A group representing Penjan Builders and Supply recently penned a letter in rebuttal to City Legal Officer, Atty. Joselito Bayatan, who earlier accused the group of “distorting” facts, after the former lodged graft allegations against the administration of Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia.

The group, comprised of journalist Edgar Cadagat and former city contractors Antonio Wong and Perfecto Señeres, said Bayatan “is not the law” and that he needs to “study first, think, and talk.”

They claim it is Bayatan who is distorting facts, asking why the city legal officer allowed for re-bidding to take place if the initial bid was incorrectly submitted during the previous administration of former Bacolod City Mayor Monico Puentevella.

Last month, Penjan Builders claimed they had yet to receive “a single cent” of the P3.774 million for goods ordered back in September 2016 by Executive Assistant Eduardo Ravena, City Accountant Corazon Cardel, and City Administrator John Orola.

Bayatan responded by saying the issue “belonged” to the previous administration; noting, when the Leonardia administration took over, they could not find record of a pre-bid conference for Penjan Builders, which he cited as a requirement based on RA 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act.

The group also claimed Ravena and Secretary to the Mayor, Atty. Edward Joseph Cuansing, hid the P3.774 million voucher, which they claimed to discover after a case was filed before the Office of the Ombudsman regarding a city waste management contract bidding process they believed was rigged in favor of IPM Construction and Development Corporation (IPM-CDC).

They went on to call Bayatan’s accusations an “insult” and threatened to have Bayatan, Leonardia, and Cuansing disbarred.

Earlier, the city legal officer said many of the cases being brought up by the group were dismissed, calling the accusations “broken records.”

He called those bringing the issue forward “disgruntled,” claiming, “They failed to see the truth on why they have not been paid.”

“This is all just to besmirch the name of the Leonardia administration,” Bayatan added./DGB, WDJ