Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Amid other issues, ombud to focus on Radaza
THE Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has entered into its records Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza’s answer to a charge that he bought overpriced personal computers for the city’s public schools.
However, the agency will not take cognizance of his statement that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) bought the same computers from the same supplier for twice the amount.
Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Santiago, in an interview yesterday, said they will limit the focus of their investigation on Radaza.
Besides, she said, the AFP is not directly under their jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, businessman Efrain Pelaez Jr., the original complainant, scoffed at Radaza’s answers.
Pelaez said he can’t believe the mayor is now blaming his underlings by insisting that he was only exercising a ministerial duty when he signed for the approval of the procurement.
He also questioned the timing of the affidavits executed by the family of the late mayor Ernest Weigel Jr. that cast aspersions on his “clean” image.
“Nganong karon paman (Why now)? It was long ago unya karon pa nila gihimo kunohay (but the family all of a sudden just decided) to tell the people of what kind of person I am? Nonetheless, even if I am the worst person in the world it won’t change the fact that we have overpriced computers,” he said.
Weigel’s son Mark Steven and wife Paz accused Pelaez of trying to dupe them over a business deal Pelaez entered with the late mayor.
Their separate affidavits were attached to Radaza’s answer, together with other evidences, to the P23.4 million computer scam charges that Pelaez filed before the anti-graft office.
Radaza, while arguing that the 470 computers the City Government bought in 2005 at P49,000 each were not overpriced, had said that the benchmark for the amount was a similar transaction entered into by the AFP with Kein Enterprises in 2003.
The purchase order for the transaction, signed by then AFP chief of staff Gen. Dionisio Santiago, reflected a unit price of P90,000 each for 150 sets.
“This alone militates against this complaint for who are we to question precedent,” Radaza said in his counter-affidavit.
Santiago refused to comment on whether the supposed transaction of the AFP has an impact on the case against Radaza.
She said the matter is still under investigation, adding that the graft investigator assigned to the case has yet to submit it for resolution. In fact, she said, the matter is a long way from getting resolved.
Pelaez lodged the complaint against Radaza and other City Hall officials for the alleged overpriced purchase.
He said quotations from other suppliers reflect an amount almost half the purchase price that Radaza approved.
Adeguil Landia, manager of Thinking Tools Inc., which Pelaez had cited as having offered the same computer at a lesser price, said they weren’t able to participate in the bidding because the City did not give them a canvass form.
“That was why we weren’t able to submit a quotation of prices,” Landia said in Cebuano.
Santiago, citing the office’s general procedures, said respondents in cases before the anti-graft office are duty-bound to furnish the complainant with copies of their counter-affidavits.
The complainants, in turn, have 10 days to submit their comment upon receipt.
Likewise, the graft investigator assigned also enjoys the discretion of calling for a clarificatory hearing to address issues that require further scrutiny.
In lieu of a clarificatory hearing, a position paper is required.
On the issue of the AFP transaction, Santiago said the matter is best left to the Office of the Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (Moleo).
It is this agency, she said, that has authority to look into the various transactions of the AFP.
Like the Visayas anti-graft office, the Ombudsman Moleo also has a fact-finding division that can launch inquiries with our without a verified complaint.
In past investigations, however, the Moleo requested the Visayas anti-graft office to conduct fact-finding missions for them. (KNR/AIV)
