The lady is Maria Labo'

Hole of Justice

By Peter Jimenea

The lady is Maria Labo’

Mr. Efren Gimeo is a realtor who negotiated the sale of 16 hectares land in San Isidro, Jaro, to the City government as relocation site of city squatters evicted from private lot they previously occupied.

In 2006 he selling price of agricultural land in Jaro District is only about P200 per square meter. But the city government under then Mayor Jerry Trenas bought it at P395 per sq. m. or a total of of P63 million.

On why they bought it for a higher price, just guess the rest. According to Mr. Gimeo (now barangay captain of Jalandoni-Lapuz,) P10M of the P63M purchased price went to the wrong pockets. As to who shared the amount of loot, only God knows.

But by that time, the Iloilo City Government is under the stewardship of (now congressman) Mayor Jerry Trenas. The Iloilo City Urpan Poor Ass’n. (ICUPAO) is then headed by Mr. Roy Firmeza. The councilor having a hand in all land acquisition of the city is Councilor Eduardo Penaredondo.

The city residents were shocked by this expose’. During interview of Gimeo by the mainstream media at a hotel, he said to have been forced to call for a press conference as more faces appeared to ask payment for what they never lost.

Even employees of the National Housing Authority (NHA) are linked to this mess. Worse, a councilor with a say in all land deal of the city is said as the one giving colleagues their slice of the pie. This is the earlier claim hinted at!

Surprisingly, despite the so much smoke the crooks keep on insisting that there is no fire. This pesky episode happened because city officials cannot resist the temptation of greed!

This is a sad story for the NHA and the Iloilo City officials concerned. They were implicated in the despicable land acquisition of the San Isidro lot with that P63M appropriated by Sen. Franklin Drilon for the purpose.

Gimeo claimed he only came out upon receiving death threats from a close ally of the senator. This he said, is the reason of going public to expose the anomaly.

Gimeo claimed he was forced to promise a dole-out every time processing of the document stops at an office linked to the land deal. The transaction was already done but the processing is still under way and office in-charge always ask, “how about me?”

Look, the Pavia housing anomaly is not yet over. The demolition of the old city hall building also posed a big question on who pocketed the proceeds. The perimeter boundary ordinance they say created for the benefit of the people is now a disturbing mess because of the unjust terminal charges.

Even the ongoing construction of the new City Hall building is tainted with corruption. The first P350M budget bragged by Mayor Trenas to complete the construction was just an overt professing of a covert undertaking!

Unknown to the city council, he acquired a P125M additional loan for the City Hall construction. In the COA’s audit of his final term, out of P1.3B from General Fund, Special Education Fund and Trust Fund, P821M cannot be reconciled due to lack of documents or having no document at all.

The city government of his domain seems to have been overrun by thieves. His good promises of the future are tainted with bad records of the past.  No wonder, if he is widely perceived as the most despised mayor this city ever had!

By asking a cut in every transaction, except for the honest ones, the crooks finally get the image they deserved through that “lin-ay” (lady) on top of the City Hall building without a name. Look what she has in hands, so I called her “Maria Labo.”