Ombuds Files Graft Charges Against Tuburan Mayor

The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of graft charges before the court against former Tuburan town Mayor Rose Marie Suezo and the dismissal from the active service of five municipal personnel for their alleged involvement in the overpriced purchase of fertilizers.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has approved the recommendation of the graft investigators to dismiss Municipal Accountant Virgilia Undag, Municipal Agriculturist Victoria Verano, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chairman Nicodemus Montecillo and BAC members Chito Armecin and Elsa Yosalina.

The graft investigators had found probable cause for violations of Section 3 (e) and (g) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against Suezo and the five Tuburan municipal personnel in connection with the fertilizer fund scam.

In a report published in the Ombudsman’s official website www.ombudsman.gov.ph, it said that the five town personnel are probably guilty of Serious Dishonesty, Grave Misconduct, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service.

The case stemmed from the unlawful disbursements of funds amounting to P291.2 million, which formed part of the P728 million fertilizer fund allocated for the implementation of the Farm Inputs and Farm Implements Program of the Department of Agriculture.

The records show that the subject fund was released to the DA by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on February 3, 2004.

Then mayor Suezo approved the purchase of 250 bottles/liters of Foliar fertilizers at P1,000 each from Sikap-Yaman through shopping as recommended by members of the municipal BAC.

On February 8, 2005, Marc Gulle, representative from Sikap-Yaman, delivered the 250 bottles of Fil-Ocean liquid fertilizer while payment amounting to P250,000 was released by the municipality of Tuburan on the same day.

COA said the procurement was overpriced by as much as 426% as the average price in the market of each bottle of that kind of fertilizer was only P180 and there was no certification was issued by the BAC authorizing the resort to shopping as the alternative mode of procurement, and the supplier presented no license or authority to sell. In a 24-page resolution, the COA Special Panel on Task Force Abono Cases stated that the respondents gave unwarranted benefit to Sikap-Yaman and caused undue injury to the government when they deliberately ignored the requirement of competitive bidding and the conditions required under the Government Procurement Reform Act in buying the overpriced fertilizers.

Gulle would be included in the filing of graft charges in court.