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Saturday, December 27, 2003
Ombud case won't affect meeting with ABE boss
By Ronilo Ladrido Pamonag
THE complaint of the City Council committee on good government with the Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas regarding the housing project will not affect the scheduled meeting with the project contractor.
"I don't think so," Mayor Jerry Treņas said, brushing aside apprehensions that the case filed by the committee members will affect what City Hall officials call "workable compromise" with the Manila-based contractor.
Before the year ends, the mayor and members of the Task Force Housing will be meeting with Alexander Trinidad, proprietor of the Ace Builders and Enterprises (ABE).
Though there is no exact date yet for the meeting, the mayor said the meeting will be held on an office day and the talks will be held at his office.
Last week, the committee members led by chairman Councilor Raul Gonzalez Jr., signed an Affidavit of Reaffirmation, technically becoming the nominal complainant in criminal and administrative cases against city officials, among them Treņas.
This came in wake of the recommendation of Graft Investigator Sarah Jo Vergara for the upgrading of their office inquiry into criminal and administrative charges for violation of the anti-graft law. Former and incumbent city officials were implicated in the scam.
Gonzalez, Erwin Plagata, Ma. Concordia Manikan-Amalian and Antonio Pesina Jr. investigated the anomalous project last year.
The City Council, however, junked their committee report. After which the committee members forwarded their report to the Ombudsman for further investigation.
Confirming what an ABE source said, the mayor admitted they requested for the meeting.
In the December 16 letter-request, Treņas and Task Force chair Jose Espinosa III "invited" Trinidad personally to a meeting to be held at the City Mayor's Office.
Trinidad was made to choose among four dates.
Final details for the payment of the ABE's P4.3 million will be discussed, the mayor said. At the same time, he expressed optimism that the meeting will end the year-old controversy. RLP
(December 27, 2003 issue)
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