SC reverses CA on rubber boats case

The Supreme Court has reversed the decision of the Court of Appeals that dismissed administrative charges filed against a former Philippine National Police official regarding anomalies in the bidding for P131-million worth of rubber boats and spare engines in 2009.

In a 16-page decision dated Feb. 22 and issued Friday, the high court’s Third Division ruled that retired Chief Supt. Luis Saligumba was guilty of simple neglect of duty when, as member of the inspection and acceptance committee (IAC), he signed papers approving that the rubber boats passed the required specifications.

Agreeing with the Ombudsman, the high court, in the decision written by Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr., ruled the respondent “evidently neglected to efficiently and effectively discharge his functions and responsibilities [as] he even admitted that he did not personally inspect the deliveries since a group of experts and selected personnel knowledgeable of rubber boats and conducted inspection for him.”

The justices said that the IAC members  should have not merely relied on the reports and instead confirmed such findings by personally inspecting them, since there were noted discrepancies from the report.

A total of 78 police rubber boats and 18 spare engines, which would be utilized by the PNP Maritime Group, were delivered by four suppliers from December 2009 to April 2010 through direct purchase after bidding was abandoned.

The purchased rubber boats, however, turned out to have various deficiencies. —JEROME ANING