OPPOSITION mayoral bet Jose Gabriel "Pompee" La Viña, over the weekend, called on the five city hall officials who were part of the real property company called Seers to resign from their respective posts, on basis of conflict of interest with government transactions.
However, Seers officials remained steadfast that they did not commit any illegalities, and there is “nothing new” on La Viña's baseless accusations.
La Viña kept on accusing that Seers, allegedly “controls” how the city government purchase lots so that schools will be built.
Seers is a registered company which is owned by Teodoro Sabuga-a Jr., who is currently the City Administrator; Maricel Rivera, the current City Information Officer: Lawyer Beda Joy Elot, the City Accountant; Lawyer Percy Salazar, City Budget Officer; and Oliver Egypto, who is sitting as the Officer-in-charge in the Office of the Community Affairs. The first letter of their surnames derived the Seers acronym.
“If you are the owner of a real estate company, and you have properties to sell, will you refuse them? Let’s say, it’s a separate transaction, and these are powerful officials you are dealing with, and they decide what are your taxes, business taxes, can you refuse?” he said in the vernacular, adding that Seers is connected with city mayor Oscar Moreno's alleged corrupt practices.
But Rivera said that there is nothing new with his accusations, and that their earlier statements refuting La Viña's claim will remain.
“We denounce this malicious, hostile, defamatory misinformation aimed to vilify hardworking, law-abiding, and honest individuals whose only aim is to establish a legitimate company distinct and separate from their work,” the Seers statement said.
The group maintained that they never engaged in any unlawful acts, nor they have contractual or financial transactions with the City Government where they work.
Sabuga-a, meanwhile, rebuts La Viña's claims by saying that it was the latter who have a dubious and dishonest background and track record.
“It is Pomfake (Pompee) who has no shame, he claims to be the one concreting the roads in the hinterlands because he spent only four months in the DA (Department of Agriculture),” he said in vernacular.
Sabuga-a insinuated that La Viña has the tendency to spread “fake news,” and credit-grab, when in fact he only served a short span of four months in the DA to have accomplished anything like starting and finishing a farm-to-market road project. He also accused La Viña of faking a story about Sabuga-a being a multi-millionaire.
Earlier, La Viña said his lawyers are preparing to file anti-graft charges against Seers incorporators. But Rivera also said that they, too, are consulting with their legal team, for possible counter charging La Viña's alleged lies.