By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent .
A FORMER city hall worker has pressed two sets of graft charges against ex-mayor Vicente Emano and some of his subordinates when he was the local executive in connection with a transaction with a “non-government organization” linked to the pork barrel scam, and for the use of the disaster risk reduction management fund at a time when there was no calamity.
City hall released the funds in 2013, shortly before Emano stepped down as mayor of the city.
The two sets of complaints were filed by Ernesto Molina, a former city hall “job order”worker.
Molina is the same man who earlier filed criminal and administrative complaints against the ex-mayor’s son, Misamis Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano, before the Office of the Ombudsman — he questioned the 2013 appointment of ex-councilor President Elipe as manager of the capitolun Misamis Oriental sports complex.
The complaints against the elder Emano were filed with the Office of the Ombudsman this July 13, confirmed Molina yesterday.
Charged in connection with the use of a congresswoman’s Priority Development Assistance Fund were former city treasurer Marilyn Legaspi, former city accountant Wilma Rugay, former city budget officer Gresilda Joson, and Carlos Soriano, the president of Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation Inc..
Molina said state auditors have questioned the legitimacy and eligibility of the foundation as an NGO that has been tied to the PDAF scam.
The P4-million fund, from the PDAF of Ambis-Owa party-list Rep. Sharon Carin, was supposedly released to Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation allegedly as payment for providing skills training on meat processing and materials in the city.
Another set of complaints was filed against Emano, Legaspi, Rugay, Joson, former city agriculture officer Frederico Gempesaw, and Edgar Dy, owner and manager of a firm called Cagayan Diversified Trading.
Molina accused the respondents of using city hall’s disaster risk reduction management funds supposedly to provide seedlings and other agricultural supplies to survivors of two typhoons that struck in the city in 2011 and 2012.
He said the city was not under a state of calamity when the funds, some P5.784 million, were spent in 2013 which, he asserted, was a violation.
Molina said there was also no evidence that the supposed city hall agricultural supplies that were bought from Cagayan Diversified Trading reached the intended beneficiaries.
For the city hall-Kaagapay transaction, Molina accused the respondents of graft and malversation of public funds, and grave and serious misconduct.
He also accused Emano, Gempesaw, Legaspi, Rugay, Joson and Dy of committing the same criminal and administrative offenses and for violation of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 in connection with the city hall-Cagayan Diversified Trading deal.
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