By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Several Bacolod City officials were ordered to respond to both criminal and administrative charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas in relation to the alleged irregularity in the purchase of a P23.8 million private lot in Barangay Felisa for the Solid Waste Disposal Facility in 2008.
Among the respondents named in the order were Mayor Evelio Leonardia and then-City Councilor and now Representative Greg Gasataya.
A host of former and current officials were also charged namely, former City Accountant Eduardo Ravena, former Secretary to the Mayor Goldwyn Nifras, Maphilindo Polvora (City Assessor), Josephus Cerna (Department of Public Services), Maximo Sillo (Environment and Natural Resources Office), Noel Impresso (Task Force Clean and Green Coordinating Action Team), Annabelle Badajos (former City Treasurer), Ricardo Dahil-Dahil (Officer-in-charge, Management and Audit Services Office), Teresita Guadalupe (former OIC City Engineer), Efren Canlas (DPS), and Lemuel Reynaldo (DPS).
Leonardia, Gasataya, Ravena, Nifras, Polvora, Cerna, Sillo, and Impresso face administrative charges for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. The others face more serious criminal charges for violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act.
According to an affidavit filed by Johana Sanchez, a graft investigation officer of the Ombudsman Regional Office, dated Feb. 20, 2017, the cases stemmed from a complaint filed by a concerned citizen during a previous term of Leonardia. Thus far, Leonardia has served a total of five terms as Bacolod City Mayor (1992-95, 2004-07, 2007-10, 2010-13, and 2016-present).
The complaint was based on the Commission on Audit (COA) Annual Audit Report (AAR) of the City of Bacolod for the year 2009.
According to COA, the price contracted by the City for the purchase of lots totaling 70,000 square meters (sq.m.), which included 9,525 sq.m. unappraised road lots to be used for its dumpsite for the Solid Waste Disposal Facility in the amount of P340 per sq. m. or a total value of P23.8 million, was found to be “excessive.”
Sanchez said on July 8, 2008 the Deed of Conditional Sale was entered and executed between Dynasty Agricultural Corporation and the City of Bacolod.
Part of the condition stated, “the vendor offers to sell to the vendee and even threatened to close the existing dumpsite if the city will not acquire a portion of the said parcels of land consisting an area of 70,000 sq. m. at the P600 per sq. m. for its solid waste Disposal Facility.”
But on June 5, 2008 the City Appraisal Committee(CAC) issued a Resolution No. 06 series of 2008, which recommended the appraised value of P360 per sq. m.
On June 11, 2008, the Bacolod City Clean and Green Coordinating Action Team endorsed and recommended to Leonardia the property being offered by the Dynasty represented by Ester Lopez subject to colatilla that the purchase price should not be more than the assessed value of the property as per Resolution of the CAC.
The lot owners then agreed to sell the property to the City at the price of P340 per sq. m. manifesting that the reduction from the original demand of P600 per sq. m. is their generous contribution to the City in its quests to comply with mandatory provision of law on solid waste management.
The complaint also cited that the contract price per Bacolod City Appraisal Committee is P23.8 million, but the contract price per COA appraised valuation is only P18,323,719.05, the balance disallowed by COA was pegged at P5,476,280.95.
According to Leonardia he has yet to receive the copy of the order. However, the mayor said his lawyers are studying the case.
He expressed confidence though that the transaction was above board, adding he totally disagrees with the findings of COA./WDJ