Ex-Misamis Oriental mayor, BAC members face trial for graft

The former mayor of Jasaan, Misamis Oriental and several members of the town's Bids and Awards Committee are set to face trial at the Sandiganbayan for graft over the alleged rigged bidding of construction materials for a road concreting project in 2015.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the Office of the Ombudsman said then-Mayor Grace Jardin and BAC members Leo Casiño, Mark Allan Bagayna, Liza Gaurana, Emrick Tabequero, Arlene Dacoco and private respondent Warren Gaurana will face trial for violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Procurement documents obtained by graft investigators showed that Jardin and her co-accused conspired with one another to award the concreting project in Sitio Igpit, Luz Banzon to the lone bidder — WGG Concrete Products and Mini Hardware owned by Liza's husband Warren.

In their defense, the public officials said it was an "honest mistake" when Warren submitted an affidavit of disclosure of no relationship "on the presumption that respondent [Liza] Gaurana’s request that she be excluded from the BAC activities would be granted by the BAC.”

The Ombudsman, however, said Liza continued to perform her role as BAC member and was even among the signatories in the resolution declaring WGG as the project's winning bidder.

“At all events, respondent Gaurana was clearly active in the BAC proceedings as she was present during the opening of bids held on 24 July 2015 and even signed the BAC resolution which declared WGG as the bidder with the Single Calculated and Responsive Bid," the Ombudsman said in its resolution.

"Clearly, respondent Gaurana never precluded herself or was never precluded by the BAC from actively participating in the BAC activities," it added.

The Ombudsman further said all respondents are liable for graft when they awarded the contract to WGG despite the failure of the firm to comply with government procurement standards.

“Respondent public officials displayed manifest partiality in favor of WGG when they awarded the contract and caused the disbursement of funds in its favor despite the fact that respondent private individual was not a qualified bidder under the procurement law, which provides that the relation of the bidder to the members of the BAC up to the third civil degree of consanguinity or affinity shall automatically disqualify the bidder from participating in the procurement of contracts of the procuring entity,” the resolution read. —NB, GMA News