Raps readied at Sandiganbayan vs Puentevella

CEBU CITY—A former congressman in Bacolod City is now facing graft charges for the overpriced purchase of computers using his pork barrel funds.

The Office of the Ombudsman has found probable cause to file graft charges against Monico Puentevella, now Bacolod City mayor, and two others in the Sandiganbayan.

A check at the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas, however, showed that the filing of the case in the Sandiganbayan had been delayed by a motion for reconsideration filed by the respondents.

Aside from Puentevella, two others were indicted for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for the purchase of computer packages believed to be overpriced.

They were Victorino Tirol, then Department of Education (DepEd) director for Western Visayas, and Jessie Garcia, president and board chair of Merryland Publishing Corp, the supplier of the computers.

They were linked to the alleged overpricing of  information technology (IT) packages for public elementary and secondary schools in Bacolod in 2002, 2004 and 2005 using Puentevella’s Priority Development Assistance Fund.

The IT package for public elementary schools, each priced at P400,000, was composed of one computer, 50 compact discs, instructional materials and a one-day seminar workshop.

The package for public high schools, also worth P400,000 each, consisted of two computer units, 80 CDs, instructional materials and a one-day seminar.

The resolution to file the complaint against Puentevella, which was approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Oct. 13, cited a Commission on Audit report that said at least P26 million was spent for the IT packages in  2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006 for

54 public elementary schools and 29 public high schools.

Puentevella allocated funds from his pork barrel to buy the IT packages bought by the DepEd Western Visayas office from Merryland without public bidding because it was supposedly the exclusive distributor of educational software developed by iT21 PTE Ltd of Singapore.

The complaint was filed by the  Bacolod City Legal Office after its investigation showed that the IT packages were “overpriced, defective and nonfunctional.”

It also claimed that some schools tagged as beneficiaries never received the IT packages.

In his reply to the complaint, Puentevella said the   Bacolod City Legal Office  was biased against him and that he was denied due process.

The resolution, however, said Puentevella admitted that the project was undertaken by his office that  was “principally responsible for the sourcing of funds and identification of beneficiaries of the IT packages.”

Puentevella said the true cost of the IT packages should include Merryland’s intellectual property rights and programs.