Biliran mayor, 2 others indicted for graft

A Biliran municipal mayor was indicted for graft for the anomalous procurement of medicines worth P283,335.15 done without public bidding.

In a statement Friday, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales found probable cause to charge Caibiran municipal mayor Eulalio Maderazo for graft for violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Morales found Maderazo, as well as his municipal treasurer Loreto Serdeña, Jr. and Officer-in-Charge (Accounting Department) Rodolfo Baguna, liable for conspiring with one another in giving unwarranted benefit, advantage and preference to the supplier, Andrea Medi Center.

In the 11-page Resolution, Morales said that the respondents should be charged for unlawfully resorting to shopping as an alternative mode of procurement, even though the purchase price was beyond the P50,000-threshold allowed for a fourth class municipality.

In August 2010, the municipal government purchased medicines worth P283,335.15 for the use of its rural health unit, amid allegations of overpricing and purchase without the required public bidding reaching the Office of the Ombudsman.

Ombudsman investigators found out that the purchase did not pass through the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) and that the payment was processed without supporting documents such as abstract of bids and minutes of BAC meeting.

The Commission on Audit also reported that the purchase had “no proper documentation.”

“The supplier, Andrea Medi Center, was awarded the procurement contract without the benefit of a fair system in determining the best possible price for the government. The supplier was able to profit from the transaction without showing proof that their prices were the most beneficial to the government,” Morales said in the resolution. CDG

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