Ex-Bacolod solon placed on hold-departure list

MANILA, Philippines—The Sandiganbayan has ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to place former Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella on the hold-departure list in connection with graft charges against him and two others for the alleged overpriced purchase of computers using his pork barrel when he was a congressman.

In a two-page order, the antigraft court’s fifth division informed the BI of its resolution prohibiting the accused from leaving the country without written permission from the court in order to face trial.

Charged

Puentevella, former Department of Education  regional director for Western Visayas Victoriano Tirol Jr. and Jessie Garcia, president of Merryland Publishing, the supplier of the computer packages, have been charged by the Office of the Ombudsman for the use of the former congressman’s pork barrel to provide 97 computers  worth P22 million  to various schools in Western Visayas, which were found to be overpriced by P14 million. Besides, only 41 units were purchased.

“[Puentevella and Tirol] gave unwarranted benefits and advantages to Merryland Publishing by awarding the multimillion-peso contracts for the purchase of IT packages without public bidding,” the Ombudsman resolution said.

It said the three caused undue injury to the government by depriving it the opportunity to get the most advantageous offer, resulting in its purchase of overpriced IT packages.

Complaint

The case stemmed from the complaint filed by former city legal officers Allan Zamora, Joselito Bayatan and Vicente Petierre, who said the computers malfunctioned after one month.

They said the schools ordered 97 computers but only 41 units were delivered and 56 units remained unaccounted for.

But Puentevella, now the mayor of Bacolod City, brushed aside the Sandiganbayan directive issued to the BI to place him on the hold-departure list.

“So, what’s new? Isn’t that the standard procedure?” Puentevella said in a text message he sent on Thursday.

The mayor maintained that he had no reason to leave the country. “And why should I go on flight when I’m doing a good job as mayor of Bacolod?” he pointed out.

Desperate

He added that the complaint was filed by his political opponents out of desperation.

“But they won’t succeed. Bacolod will not allow these dirty tactics. If they don’t succeed here, what’s next? Kill me? Ha-ha, come and get me,” the mayor said in his text message.

Puentevella is also former chair of the Philippine Olympics Committee and commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission from 1994 to 2007.

He was elected member of the House of Representatives in 2001 and was reelected in 2004 and 2007.—Reports from Cynthia D. Balana and Carla Gomez, Inquirer Visayas