ILIGAN City ― Councilor Petronilo Pardillo told reporters yesterday that the “questionable rice deal” should be probed by the city council and should pass an ordinance regarding the controversy.
Pardillo, who heads the committee on finance, added that he is willing to author the ordinance pointing out that this should be made “after the pandemic.” He also pointed out that no councilor is a member of the Bids and Awards Committee.
He said it is not the habit of the council to interfere with the job of the executive.
To recall, a former councilor revealed to media that the city’s supplier in a deal costing over P60 million has a capitalization of only P10,000 and that this establishment only began operating in 2017.
Former city councilor, lawyer Leo Zaragoza said that the documents he has in possession show that the GH2 General Merchandise located at Purok 6-A, Barangay Buruun, this city was the supplier of rice worth over P60 million.
This was for a “negotiated procurement” for distribution by the city during this time of the pandemic. The purchase order was dated April 27, he said and was received by the Bids and Awards Committee.
Although it was not subject to bidding because of the times it still had to pass through the BAC. The total amount of the transaction was P60,999.99 with a price of “high-quality rice” of P1,300 per 25-kilo sack.
This was prepared by one Doris Barsomo of the accounting department of the city, it was learned. It was also learned that said establishment is owned by one Engr. Merwin Demecillo.
A call to the said store by reporters the other day was answered by a female who identified herself as Vangie Valencia, the secretary who confirmed that they have such transaction and that there are more transactions like that with the city after which the line went dead.
Zaragoza also said that the said rice is being stored at the area where the closed National Steel Corporation had been and out of it some 10,000 sacks had “disappeared.”
An interview with Nenet Paradela, village chief of the said barangay the other day confirmed that there is indeed such store in her barangay and it cannot be easily located as it is in an inner street. It is a small store and asked to estimate the capitalization, she answered it could be at P30,000.
A former city councilor, lawyer Moises Dalisay Jr said that “things like this have to reach Pres. Duterte” and maybe just take matters like these “extra-judicially” or “out of court” (settlement) first.
In a statement to reporters yesterday, Mayor Celso Regencia said the whole thing is just “politicking” by his detractors and that he will just continue working “for the good of the people here.”
However, he did not specifically mention the rice transaction in his statement.
To note, Pardillo and Regencia are on the same political bloc. (Nora Soriño and Sita Asequia)
