Expanded lamppost scam probe sought

CEBU CITY—A group of village captains in Lapu-Lapu City has urged the Ombudsman to investigate top former public works and national officials for their involvement in the multimillion-peso lamppost scam.

The P365-million lamppost project was among those implemented for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in 2007.

In a meeting held last week, the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) in Lapu-Lapu, headed by Pajo Barangay Captain Leo Mercado, said the project was an imposition of the national government, specifically the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) headed then by Hermogenes Ebdane, now governor of Zambales.

But only local officials had been charged at the Ombudsman.

“The indictment of local officials in the 2007 Asean lamppost controversy is highly surprising since the said project was a project of the national government, specifically by the Department of Public Works and Highways, not of the local government units,” ABC said in a resolution dated Jan. 24, 2012.

Charged at the Sandiganbayan for the alleged overpriced lampposts were former Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza, who is now representative of the lone congressional district of the city, several officials of the Department of Engineering in the city, former Mandaue City Mayor and now provincial board member Thadeo Ouano, several personnel of the Mandaue City engineering department and officials of the DPWH regional office.

However, Barangay Captain Isabelito Darnayla said while he agreed that national officials should be investigated, it should not mean local officials are off the hook.

Darnayla said he also believed that local officials could not have committed the irregularity alone, adding that Ebdane and even former President Gloria Arroyo should also be held liable for the anomalous project.

Darnayla said the resolution was just a mere show of support for local officials, adding that the ABC Lapu-Lapu should file a case against Ebdane and Aquino if they wanted Lapu-Lapu City officials cleared.

Gun-ob barangay captain Jose Dungog, the treasurer of the ABC, said he respected the statement of Darnayla, which was expected because Darnayla was a known critic of Radaza when Radaza was still mayor of Lapu-Lapu.

Dungog said the barangay captains were just urging the Ombudsman to look into the involvement of national officials because the lamppost project was implemented by the national government.

The ABC cited a supplemental resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas approved by then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez calling for an investigation of the participation of national officials, including then top officials of the DPWH.

They also demanded to know the outcome of that investigation.