By LITO RULONA
Correspondent
CLEMENTE Atoc, the man who filed a plunder complaint against Mayor Oscar Moreno and three key city hall officials on Friday, has claimed to have been a former supporter of the mayor who used his political connections to make his son get work in the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA).
But the 60-year old Atoc said he had a change of mind because city accountant Beda Joy Elot’s explanation about the 17 “missing” and “unrecorded” checks in 2015 did not satisfy him.
On Friday, Atoc filed a complaint for plunder, technical malversation, violation of the provisions of RA 7160 and RA 6713, grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority and manifest partiality against Moreno before the Office of the Ombudsman.
He also charged Elot, city treasurer Glenn Banez and city budget officer Percy Salazar.
“Dili unta ko motuo sa gihisgutan sa city council pero pagbasa nako sa tubag ni Elot sa Gold Star nga nawala ang cheke o nalimtan, binuang na kini,” Atoc said.
He filed the complaint a day after the Court of Appeals (CA) issued a 60-day temporary restraining order against the implementation of a three-month suspension order by the ombudsman against Moreno, Elot and Salazar in connection with another graft case.
Atoc took Councilor Leon Gan as his lawyer. Incidentally, Gan is the councilor who brought the Commission on Audit (COA) report on the “missing” checks to the attention of the city council last week.
Atoc, a radio technician from Sitio Ilaya in Barangay Carmen, said he supported the past two election campaigns of Moreno and 1st District Rep. Rolando Uy.
He said that through his cousin, former councilor Roger Abaday, his son was appointed to the RTA during Moreno’s first office term.
“Pero wala kini siya’y labot sa akong pagpasaka sa sumbong batok kanila. Dili lang ko gusto og tinonto sa gobyerno,” Atoc said. “I am entitled nga mopasaka og sumbong kay taxpayer sab ko.”
Atoc said the explanation of Elot was “highly questionable.” “Buot niya ipasabot nga wala niya mabantayi kini nga transactions, the series of issuance of checks?”
He also said he found it deplorable that city hall issued checks that had the mayor as the payee.
Atoc also pointed out that the city council did not pass an ordinance allowing the respondents to disburse the funds.
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