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Saturday, May 10, 2003
Mayor wants mart's contract rescinded
By Dante M. Fabian
ANGELES CITY -- Mayor Carmelo Lazatin has sought the rescinding of the controversial lease contract between this city and a market stallholders cooperative for the reconstruction and management of the San Nicolas Public Market.
Lazatin's wish was contained in a letter to the City Council, which was calendared for discussion in its session last Tuesday.
However, the council deferred this and decided to deliberate on the request in its session on Tuesday, May 13.
The council has invited Alberto Suller, city administrator, ACPUMSO officers and the contractor chosen by the cooperative.
Councilor Lito Ganzon, who received the letter from the mayor that was addressed to the council, sponsored the resolution.
The move arose from the failure of the market vendors' cooperative to commence on the construction activities in rebuilding the P90-million complex that will replace the public market razed by a fire on July 4, 2001.
The reconstruction of the San Nicolas Public Market is now the subject of a complaint filed with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) by a group of stallholders opposing the management of the market construction and leasing by the San Nicolas Public Market Stallowners and Operators Multi Purpose Cooperative Inc. (ACPUMSO).
NBI director Reynaldo Wycoco recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of administrative cases of "dishonesty and grave misconduct prejudicial to public service" against Lazatin and Vice Mayor Ricardo Zalamea.
Wycoco also recommended the filing of similar charges against Councilors Alexander Cauguiran, Vicente Vega-Cabigting, Ares Yabut, Efren dela Cruz, Rodolfo Simeon, Sonny Lao, Carlito Ganzon, Alex Indiongco, Agapito del Rosario, Irineo Alvaro, Louie Reyes, and Bryant Gonzalez.
Wycoco's recommendation arose from complaints filed by an opposing group, the San Nicolas Public Market Vendors Association Inc. (SNPMVAI) headed by Alfredo Dizon, its president.
Dizon and his group, also former stallholders in the San Nicolas Public Market before it was gutted by a night time fire, rejected the terms and conditions imposed by the ACPUMSO on stallholders, including the fees being assessed on them to regain rights to operate stalls in the new market building.
In his letter dated April 23, Lazatin stated that the delay is a violation of the provisions under paragraph 7 of the contract of lease prescribing the period of construction.
In his letter, Lazatin asked the council to rescind or cancel the contract of lease granted by the city government entered into with the ACPUMSO officers headed by Elena David.
Wycoco cited in his recommendation that the city officials violated Sec. 11 of Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
In separate interviews, Lazatin and Cauguiran said that they have not yet received notification or copies of the complaints from the Ombudsman.
"All documents in the case of the public market are in order, anyway," Lazatin said.
SNVMVAI claimed in its complaints that Lazatin and the City Council illegally leased out the location of the market for 25 years to another group called Angeles City Market Stall Owners and Operators Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ACMSOMC) headed by one Elena David.
The complaint said that since the public market was burned down, David had been claiming to represent the stallholders without the benefit of any election.
The city council, presided by the vice mayor, was included in the complaint since they approved on Sept. 10 last year a resolution authorizing Lazatin to enter into negotiated agreement or contract with the ACMSOMC.
(May 9, 2003 issue)
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