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Ex-Davao Occidental mayor faces charges over P5-M irrigation project


The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of a graft case against the former mayor of Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental in connection with alleged anomalous awarding of contract for the municipality’s P5-million Small Water Impounding Project in 2009.

In a resolution recently signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, San Jose mayor Alex Wangkay was ordered charged before the Sandiganbayan with violation of Section (3) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Section 3 (e) of RA 3019 prohibits a public official from giving unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference to any party or causing any party, including the government, undue injury.

Also ordered charged with the same offense was private individual Roberto Semilla, proprietor of R. Semilla Construction and Marketing Corp.

Based on the Ombudsman’s investigation, Wangkay awarded the contract to Semilla’s company without the benefit of public bidding required under Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.

The Ombudsman said that based on the documents that its field investigators gathered, Wangkay signed the Abstract of Quotation, Notice of Award and Notice to Proceed with the project despite the lack of public bidding.

The Ombudsman said even the members of the municipality’s Bids and Awards Committee were not aware of the supposed water irrigation project.

The Ombudsman also gave weight on a Commission on Audit (COA) report noting that the bidding documents submitted by R. Semilla Construction were not signed.

The COA further said that the company also failed to submit a “Statement of Work Accomplished” to support its payment claims.

“Awarding the contract t without the benefit of a competitive public bidding unduly deprived the government of the best possible advantages thru open competition,” the Ombudsman said in its resolution. —Elizabeth Marcelo/KBK, GMA News

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