By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent
BUTUAN City–A multisectoral group on Monday filed a complaint for graft and malversation against officials of Butuan City Water District (BCWD), Equiparco Construction, Twin Peak Hydro Resources, and Taguibo Aquatic Solutions in connection with controversial P565-million bulk bater supply project here.
Named respondents in the complaint filed before the ombudsman were BCWD general manager Anselmo Sangtian, BCWD chairman Roldan Torralba, directors Claudio Estacio, Crispin Young, Juanito Lao, Leah Mendoza;
Joint Venture Selection Committee members Engr. Ronnie Vicente Lagnada, Motohide Takano, Vice Mayor Jimmy Beray of Tubay, Agusan del Norte, Engr. Ruben Javier, Eduardo Sanque, Marlon Labis, lawter Jehremiah Asis, and Jesus Timoteo Cabasagan, among others.
Also charged were officials, shareholders and directors of Taguibo Aquatic Solutions and Twin Peak Hydro Resources Corp..
The complaint was filed by members of the Coalition for Consumers’ Rights Protection (CCRP) that include lawyers Roan Libarios and Nerio Rosales, Wilo Montero, Egmidio Tidalgo, Oliver Toledo, Eva Burdeos, Johnny Bacor Serrano, and Edelina Cabana, among others.
The complaint alleged that there was conspiracy, and that the project was “illegal, and null and void form the start.”
They also said that compared to similar projects in other places of the country, the firms was no shares of profit to BCWD, and no water rights payment at all.
“We could have filed plunder but we opted for multiple graft and corruption, and malversation charges to win an easy and fast conviction against all those involved in this blatantly one-sided, lopsided racket that is grossly disadvantageous to the people of Butuan,” said Libarios.
Attached in the 98-page complaint were boxes of evidence that include documents.
Libarios said his group gave the BCWD enough time to stop the assailed project but to no avail.
“Instead, they challenged us to file cases, and so, we have no choice,” he said.
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