By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent
BUTUAN City––A businessman and a former congresswoman have filed a graft complaint against officials of the Butuan City Water District (BCWD) over its joint venture agreement with firms in connection with the controversial bulk water supply project.
In their complaint, businessman Potenciano Malvar and former congresswoman Charito Plaza accused BCWD general manager Anselmo Sangtian, BCWD directors, and members of the BCWD-Joint Venture-Selection Committee of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Dr. Malvar is the president of the Butuan-Agusan Hotel and Restaurant Association and owner of Balanghai Hotel and Convention Center.
Malvar said the complaint and affidavits were already submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman in Manila.
In their complaint, they accused the BCWD officials of abuse of authority and of connivance that resulted in a joint venture and supplemental agreement with firms in connection with the multimillion-peso bulk water supply project.
According to Malvar and Plaza, the BCWD officials should be held liable because the firm Twin Peak Hydro Resources is allegedly not qualified to carry out the project.
Incidentally, an incorporator of the firm is mayoral candidate Ronnie Vicente Lagnada, an engineer by profession.
Malvar and Plaza noted that the firm was only incorporated and registered with the Securities and Exhange Commission on Oct. 20, 2011, some two months before it submitted an unsolicited proposal to the BCWD.
Malvar and Plaza said Twin Peak Hydro Resources and another firm Equiparco Construction Co. have no track record when it comes to bulk water supply projects.
Lagnada is also the chief executive officer and president of Equiparco.
They said the industry classification of THRC is only for “generation, collection and distribution of electricity.”
On April 23, 2013, Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. complained that the THRC, EPCC entered and signed a 25-year contract with BCWD for the project allegedly without consultation. He said city hall did not validate or conform to the P565-million bulk water supply agreement.
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