FORMER Valladolid town mayor Romel Yogore and six others posted bail after warrants of arrest against them for their alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act were released by the Sandiganbayan.
The anti-graft court ordered the arrest of Yogore, now the town vice mayor; municipal agriculturist and Bids and Awards Committee chairman Giovanni Robles; municipal engineer and BAC vice chairman Joseph Alfonso Manayon; BAC members municipal registrar Ernesto Genobis, cashier II Daisy Galve, and accounting clerk II Merlene Magbanua; and proprietor Jonie Nieve of JB Nieve Hardware and Construction Supply.
Chief Inspector Joemarie Occeño, town police chief, said the respondents voluntarily surrendered to Valladolid Municipal Police Station Wednesday, then posted P30,000 bail each for their provisional liberty before Bago City Regional Trial Court Judge Frances Guanzon.
Sandiganbayan issued the warrants of arrest on August 24, but they received the order Wednesday, Occeño said.
He said the respondents will now wait for the subpoena from the anti-graft court.
The police chief said two of the town officials – Robles and Genobis – were already retired.
Yogore confirmed that he posted bail the other day, but he refused to issue a statement.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by resident Larry Concepcion, who is also a broadcaster, as he alleged that the municipal government failed to conduct a public bidding for the repair and improvement of the Rural Health Unit amounting to P250,000 that was implemented in 2008.
The complainant also pointed out that the transaction was questionable since the owner of the construction supply is Yogore’s brother-in-law.
The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas, in its July 2014 resolution, recommended the indictment of the six town officials and the supplier, as it stressed that the procurement of the project was done through “shopping.”
The Ombudsman resolution also said that all procurements shall be done through competitive bidding, except when there is unforeseen contingency requiring immediate purchase but the amount shall not exceed P50,000 and procurement of ordinary or regular office supplies and equipment not available in the Procurement Service not exceeding P250,000.
The respondents, in their counter-affidavit, explained that there was no public bidding conducted on the procurement after Provincial Budget Officer Percival Salado Jr. assured them that the municipal government is allowed to resort to shopping and make small value procurement up to the amount of P250,000.