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MANILA, Philippines – Former Camarines Norte Governor Jesus Typoco and 7 others are facing graft charges for the illegal procurement of fertilizers from an unregistered company.
In a press release on Monday, October 26, the Office of the Ombudsman filed charges against Typoco and some members of the provincial bids and awards committee (BAC).
They allegedly awarded in April 2004 the contract for the procurement of 7,142 bottles of fertilizers to Hexaphil Agriventures, which claimed to be selling at P700 per bottle.
Investigations reveal that the company is not registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). It also has no business permit.
Furthermore, the awarding was made without public bidding.
During that period, Typoco was reportedly busy campaigning for his re-election bid. But the Ombudsman claimed that this shouldn’t be made an excuse.
“[A]s governor and public official, he is accountable for his actions relative to the contract he entered into,” the Ombudsman said.
Typoco’s co-respondents are:
- Provincial Accountant Maribeth Malaluan
- BAC member Jose Atienza
- BAC member Lorna Coreses
- BAC member Cesar Paita
- BAC member Rodolfo Salamero
- BAC memberJose Rene Ruidera
- Alex Rivera of Hexaphil
All 8 were found to have violated Sections 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 and 65.3(1) of RA 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act).
Section 65.3(1) of the Government Procurement Reform Act prohibits the submission of eligibility requirements containing false information or falsified documents calculated to influence the outcome of the eligibility screening process or when the concealment of information will result into ineligibility.
Meanwhile, Section 3(e) of RA 3019 prohibits public officials from causing any undue injury to any party, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. – Reynaldo Santos Jr/Rappler.com
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