P1,000 each, and that another P1,000 would allegedly be given on the eve of the elections.
Cuenco called for a press conference in his house yesterday morning after the ombudsman this week junked the complaint filed by Guardo supporter Irene Camarista.
He said the decision proved that the complaint, which was deemed “without basis,” was “pure and simple harassment.”
The complaint stemmed from the 20 multicabs that Cuenco allotted with a P6 million budget, or P300,000 for each, coursed through Barangay Quiot.
But the ombudsman’s investigators acknowledged Barangay Captain Vicente Ramos’ statement that no payment had been made at the time the complaint was lodged.
Supplier RDAK Transport Equipment also explained that delivery of the multicabs to south district barangays was just the company’s “promotional” strategy to attract clients.
Quiot conducted a bidding only last February, where RDAK won with a bid of P199,500 per vehicle.
In a separate interview, Guardo said they will no longer contest the decision because they have already achieved the purpose of reducing the price per vehicle.
But he wondered why the multicabs were repainted and marked with Cuenco’s name if indeed they were delivered and used for free and for promotional purposes only.
He admitted their complaint was premature, saying they should have waited for the purchase’s completion before exposing the transaction.
“Pero kung nakalusot siya sa ombudsman, definitely dili siya kalusot sa kalagot sa katawhan. Ang mga tawo dili niya basta-basta mailad. Nganong mag-bidding gud sila over four months after gi-deliver na ang mga sakyanan.
Gibogo-an na lang gyud sila sa mga Sugbuanon? (Even if he has slipped past the ombudsman, he cannot dupe voters that easily. You mean to say they conducted the bidding four months after the vehicles were delivered? Does he think the Cebuanos are stupid?),” he added.
Guardo retorted that it is Cuenco’s party, Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), which has always bought votes.
He downplayed Cuenco’s claim of leading the surveys, citing Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s earlier statement that BOPK will concentrate on the south district as a sign that their ally is losing the electoral race to him. (RHM)
