Lopez charged over ‘faulty’ air monitoring system
A COMPLAINT has been filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez for her alleged inaction over the “faulty” air monitoring system in place since 2006.
The nine- page complaint was filed by Rodolfo Javella, Jr., president of United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC), and Manuel J. Galvez, managing partner of Airboard Company.
Former environment undersecretary Leo L. Jasareno and DENR’s Environment Management Bureau (EMB) officers Jean Rosete and Teresita Peralta were also made “nominal parties-respondents.”
“The reason they are merely being made nominal parties is because complaint or so had already been filed against one, two or all of them, but the status of this/ these case/s has got to be first determined,” the complaint read.
The complainants said they presented a power point presentation to Ms. Lopez in August last year, showing “the evil and the devil” about the air quality monitoring systems that “failed to deliver consistent and reliable air quality data.”
According to them, the EMBAir Quality Monitoring Section (AQMS), headed by Ms. Peralta and Ms. Rosete, procured four Open Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) from Electrobyte in 2006 “without any market research or study.” Another four DOAS were procured in 2010 without any performance report.
“It is clear, during the first two biddings, that all and everything had been tailored-[made] to favor Electrobyte, the favorite supplier. The Terms of Reference or the qualification of bidders had been so phrased and formulated that it always results that as early as during Pre- Qualification, only Electrobyte would qualify,” the complaint read.
“In 2013, Electrobyte received full payment for another delivery of 10 more DOAS, and payment was made prior to installation and acceptance,” read the complaint.
The complainants also alleged that these machines “would not function, or could not be utilized for the purposes they were acquired of, if these machines do indeed provide us with data, the data would always be inaccurate or cannot be relied upon.”
Although the procedures referred to happened before her appointment, the complainants said Ms. Lopez offered nothing but “mere words and talks” after their presentation. The complainants also claimed “wrongdoing continuously being committed” by the EMB-AQMS staff and officers.
“The baton of respondents Rosete and Peralta had so effectively called the shot for all performers to act in unison, and with no discordant note. And the bandwagon is now joined in by the Honorable Respondent Secretary,” read the complaint.
“[ I] t is prayed appropriate administrative punishment be meted and imposed.” —