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[av_heading heading=’Monico faces rap over grader’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
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Wednesday, February 28, 2018
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BACOLOD City – The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas ordered Monico Puentevella to respond to charges filed against him over the allegedly irregular purchase of a heavy equipment when he was mayor.
The charges were criminal and administrative, according to the complainant Samuel “Sammy” Montoyo Sr., executive assistant to Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Puentevella’s political rival.
Montoyo accused Puentevella and several others of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Government Procurement Reform Act, technical malversation, and falsification of a public document – all criminal charges.
The administrative charges included conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty.
Identifying himself as member of the civic group Save Bacolod Movement, Montoyo filed the complaint at the Ombudsman on Nov. 28 last year.
Others named as respondents were former Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chairman Jerome Solinap and former BAC members Victor Espina, Ma. Agueda de la Torre, Maximo Sillo, Ephraem Hechanova, and Mae Cuaycong.
The city government allotted P12 million for the purchase of a grader – P9 million from the City Engineer’s Office and P3 million from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office – Montoyo said.
Megamight Enterprises, a company from Davao, was the lone bidder with a bid amount of P9.6 million, he said.
BAC Technical Working Group (TWG) head Josephus Cerna went to Davao to check the heavy equipment and found that it was made in China.
According to the TWG, a grader made in China should cost only between P8.2 million and P8.5 million, Montoyo claimed.
After the TWG’s post-qualification/evaluation, the BAC issued a July 22, 2015 resolution asking Megamight Enterprises to reduce its bid amount to P8.5 million, and then the BAC made an abstract of bid for such amount, Montoyo further claimed.
Megamight Enterprises wrote the BAC on Oct. 27, 2015 saying it was complying with the request, said.
Montoyo said Puentevella requested for the release of the funds from the city government offices.
The then mayor also signed the purchase order dated Oct. 27, 2015 in the amount of P8.5 million which Megamight Enterprises approved on Jan. 4, 2016, Montoyo further said.
Solinap insisted that the transaction was “not consummated” because Megamight Enterprises pulled out the grader on July 19 last year after Cerna recommended that the General Services Office refuse the “defective” equipment.
Solinap said he has not yet received a copy of the Ombudsman order but will respond once he does.
Panay News was still trying to reach Puentevella and the other accused for comment as of press time./PN
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