MCIAA execs to face probe
At least eight officials of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) are facing a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly demanding for kickback from the contractors of the airport’s perimeter security fence project.
The project is worth P28 million.
The complainant, Crisologo Saavedra, Jr., asked the Ombudsman to investigate Engineering Department acting head Achilles Ponce and International Terminal Operations Division acting head William Sabado, among others.
The FREEMAN is withholding the names of the other officials, as well as the contractor, pending statement.
Saavedra said he has personal knowledge of the alleged demand. It was reportedly Ponce who called him and informed him that Sabado allegedly demanded for and subsequently received kickback from the contractor and that Ponce reportedly became furious that Sabado kept the money to himself.
Sabado allegedly received P800,000 and Saavedra claimed that the contractor's project manager allegedly admitted in front of other witnesses that he remitted the money to Sabado's bank account.
Sabado just laughed the allegations off, as well as reports he purchased a new car and a condominium.
He said he acquired the house and car through loans. The house, for one, he said, was acquired in 2014 or two years before the fencing project started in 2016.
Sabado also said his transfer to another division was not because Ponce got mad at him for allegedly not sharing the kickback.
He said he was moved to another division because of mistakes in the project cost committed by his subordinate. As division head, it was him that the MCIAA Board sanctioned.
Like Sabado, Ponce denied Saavedra's allegations and denied further that he called Saavedra up.
“Kanang kickback, serious kaayo na nga allegation. Kung naa siyay proof, iya na i-prove,” Ponce said.
Ponce confirmed recommending Sabado's transfer to another division as sanction for lapses he committed at work, not because of the alleged P800,000 kickback.
He said it should have been the contractor who filed the complaint – not Saavedra – who has no personality in the case.
“Nganong mangwarta sa contractor nga losing na gani siya sa P28 million?” Sabado pointed out.
The Approved Budget for the fence project was P28,265,289.60 and the bidding was participated by three companies on June 30, 2016.
The winning bidder, the subject of Saavedra's complaint, sealed the deal at P28,214,282.00, the same amount as the contract mount.
Variation No. 1 dated June 6, 2017 granted the company's request for time extension of 60 days owing to heavy rains as supported by PAGASA data.
Variation No. 2 dated July 7, 2017 was issued with a Negative Variation (deductive) due unworkable length of fence.
From the original P28,214,282.00, the contract amount was reduced to P 20,870,721.02.
“Presently, our Engineering Department is undergoing punch-listing wherein each item of the project is being evaluated and tested,” said Assistant General Manager Glenn Napuli.
He said the contractor has been informed that MCIAA will only pay for the items that are within the project specifications and in accordance to standards “to protect the interest of the government.”
Prior to Saavedra's complaint, an anonymous letter complaint from someone who claimed to be working with MCIAA also accused the MCIAA officials of the same infractions.
The anonymous complaint also mentioned the June 2016 bidding for the Repair and Rehabilitation of the Airport Landing Lighting System, which was awarded to Evercon Construction, the alleged favored contractor of Ponce.
“Please duces tecum the bidding records of the Evercon Contract, on the Airport landing Lighting System, Ponce is hiding these documents from being exposed because Ponce is controlling the project and has received multimillion kickback,” the letter complaint read.
Napuli confirmed some attached documents came from his office and were given to the contractor.
“So confirmed nga gikan na sa contractor ang complaint, nasuko nga gireduce ang contract amount and dili mi mobayad sa substandard nga trabaho.
Ponce has denied allegations he hid the documents on the bidding for the lighting system. He said every project passed through a post-audit procedure by the Commission on Audit (COA).
“Ngano gud nga gi-hide nga naa man na sa BAC? Public documents man na… mugna-mugna ra na niya,” Ponce said.