11 QC officials face raps over P30-M school signs project

Eleven officials of the Quezon City government have been sued at the Office of the Ombudsman over the awarding of a P30-million contract for the installation of school signs in the city.

A complaint filed by lawyers Mark Brian Celestino and Charlie Pascual on April 8 named city administrator Aldrin Cuna, city engineer Joselito Cabungcal, city budget officer Marian Orayani, former city accountant Pamfilo Cruz, and acting city accountant Ruby Manangu as respondents.

The 14-page complaint also included Bids and Awards Committee officials Garry Domingo, Isagani Verzosa, Virgilio Regala, Regina Samson, and Pedro Rodriguez, and Rockford Development Corporation president John Bautista.

Cuna and his co-respondents were charged with graft, falsification of public documents, malversation of public funds, serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

The QC officials allegedly gave undue advantage to Rockford Development Corporation from 2016 to 2017 for the three-phased "fabrication and installation of school signages" project, prompting the city council to launch an oversight committee into the matter.

The complaint said Cuna designated himself as the representative of the Division of City Schools of the Local School Board (DCS-LSB), which supposedly requested the project.

"Similarly striking is the fact that Respondent Cuna had no authority whatsoever to sign the obligation requests for the division of city schools of the QC LSB... and there were no valid appropriations for the projects," the complaint said.

However, DSC superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Quesada denied under oath that she made such a request from the city government. Cabungcal also admitted there was no formal request for the quantity and specifications for the signs.

Cabungcal said it was LSB board secretary Jesusa Baetiong who made the request. The latter, for her part, said only P1 million was allotted for the project on April 24, 2017, or when Phase 3 of the project was already underway.

"Based on the foregoing facts and circumstances as supported by pieces of evidence herein provided, it has been established that the procurement involved in the school signages projects is undoubtedly tainted with anomalies, falsities, and irregularities," the complaint said.

GMA News Online has reached out to Cuna through text message for comment. — BM, GMA News