Ombudsman dismisses 3 Iriga officials for fertilizer overprice

IRIGA CITY—The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of three officials of Iriga City in Camarines Sur province after finding them liable for the purchase of fertilizers at a price of at least 3,000 percent more than the actual cost in 2004.

Funding for the deal came from the Department of Agriculture’s Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA), a program started during the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is now a member of the House of Representatives and detained on plunder charges.

An investigating task force of the Ombudsman, an antigraft agency, found that GMA funds were used to buy 789 1-liter bottles of foliar, a type of fertilizer, which the Iriga City government bought for P3,800 each. The bottles cost only P125 each and were overpriced by a total of some P2.9 million, it said.

In a decision issued on June 25, a copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer on Monday, the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal of city lawyer Aldo Turiano, chair of the pre-bid and awards committee (PBAC); city accountant Aida V. Estonido, a PBAC member; and city agriculturist Edwin S. Lapuz.

‘Substantial proof’

It cited “substantial evidence” to show that the three were guilty of “dishonesty, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service” and liable for three administrative offenses.

Reached for comment on Wednesday, Turiano said he and the other officials had filed a motion for reconsideration of the decision. He insisted that he was innocent, pointing out that his role was merely to certify the quantity of the fertilizers delivered to the city government and that he had no hand in determining their prices.

Lapuz filed for early retirement in June last year, according to records of the city’s human resource management department. He now lives in Cavite province and is tending to his farm, according to Francia T. Navales, administrative officer of the city agriculture office.

Estonido was transferred to the city disaster risk reduction and management office, said supervising administrative officer Maricel Borja. “As far as I know, Estonido is on leave and in United Kingdom visiting a daughter,” Borja said.

The task force’s review showed receipts that the city government paid P2,895,678.50 to Madarca Trading for 789 bottles of Young Magic Foliar Fertilizer. However, it said the average price of fertilizers and pesticides that year was “only P125 per liter [and] the government should have only paid P108,487.50.”

Negotiated procurement

The funds came from the P728-million GMA program.

At that time of the purchase, Iriga was headed by Mayor Emmanuel Alfelor (now deceased) in Camarines Sur’s fourth district, then represented by his uncle, former Rep. Felix Alfelor Jr. (The district became the fifth in April 2010 when an additional district was created upon the passage of Republic Act No. 9716.)

Before receiving the fertilizer fund, the city’s PBAC approved on April 26, 2004, a resolution to allow the “emergency purchase” of the fertilizer upon the recommendation of Lapuz. The city then used the fund to acquire through negotiated procurement the 789 bottles of Young Magic Foliar Fertilizer from Madarca Trading on April 27, 2004.

Task Force Abono said the procurement procedure  was designed to favor the company, noting the absence of public bidding or canvassing of prices.

It said the purchase request approved by then Mayor Alfelor had specified the fertilizer brand, a violation of the Government Procurement Reform Act.