Mayor Alvarez faces graft charges before ombud office

By LITO RULONA,
Correspondent

The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered Baungon Municipal Mayor Pedro Alvarez and other respondents to file counter-affidavits of the complaint filed by their residents for corrupt practices of public officers.

In a four-page order issued by Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer III Hilde C. Dela Cruz – Likit, officer-in-charged of Evaluation and Investigation Bureau  ordered Mayor Alvarez and his father Jose Alvarez who is Rio Verde chairman, and John Does all in Baungon, Bukidnon to also file their counter-affidavits within 10 days.

Likit ordered them to submit four legible copies of counter-affidavits before an officer authorized to administer the oath, appropriately discussing the present charges lodged against them as embodied in the enclosed complaint affidavit with attachment, and to submit other controverting evidence, within 10 days from receipt hereof.

He also ordered respondents to furnish copy of their counter-affidavits to the complainants, with proof of service submitted to Office of the Ombudsman.

“The complainants will also given 10 days in filing their reply to the Office of the Ombudsman if the order was being followed,” Likit added.

The issued order also directs the respondents to submit their complete names, official designation/position and address to the official charge including the residential address and salary grade they have with the local government units.

The complainants was filed by Baungon residents Nimuel Elarmo, Godofredo Sanoy, Marion Labitad, Felomina Labitad and Felipe Ragudo.

Atty. Ernie Palanan, who is also a resident in Baungon also posed as their legal adviser of the complainants asked the local officials charged before the Office of the Ombudsman not to harass the complainants.

“Bantug diay nga gi-harass ug hulga hulgaon na ang mga mibarog nga mga reklamante ug mga testigo kay ni abot na man diay ang order sa Ombudsman nga tubagon na nila ang reklamo sa katawhan sa Baungon,” he said.

They accused the Alvarezes and Baungon officials for acts or omissions constituting graft and corrupt practices , under Section 3 (e), (g), (h) and (j) of RA 3019 and 7(a) of RA 6713, otherwise known as Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The complainants accused the respondents of “neglect and willful disregard,” and for being “heartless” by disregarding the needs of townsfolk for potable water.

They said they have been having difficulties with the supply of potable water in the town since 2010, the year Mayor Alvarez won his first election as local chief executive.

They said all barangays in Baungon do not have water facilities, and are forced to do the crude ways of getting drinkable water like going to faraway places just to fetch spring water or water from wells and creeks, among others. Some of them were forced to collect unsafe water from the irrigation canals of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA).

In 2013, huge water tubes were put in place in Baungon, and they had thought their water supply would improve. They said there was no proper public hearing and there was allegedly no permit for for the diggings along provincial, municipal and barangay roads.

They said they later realized that the water tubes were intended for Rio Verde that operates a water-processing and -filtration plant in Barangay Pualas, Baungon. The firm, which supplies potable water to the Cagayan de Oro City Water District, is using water from the Bubonawan River in Baungon Bukidnon.