Sun.Star Cebu

BLANCO TO FACE CHARGES

- GMD

Ronda mayor, five other town officials will face trial for their alleged failure to post bid notices on gov’t website

Ronda Mayor Mariano “Nonie” Blanco and five other town officials will face trial for their alleged failure to post bid notices on the government website in 2012.

Eileen Mae Lagat-Alde, graft investigat­ion and prosecutio­n officer, found evidence to charge Blanco and five other town employees with 15 counts of violation of Sec. 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The respondent­s committed “inexcusabl­e negligence when they proceeded with the bidding process despite the non-posting of invitation to bid on Philippine Government Electronic Procure- ment System (Philgeps) website,” read Alde’s 10-page resolution.

Sun.Star made several calls to Blanco’s mobile phone for comments to no avail.

In his counter-affidavit, Blanco said they did not act in bad faith and malice in the performanc­e of their functions.

He said the alleged offense was committed in 2012 to 2013.

When he got reelected in the May 2013 elections, Blanco said the administra­tive complaint against him should be dismissed pursuant to the Aguinaldo Doctrine.

Except for Blanco, the anti-graft office also suspended for one month and a day without pay

In counter affidavit, mayor said his winning the 2013 elections cleared him of any charges

five town hall officials for simple neglect of duty.

They are Municipal Engineer Oscar Pilapil, Municipal Budget Officer Thelma Landiza, Municipal Assistant Treasurer Brigida Cabaron, and bids and awards committee (BAC) members Frauline Requilme and Evelina Tan.

On the other hand, the ombudsman dismissed for lack of evidence the administra­tive complaint against Blanco.

The case stemmed from the criminal and administra­tive complaint filed by Jonald “Moymoy” Blanco Ungab against his uncle, Mayor Mariano “Nonie” Blanco, and the five suspended town hall officials last May 2, 2014.

Pilapil served as BAC chairman while Landiza and Cabaron served as BAC vice-chairman and member, respective­ly.

Ungab, son of Nonie’s sister and brother of incumbent Vice Mayor Jonah John Ungab, said the respondent­s violated Republic Act 9184 (Government Procuremen­t Reform Act of 2003) for their alleged failure to post all the procuremen­t notices of their municipali­ty in the Philgeps website.

It is the official website for government projects subject for bidding, which is one of the Commission on Audit’s requiremen­ts.

Ungab said that only one of 16 invitation to bid for millions of peso worth of government procuremen­ts of Ronda was posted the Philgeps’ electronic bulletin board for the calendar year 2012 to 2013.

Replying to the charges, the respondent­s denied they manipulate­d the bidding process when they failed to post the invitation to bid in the Philgeps website to favor certain suppliers.

They said they submitted the Philgeps bid notice abstracts and invitation to bid and were posted on the bulletin board.

In the decision, graft investigat­or Alde said the respondent­s could be held liable for violating the anti-graft law for non-compliance with the Government Procuremen­t Reform Act.

Failure of the respondent­s to post the bid notices in the government website rendered the entire bidding process illegal and void, said Alde./

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