Zamboanga free gas goes to dad with no car, another who’s dead

ZAMBOANGA CITY—In this city, among the perks of being a councilor is free gasoline.

So there was supposed to be nothing unusual when a gas station sent over a bill of P1.2 million for gasoline given to councilors from 2008-2011.

Except that among the councilors who had supposedly availed himself of free gasoline didn’t have a vehicle.

Another councilor listed as a beneficiary of the free gasoline perk is already dead. Some others are no longer councilors.

These prompted the city council to investigate. The gas station claimed that it had given gasoline to the councilors but that this was still unpaid for.

Councilor Melchor Sadain said an investigation would determine why.

Among those who are supposed to have received free gasoline was Jihann Edding, a former councilor who does not even have a vehicle.

Dead

Edmundo Rodriguez got P46,565 in free gasoline. As councilor, he was entitled to the perk, but he is already dead.

Cesar Iturralde, who presides over the council as vice mayor, received P154,345 worth of free gasoline. So did Charlie Mariano, incumbent councilor, who received P103,895 in free gasoline.

Iturralde, in an interview, said an investigation was also conducted in 2011 on what he said were abuses of the perk “and we traced it to a lady employee.”

He was referring to Ma. Socorro Duremdes, clerk at the city council who was in charge of issuing gas slips to councilors and was suspended for excesses in the perk given to councilors.

Duremdes, now assigned to the city library, told the Inquirer that some councilors, indeed, abused the perk.

She said the probable reason why the names of the dead and former councilors still appeared on the gas station’s list of those who had availed themselves of free gasoline was that the vehicles they had used were the same ones being used by incumbent councilors.

1,000 liters per month

The perk allows each of the city’s 19 council officials, councilors included, to avail themselves of up to 300 liters of free gasoline every month. Iturralde gets up to 1,000 liters a month for at least three vehicles.

“I cannot explain why they (councilors) exceed 300 liters monthly,” said Duremdes, the woman being blamed for the abuses.

“My task is just to release the needed gas slip for their use,” she said. “Now if there’s a question of unpaid bills, Vice Mayor (Iturralde) has to explain it, as he was the one who kept assuring me that he’ll be responsible for these excesses,” she added.

“The vice mayor even convinced me to sign a promissory note they prepared and now I am in hot water,” Duremdes said.

She denied benefiting from the gas allocations like some councilors suspected.

“Why would I do that? I have been in this job for 25 years and served many vice mayors in the past,” she said.

According to Iturralde, the case is an embarrassment for the council.

“We are worried because we want the council to be very transparent, transactions above board,” he said.

“But now we have this bad image before the eyes of our constituents,” said the vice mayor. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao