Nuñez says he filed 4 plunder plaints that morphed into 48 cases

By NITZ ARANCON,
Correspondent

MAYOR Oscar Moreno’s accuser only filed plunder and three other complaints against the former Misamis Oriental governor in the afternoon of Feb. 3, 2015 in connection with the capitol’s lease of heavy equipment without public biddings.

To Engr. Antonio Nuñez Jr.’s surprise, the Office of the Ombudsman chopped his complaints into pieces, resulting in 48 administrative and criminal cases against Moreno and former members of the capitol’s bids and awards committee.

Nuñez’s complaints have so far resulted in several ombudsman orders to dismiss and ban for life Moreno and other respondents from the government service for  grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to public interest, serious dishonesty, and gross neglect of duty. The implementation of the decisions on the administrative aspect of the cases have been temporarily stopped by the Court of Appeals here.

Nuñez said he did not expect the ombudsman to chop his complaints into 24 administrative and 24 criminal cases.

He said he filed four complaints for plunder, graft, and violations of the government procurement law and code of conduct for people in government in connection with the heavy equipment leases in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

The leases, he said, totalled some P53 million.

But the ombudsman’s decision not to lump the deals into four complaints, Nuñez said, the respondents evaded a plunder case.

“Wala man koy mahimo kay dili man ako ang Ombudsman. Walay problima sa ako nga ilang gihimong grave misconduct ang kasong gi-file nga plunder case,” Nuñez said.

He also expressed surprise about the ombudsman’s decision to exclude many other respondents in his complaint from its decisions.

“Ila nang gikamang  tingali  didto sa Ombudsman,” Nuñez said.

Aside from Moreno, he also filed the complaints against former capitol bids and awards committee members Elsie Lopoy, Rolando Pacuribot, Elmer Wabe, Patrick Gabutina, Cansio Guibone, Divina Bade, Imelda Beltran, and administrative aide Leemar Tinagan.

Nuñez said he also included in his original complaints businessman Eden Wang, Debbie Lynn Huang, Eugenia Uy, Rolando Dimaamo, Engracia Uy, and other executives of Equipment Corp. and Earth Tools, Development Corp..

“Alang-alang dili nako i-apil ning mga tawhana, nga ang ilang mga ngalan,  na-a man sa document nga akong nahipos sa dihang  nag-rental si Moreno sa mga heavy equipment,” he said.

Nuñez said he was surprised why the ombudsman excluded Beltran, Gabutina, Wang, Huang, Dimaamo and the two Uys in its October 2016 decision.