Weighing scale purchase ends in jail

MANILA, Philippines–For purchasing a cattle scale which was overpriced by P45,000 nearly 25 years ago, a former treasurer of Dumaguete City has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison by the Sandiganbayan.

Ofelia Oliva was also perpetually barred from joining the government service after she was found guilty by the antigraft court’s Special Second Division of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

In its ruling promulgated on Nov. 24, the court said Oliva should be held accountable for buying a weighing scale for cattle worth P130,000 without a public bidding in 1990.

Besides being overpriced, the court said the livestock equipment was also found to be of inferior quality.

“Had accused Oliva been more circumspect in the personal canvass conducted, Dumaguete City would not have suffered injury in the form of an overpriced fabricated weighing scale,” the court said in a 23-page resolution written by Associate Justice Samuel Martires.

Associate Justices Teresita Diaz, chair of the division, and Napoleon Inoturan agreed with Martires’ decision.

Court records showed that Oliva looked for a supplier of the equipment in Metro Manila after the city government’s bids and awards committee declared a failure of bidding.

She claimed she went to at least five stores before she bought the cattle scale from Joe Bart Enterprise.

While shopping and direct negotiated purchase were allowed in cases of failed bidding, the court said the former treasurer bought the Suprema G3 scale for P130,000, or P45,000 more than the approved budget.

“Furthermore, the law instructs that a personal canvass be done in the locality. Therefore, conducting the personal canvass in Manila instead of Dumaguete City already constituted a violation of (the law),” the court said.

Instead of buying the cattle scale, it said Oliva should have looked for other local suppliers “in order to determine the lowest price for the said weighing scales sought to be purchased” by the city government.–Marlon Ramos