MORE NEWS, BENGUET

Buguias mayor, 3 execs face corruption charges before Ombudsman
By Dexter A. See

BUGUIAS, Benguet – Concerned citizens of this vegetable-producing town requested the Office of the Ombudsman to cause the immediate suspension and investigation of their municipal mayor and three department heads for their alleged gross violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Law and the code of Ethics and Conduct of Public Officials and Employees.

In a complaint submitted to the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon, the complainants identified the erring officials as Mayor Felicio Bayacsan, municipal treasurer Anecita Suyat, municipal accountant Marcelino Endi and municipal budget officer Editha Daoanes.

A few months after assuming public office in 2007, Bayacsan allegedly insistently influenced the Liga ng mga Barangay to realign the sum of P100,000 from the internal revenue allotment of each of the 11 barangays represented for the purchase of a mayor’s vehicle but the same group is not the authorized body to realign barangay funds.

Subsequently, a 4x4 Mitsubishi Strada red pick up model 2007 bearing license plate number SHG-436 was purchased from the Mitsubishi motor center at Bokawkan Road, Baguio City but the same purchase was considered illegal since it failed to comply with legal requirements pertaining to appropriation and approval of budget, bidding procedures among others.

In realigning the said amount, the respondents reportedly prejudiced the public by preventing the utilization of the 20 percent municipal development fund by the 14 barangays of the town, thus, causing the constituents of the town injustice.

It was alleged the respondents attempted to cure the defects of the appropriation and purchase of the vehicle by trying to insert the amount paid for the vehicle in the 2008 budget approved on September 22, 2008 or a year after the controversial purchase was made.

According to the complainants, Bayacsan committed graft by giving unwarranted benefit to a single employee, municipal budget officer donates, in designating the latter as general service officer which conflicts with her position since she will be approving as a budget officer whatever she canvasses as a general services officer, thus, in violation of the principle of transparency.

The respondents were accused of payroll padding when they appointed five employees to work in a tax mapping survey done in August 1, 2008 when in truth only two persons worked on the said survey.

An irregularity was also discovered in a check dated March 16, 2008 representing the amount of P180,763.20 in the name of a certain Christine Dongadong, sister of the municipal accountant and the recipient of the said amount, as payment of alleged monetization leave credits when in fact her name does not appear in the plantilia submitted by the municipal government with the Civil Service Commission.

At the same time, the Ombudsman was asked to conduct a lifestyle check on the respondents investigating the unprecedented increase in assets of the respondents as it has been learned that the municipal treasurer acquired tremendous assets in the span of two years from 2006-2007 including a four-storey commercial building in Abatan, Buguias; 2 multi-million lots acquired between September and October of 2007 and La Trinidad, Benguet; a public utility van with license plate number AYI-639 and many more properties in the name of dummies.

The municipal accountant has been said to have a newly-constructed three-storey building at Naguilian road, Baguio city, a lot in Buyagan, La Trinidad and other undocumented properties acquired through dummies.

The budget officer has been accused of having a four-hectare mango plantation in Rosario, La Union under a dummy; a 2008 model Hi Ace Toyota van, a cargo truck and other properties acquired through dummies.