BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO – Four officials of Janiuay town were suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman for six months effective this May 4 until October 31, 2016.
According to Mayor Frankie Locsin, the four were:
- Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO) Ricardo Minurtio
- Municipal Budget Officer Ramon Tirador
- Municipal Accountant Carlos Moreno Jr., and
- Municipal Treasurer Luzviminda Figueroa.
Their suspension stemmed from medicine purchases using a P15-million fund from Sen. Vicente Sotto way back in 2001.
Locsin was initially ordered suspended, too. He was then the president of the provincial league of municipalities. Janiuay served as conduit of the medicine purchases. However, the Commission on Audit (COA) disallowed it.
The 90-day preventive suspension against Locsin was recalled by the Sandiganbayan 1st Division this February.
With the suspension of his four office heads, Locsin designated four to take over the vacant posts.
He issued executive orders (Nos. 152, 153, and 154) designating Anagen Clavecillas, management and audit analyst of the municipal government of Janiuay, as officer-in-charge of the Municipal Account; Eva Cabial as officer in-charge of MENRO; Nemesio Adolacion, municipal agricultural officer and Eva Larios, budget officer, as members of the Bids and Awards Committee.
Locsin also issued Executive Order No. 155 designating Mary Ann Tabañag, local treasury operation officer, as liquidating officer of the Office of the Municipal Treasurer.
Locsin said the suspended employees already filed an injunction with the Supreme Court.
THE CASE
The Office of the Ombudsman investigated the medicine purchases. There was supposedly a bidding on January 15, 2001, with three participants – AM Europharma Corp., Mallix Drug Center and Philpharmawealth Corp.
Philpharmawealth, however, denied participating in such a bidding.
The Ombudsman also took note of the apparent haste in the process. A P1.7-million purchase contract was awarded to Mallix Drug Center while AM Europharma was awarded with a P13.1-million contract.
Locsin approved the contracts, the Ombudsman said, and the medicines were immediately delivered the following day, January 16, 2001.
On January 17, 2001, the purchases were fully paid after inspection by Supply Officer II Gabriel Billena.
The Ombudsman further discovered that the heads of the AM Europharma Corp. and Mallix Drug Center were one and the same – Rod D. Villanueva, further raising questions on the propriety of the transaction.
According to the Ombudsman, Villanueva was the sole proprietor of Mallix Drug Center and also the general manager and president of AM-Europharma.
In 2011, the Ombudsman issued an order suspending Locsin and the four officials.
Locsin, however, escaped the Ombudsman suspension order due to his reelection the year before (2010) under the Aguinaldo doctrine that moots all administrative cases filed against any public official during his previous term, immediately after the official’s reelection without prejudice to heftier criminal sanctions if warranted.
Just this February, Locsin was ordered suspended by the Sandiganbayan. But he filed a Manifestation with Motion for Reconsideration of the Resolution dated December 4, 2013 ordering the suspension pendente lite against him and the four officials.
The records show that at the time the aforesaid Resolution was issued, there was already a motion for extension filed by accused Locsin before the Supreme Court for the filing of a petition questioning his suspension.
Therefore, the Sandiganbayan ruled, the aforesaid Resolution of the graft court was premature in so far as Locsin was concerned. It recalled the order.
Locsin admitted they never realized there was a “little” flaw in terms of implementation of the said project./PN
