Raps filed vs. Negros Oriental vice mayor over anomalous procurement

The Office of the Ombudsman has formally filed charges against Tanjay City, Negros Oriental Vice Mayor Lawrence Teves in connection with the alleged anomalous procurement of construction materials while he was still the city mayor in 2011.

Teves was charged with violation of Section 3(e) of RA 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, along with then-Liga ng mga Barangay president Denver Bokingkito, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president Mar Francis Saguran and general services officer Bogard Colina.

In the charge sheet recently filed before the Sandiganbayan, the Ombudsman said Teves conspired with the other respondents in procuring construction materials from Megatrend Enterprises worth P280,876.34.

This was for the repair of the covered canals for Barangays 5 and 6 in Tanjay City.

The Ombudsman, however, said this was conducted without public bidding and without a resolution from the Bids and Awards Committee justifying and recommending the use of alternative mode of procurement.

By doing this, the Ombudsman said the respondents gave "unwarranted benefits, advantage and preference to Megatrend Enterprises and depriving the municipal government the opportunity of obtaining the most advantageous price..."

A P30,000 bail bond was recommended for each of the respondents.

The Ombudsman had earlier ordered the nine-month suspension of Teves after he was found guilty of simple misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service over the same act.

Also ordered suspended were Bokingkito and Colina.

In his defense, Teves claimed that he approved the purchase “believing that it will ultimately redound to the benefit of the city’s constituents.”

Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act prohibits public officials from “causing any undue injury to any party, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.” —KG, GMA News