Cleaning up by wiping out (the treasury)

Saturday, March 08, 2008
Toledo ‘gave P3.5M for polls’
By JUJEMAY G. AWIT
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

DID Toledo City give away P3.5 million to voters during the 2007 elections in the guise of “clean and green” projects?

Rep. Pablo John Garcia believes so, and has eight checks and two witnesses to support his claim.

Garcia exposed copies of eight checks yesterday, allegedly disbursed by Toledo City, with each check amounting to P439,375.

The checks were all drawn from the Philippine National Bank-Toledo Branch and from the City Treasurer of Toledo-General Fund. They were all signed by City Treasurer Eleuteria Alvez and the mayor’s secretary Avelino Zambo Jr.—aso the mayor’s husband—and dated March 6, 2007, just two months before the May elections.

The similarities ended there. Each check was issued to eight different individuals.

Garcia explained that each individual was related to either a current or former barangay captain in Toledo City. The barangays involved are Pangamihan, Awihaw, Bunga, Upper Sagay, Subayon, Biga, Carmen and Bagakay.

Reached for comment, Toledo City Mayor Arlene Zambo said she would have wanted to keep her silence. But she did explain that the individuals to whom the checks were issued were contractors of Toledo City’s “clean and green” programs.

“They are the implementors of the projects,” explained Zambo. She said that these were all documented in the scope of work of the projects, under the labor contract.

Photocopies

Zambo also hoped that the matter will not reach the court, but if it does, she would rather answer the allegations there.

“But everything is aboveboard,” she continued.

Garcia said he received the photocopies of the checks from a City Hall insider

“This insider said he/she was also disturbed by the manner by which the checks were given out to people who had no business in government,” said the congressman, who promised that the “irregularity” will reach the courts.

Garcia, a lawyer, explained that he is collating affidavits. Aside from his insider, he also has an informant who participated in the clean and green project, he added.

The first-term congressman refused to name his sources.

“My informant said this is just the tip of the iceberg because according to this information, he got checks worth P8 million and was the one who encashed the checks at PNB-Toledo,” said Garcia.

These checks were in addition to the eight checks whose photocopies Garcia released to the media.

P12-P15 million

According to the information given to him, once the checks were cashed, the money was then brought to a house by couriers escorted by Zambo’s men. “They were dummies… gigamit lang ni sila because they are so close to the administration,” he alleged.

The total cash could reach P12-15 million and was used during the 2007 elections to buy votes, Garcia added.

“This was well into the elections campaign for 2007. Large amounts of money were issued to people, not barangays, not local government units, but people in their personal capacity to implement the so-called clean and green programs,” said Garcia.

His informants also said that there was no clean and green program as far as Toledo City was concerned.

Zambo denied this.

The programs include tree-planting in the barangays, cleaning of the public market, and de-clogging of drainage, she added.

“If gusto siya, motabang na lang pud siya sa among (If he wants, he can also help us with this) program,” said Mayor Zambo.

She explained that the funding for the program came from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of former congressman Antonio Yapha, who ran for governor last year but lost to Garcia’s sister Gwendolyn.

Documents

Zambo said she has documents to disprove Garcia’s theory of irregularity.

“But I heard that they will be filing a case against us, which I hope wouldn’t happen…I’ll just answer the allegations at the proper time and in the proper forum,” said Zambo.

Garcia countered: “Documents don’t lie. Checks were issued, signed by the treasurer and the husband of the mayor.”

“These people (named in the checks) do not have accountability, because they are just the wife of a former barangay captain (or) leaders of these barangays. They are not accountable officers,” he added.

Garcia said that the City Hall insider, fed up with the “cavalier” manner by which the administration used public funds, photocopied the checks before these were released, reportedly to preserve evidence.

“This person said para sa iyang konsyensya na lang kuno. He or she cannot do anything about it,” Garcia said, explaining that the informant feared the mayor and the other officials who made the order.

After the House of Representatives goes on recess next week, Garcia said he hopes he can finish collating all the evidence and documents needed to file the case. Asked when he might file the case, Garcia said, “Maybe after Holy Week. Let’s give the mayor more time to reflect.”