Saturday, September 29, 2007 ‘Where were you when I needed you?’
TEN Cebu-based businessmen and a nongovernment organization made headlines for standing behind Efrain Pelaez Jr. in the graft case he filed against Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza.
But at least one man isn’t convinced that they are sincere.
Crisologo Saavedra, in an interview yesterday, wondered where the businessmen and Dilaab Foundation were when he raised the issue of overpricing in purchase of the decorative lampposts and surveillance cameras used during the Asean summit.
Likewise, he asked what they were occupied with when he was “up to his neck in harassment suits and attack in the media” for airing the same allegations on the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).
“For P23 million, Pelaez is getting the businessmen and Dilaab to support the case with a manifesto. As far as overpricing is concerned, the people lost P24 million on the fabrication of the rebars used in the CICC alone, plus P65 million for the superstructure. And there are hundreds of other items in the contract,” Saavedra said.
As to the lampposts, he asked about the group’s stand considering that the ongoing graft investigation, which led to the preventive suspension of a handful of public officials, has established that there was overpricing in the purchase.
Documents on the purchase of surveillance cameras also show that the 40 units bought for P1.4 million each were even inferior to ones that could be bought for P700,000 to P800,000 each.
The anti-graft office has even asked the Land Bank of the Philippines to freeze the payment owed to the contractor while the investigation on the bidding is pending.
“Maybe Pelaez’s case has merit. Thus, their support is important. But the question remains. Where were they when it was time to make a stand on issues like the CICC or the lamppost or the spy cameras?” Saavedra said.
Saavedra admits feeling dejected that the Cebu-based businessmen, who include former Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference Cebu president Ernesto Aboitiz, Cebu Business Club president Dondi Joseph, Richard King, Arcadio Alegrado, Bunny Pages, architect Maxwell Espina, David Chan, Earl Cokseng and Wally Lim, would rally behind certain graft causes but ignore others.
“If they are anti-corruption, then they should be anti-corruption regardless of who the person being accused of wrongdoing is. Otherwise, it is all a show,” he said.
Pelaez, the president of the Mactan Island Chamber of Commerce and Industry, earlier filed a graft complaint against Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza.
He accused the mayor of facilitating the overpriced purchase of some P23 million in personal computers that the City Government later gave to its public schools.
He said the 470 computers were priced at some P50,000 each, but these could have been bought at half the price.
Pelaez had said the bidding was rigged and that the process was pursued with “undue haste.”
He received heat from Lapu-Lapu City Hall for the complaint and, subsequently, became the target of a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) investigation.
This was when the businessmen and Dilaab made their show of support.
In a press conference, one businessman even offered lawyers to the anti-graft office jus to insure that it will have sufficient assets to handle Pelaez’s complaint.
“Here we are fighting tooth and nail and they go offering lawyers to the ombudsman. That is even against the procedures of the anti-graft office. If at all, they should offer their lawyers to me because I’m not a lawyer and I’m following up all these cases,” Saavedra said in yesterday’s interview.
Still, he hopes Pelaez’s complaint will prosper.
However, he said the businessman might want to verify certain allegations such as whether Kein Enterprises is also registered in Lapu-Lapu City.
In his complaint, Pelaez said the business is based in Cebu City, has a paid-up capital of P30,000 and a combined total 2004 and 2005 gross sales of less than P5 million, therefore it is unqualified for the P23-million transaction. (KNR)
