Trader, Veem, Dads sued Bayambang Mayor with Corruption

By falsifying document he spent P1.9M for Grills, illegally bought a Van

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BAYAMBANG -  The beleaguered mayor here who has string of cases at the Ombudsman has been sued anew by a business tycoon and this town’s vice mayor and councillors at the same anti graft body.

In an affidavit complaint received last April 20 by the Ombudsman in Luzon at Rosales, Pangasinan, Cezar Quimbao, owner of Stradcom Corporation, sued at the government anti-graft and corruption body this town Mayor Ricardo Camacho.

 

MAYOR SUED BY VEEM, DADS. Bayambang, Pangasinan Councillor Levin Uy (3^rd from left) shows to media men at a function room of the Star Plaza Hotel in Dagupan City incriminating documents against Bayambang Mayor Ricardo Camacho.

Uy , Vice Mayor Mylvin T. Junio (extreme right) and Councillors Allan de Vera, Gerardo Flores (extreme left and 2^nd to the left, respectively) Raul R. Sabangan, and Joseph Vincent E. Ramos (not in photo) sued Camacho with corruption and anti ethics law after he paid unilaterally Php 380,000 of the municipal fund to  Pedro Mabulay the vendor of the second hand Toyota utility vehicle Granvia.  MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

1^st Criminal and Administrative Charges

The four charges Quimbao filed at the mayor were Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or otherwise known as “Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act”, Section 7 (A) of Republic Act No. 6713 or otherwise known as “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees”, “Fraud Against the Public Treasury and Similar Offense under Article 213 of the Revised Penal Code, and Falsification by Public Officer under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code.

The businessman anchored his charges on the Annual Gender Development Report submitted by the mayor at the Commission on Audit.

On the second page and at the 10^th entry of the Report, Camacho claimed he paid 3000 pieces of grills and 2000 kilos of tilapia with the used of P1,896,000 local government funds.

“Being born and raised in Bayambang, Pangasinan, his hometown, which he deeply cares, complainant had thought that such a (bid to Guinness) world record would bring honour and prestige to his hometown, and would also boost the eco-tourism program of the town, and so, he agreed, in his own private capacity, to supply and provide for the 8,150.00 pieces of grills needed to break the record (one grilling station for every one meter); while the respondent (mayor) will sponsor a resolution before the Municipal Council of Bayambang to form their own committee to support the idea of the project and to solicit for the required number of fish to grill and among others. Complainant forthwith informed Manuel  R. Valdez, owner of Far East Industrial Supply & Co., Inc., to manufacture 8,150 pieces of barbeque grills with stand at the price of Php 580.00  each, or a total of Five Million Two Hundred Ninety Four Thousand and Two Hundred Forty Pesos (Php. 5,294, 240.00). A copy of the Job Order, Voucher, and Receipts are hereto, attached and respectively marked as Annexes “A” to “A-3” hereof,” Quimbao’s affidavit said.

He said it has been the tradition of this town to put up lines of grilling station booths during the town fiesta, which is every first week of April.

On April 5, 2013, Quimbao continued, in celebration of the 399^th town anniversary he thought of an idea to have the  400^th year of the town to break the Guiness World Record for the Longest Grilling Station of 6.2 kilometer set by Turkey.

“Thus a Committee was formed to which Dr. Hery Fernandez as the chairman, the complainant as co-chairman, and the respondent as member together with other private individuals. The committee agreed that in the next fiesta of the Municipality of Bayambang will be dubbed as “Kalutan Ed Dalan”,” Quimbao stressed.

2nd Criminal and Administrative Charges

In another affidavit complaint filed by Vice Mayor Mylvin T. Junio and Councillors Raul R. Sabangan, Allan D. de Vera, Gerardo DC Flores, Joseph Vincent E. Ramos, and Levin N. Uy at the Ombudsman of Luzon, that received it last April 15, they accused Camacho of causing undue injury to the government by duping the public by unilaterally paying on February 27, 2013 Php 380,000 of the municipal fund to Pedro Mabulay, a resident here and the vendor of the second hand Toyota utility vehicle Grandia.  

Camacho case at the Ombudsman was based by the complainants on Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or otherwise known as “Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act”, Section 7 (A) of Republic Act No. 6713 or otherwise known as “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees”, “Malversation under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code”.

Councillor Uy said that based on his knowledge the Sangguniang Bayan (town council) nor any of his member has authorized the mayor to purchase the vehicle.

Section 305 (e) of The Local Government Code of the Philippines or Republic Act 7160 says that "No money shall be paid out of the local treasury except in pursuance of an appropriations ordinance or law".

“The Committee of Award of the municipality has also not given the respondent (mayor) any authority to purchase the vehicle,” stressed by Uy in a press conference last Thursday in Dagupan City.