Courts to decide on lampposts, Ombud says

THE Ombudsman-Visayas said it is up to the courts to decide whether to allow Cebu City to remove the decorative lampposts in their streets despite the ongoing graft cases involving its purchase.

“These (lampposts) are evidence of the court. It depends upon the court (to have the street lights removed). We can’t decide on that. That is beyond our authority,” Asst. Ombudsman Virginia Palanca-Santiago told Cebu Daily News.

Santiago said the local government units declined to take custody of the controversial lampposts, which made these units vulnerable to vandals and looters.

The anti-graft office took photographs of the lampposts and submitted them to the Sandiganbayan.

“As of the moment, it seems that no one watches over these lampposts,” Santiago said.

She said some of the decorative lampposts are under the custody of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The anti-graft office suffered another blow with regard to the probe it conducted on the controversial purchase and installation of P365-million worth of decorative for the 2007 Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

Last August, Santiago said the Sandiganbayan remanded one of five  lamppost cases to the Ombudsman-Visayas for further preliminary investigation.

The remanded case covered contract no. 06H00048 for lampposts set up in Lapu-Lapu City.

Named respondents in the case were officials of the  Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH-7), bids and awards committee  members,  Gerardo Surla, chairman of Gampik Construction and Development Corp.

The case against former Lapu-Lapu City Mayor and incumbent Rep. Arturo Radaza, however, is still pending with the Sandiganbayan’s first division. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol