Ombudsman indicts ex-Tarlac mayor over market lease deal

TARLAC CITY -- The Office of the Ombudsman indicted a former mayor of this city for his alleged involvement in a questionable lease deal of the city’s public market.

The ombudsman recommended the filing of criminal charges against former Tarlac City mayor Gelacio Manalang in connection with  the lease and improvement of the Tarlac City Downtown Public Market (TCDPM) in 2011.

Aside from Manalang, private contractor Ellente Laddaran will also face criminal charges for allegedly causing undue injury to the government, according to the ombudsman.

The charges against the respondents stemmed from a graft case filed in July 2011 by the TCDPM vendors association represented by Jesus David and Aleli Lawan.

The complaint said Manalang awarded Laddaran a contract to lease the market for 25 years with a monthly rental of P400,000.

The ombudsman said that within 11 months, Manalang entered into three contracts with Laddaran involving the same property, and excessively reduced the monthly rental fee without reason.

It said the contracts allowed Laddaran to sublease the property, but it did not guarantee that any improvement undertaken by the lessee in the premises would  justify a reduction in the rental fee.