Plunder

Hole of Justice

by Peter G.  Jimenea

Who’s in for plunder?

The Iloilo City Council has recently approved the additional loan of P260M for the upgrading of the still under construction City Hall. But the approval is smack of subterfuge as the controlling majority played their cards close to chests.

According to experts, a P450M suffice to finish the building construction and the P260 additional loan for upgrading is too much. The P86M unobligated part of the first loan would be enough for the plan, thus, the additional loan for a new estimate is too much.

There is a need for investigation of this reverberating sound of overprice in City Hall construction. In fact, Pres. Rommel Ynion of the Iloilo Press Club is said preparing to file plunder case against corrupt city officials. I hope he makes good his threat though, otherwise, he will look like a neophyte wanting to be noticed.

Lowly City Hall employees cannot set-aside suspicion of corrupt practices among officials involved in the signing of loan approval as the deal was done during holy week by city councilors acting like passengers catching the last plane out!

This reminds me of the P22M renovation of the Iloilo Central Market few years ago. The media and the opposition members of the city council wrongfully smelled something fishy in the deal. They brought the issue on the air where aggressive tactics guaranteed a high level of hostility.

But the issue immediately stopped when money changed hands. This case of P260M loan is different. It was manipulated by majority of the city council members and this is where the subplot of bribery comes in. It may be a perception but the claim makes sense!

We have been treated by misdeeds of the previous administration where leaders see to it that those who cooperated were rewarded and those who did not were discriminated against.  Take a look at that 4% bookkeeper share (kuno) being deducted from the 180 barangays IRA fund.

The city council had been silent about this. The City Government has its own IRA, then why cut 4% of the IRA fund of 180 barangays when the money rightfully belonged to them? The city also charged each barangay for electric bill, why collect another amount for illumination? What’s this illumination fee all about?

The demolition of the old City Hall building has already duped the taxpayers. It was demolished not on the P800T winning bid but for the P1,200,000 negotiated contract. The blueprint of the City Hall building is another which cost P12M. My God, what an expensive drawing!

So how could officials blame us to suspect corruption in every move that involved money matters? The Pavia Housing project in 2001 which consumed the city until 2009 is a vital document in this claim. But as it turned out, was not good for the Ombudsman.

There’s a report that councilors hesitant to sign the P260M loan were never given the chance to be heard in the session hall. Unless they are dumb, this concept of fair play is at odds with due process. The essence of democracy is the right to be heard, not to be railroaded!

Many people at coffee shops suggested this case should be investigated and if evidence warrant, file charges against council members who signed the ordinance approving that loan. Perhaps not plunder but violation of RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act will do.

Yet, there is one in Iloilo City that deserved this plunder case. He is Cong. Jerry Trenas. By religiously paying the contractor for his abandoned Pavia Housing project, there is no reason why he should be spared from this mess he’s in.

Not a single unit was built out of the 413 low-cost houses stipulated in the contract between the city and Alex Trinidad the contractor. We spent P62.5M for nothing and another P24.7 millions for bank interest of P17,000 daily including holidays for over a year. This deliberate injustice is a crime that cries to God for vengeance!

The P62.5M paid to contractor for a project that never was, is more than P50M for Plunder to prosper. This corner though, is forum non conveniens – an inconvenient place for conducting judicial business, let’s give them their day in Court. Audi alteram partem – no man shall be condemned unheard!