Point of View

A P12-million road asphalting project undertaken by the Pavia municipal government will investigated by the Senate committee on economic affairs headed by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago when it resumes its legislative inquiry into alleged anomalies in the utilization of the special road users tax.

This was revealed on Sunday, Sept. 27,  by Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel “Boy” Mejorada after bringing to the attention of the Santiago committee numerous instances of irregularities committed by the Pavia LGU in getting a hefty share of the road users tax and implementing the asphalting of a provincial road two years ago.

Mejorada said he was extended an invitation by lawyer Archie Gonzales from the office of Senator Santiago late Thursday afternoon to attend last Friday’s hearing. However, he begged off because of the exclusion case hearing set for last Friday.

“Atty. Gonzales conveyed to me an invitation to sit as resource person and provide details about the anomalies I have discovered in the implementation of the project,” Mejorada said.

At the start of the public hearing last Friday, Santiago used the letter sent by Mejorada to illustrate the “palakasan” system that existed in the Road Board that administered billions of pesos from the road users tax.

Quoting from Mejorada’s letter, Santiago said there was apparent inequity in the allocation of funds, wherein eligible LGUs such as the Province of Iloilo received only a measly P4.6 million for 671 kilometers of roads while Pavia got P12 million for a 1.5 kilometer stretch of road.

Mejorada said he will attend the next scheduled hearing to testify on this project.

Mejorada said that under RA 8794, only provinces and cities are eligible to get equitable shares from the road tax fund.

Aside from this requirement, LGUs must own road construction equipment and have competent engineering personnel with experience in implementing similar projects.

“All these requirements were set aside just so the Pavia LGU can get the amount of P12 million,” he said.

Mejorada said there was no public bidding for the project, and the LGU failed to submit the transaction documents to the Commission on Audit (COA) for the required post-audit within 90 days from the time the disbursement was made.

“It is clear that the transaction was rigged, because the timetable was fast-tracked, and there are no available records to show that the law on government procurement was followed,” he said.

He said the LGU reported to the COA only in April this year that it could not submit the transaction documents, claiming that these records were destroyed during the flood caused by Typhoon Frank.

COA state auditor III Sandra Pormilos warned the Pavia LGU that the watchdog agency might issue a suspension or disallowance order on the entire amount if the documents are not reconstituted and submitted.

“The reason given by the Pavia LGU is shallow,” Mejorada said.

The flood that supposedly destroyed the records took place nearly 11 months after the project was completed and the contractor paid in full, he pointed out.

He added that the government lost P12 million because of the substandard work quality of the project.

Citing official documents, residents in Barangay Cabugao Norte had been complaining that the road surface started to show damage only six months after it was finished, Mejorada said.

The flood swept away the badly damaged asphalt road surface, leaving the road in worst condition than before, he said.

Last year, this stretch of road became controversial when Pavia mayor Arcadio Gorriceta labeled it as the “dakal-dakal” road. (30)

TESDA secretary Augusto Boboy Syjuco will spare no expense just to prevent me from running against him or Judy Syjuco for the congressional seat in the 2nd district of Iloilo.

This has become apparent after Syjuco retained the services of the famous election lawyer, Sixto Brillantes, to serve as lead counsel forTESDA employee Ireneo Mondero in seeking my exclusion as registered voter of Precinct No. 0100 A in Barangay Pajo, Alimodian, Iloilo.

Mondero, acting upon the order of Syjuco, filed a petition before the 14th Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Alimodian-Leon-San Miguel on Sept. 24 to ask for the revocation of my voter registration on the ground that I failed to meet the six-month residence requirement.

In his petition, Mondero claimed that the Election Registration Board (ERB) was wrong in approving my application for transfer of voter registration, saying that the law requires six months residence prior to the registration.

There is no doubt in my mind that Syjuco is behind this latest maneuver. This is the second step of his effort to eliminate me as a potential rival in 2010 after he ordered Mondero to demolish my house in Sitio Balogo, Barangay Pajo last month. Syjuco is afraid to face a real opponent in the elections, knowing that the issues of corruption against him and his wife will lead to certain defeat.

The hiring of Brillantes as co-counsel for this case demonstrates Syjuco’s firm conviction that I should not even be granted the status as registered voter. It is also amusing, because while it is Mondero who is the petitioner in the case, he can’t help show his participation by hiring Brillantes. Indeed, how can Mondero afford the services of Sixto Brillantes?

Now the real battle begins.

A local court has issued a warrant of arrest against broadcaster Rhoderick “Rhod” Tecson after it turned down his motion for judicial determination on the libel charges filed by Dr. Evangeline Johnson, president of the Saviour International Hospital in Molo, Iloilo City.

A text message sent by Joy de Leon, marketing officer of the Saviour International Hospital, said this ruling made by Judge Fe Gallon-Gayanilo of the Regional Trial Court Branch 35 paves the way for a full-blown trial of this libel complaint against Tecson for his defamatory commentaries in his radio program over RMN DYRI 774 more than a year ago.

It was not immediately known how much was the bail set by the court for Tecson’s temporary liberty.

Sources said the issuance of the warrant of arrest forced Tecson to be absent from his program this morning, Sept. 19, for fear that he might spend the long weekend in jail.

In January 2009, Tecson swallowed his pride and knelt before then DOJ secretary Raul Gonzalez to beg for the latter’s intervention to get the libel charged reversed. Before this happened, Tecson often castigated Gonzalez on his program. Then, Tecson started singing “alleluiahs” in praise of Gonzalez in a desperate effort to get his help.

Unfortunately for Tecson, Gonzalez was kicked out of his job as DOJ secretary, and he was unable to stop the case from proceeding.

Sources inside RMN described Tecson as turning “deathly pale white” upon learning that a warrant of arrest had been issued against him.