ILIGAN City — Concerned citizens of this city are in the process of filing cases against officials of this city led by Mayor Celso Regencia on the now controversial rice supply transaction.
Lawyer Emmanuel Salibay, currently vice president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Iligan City-Lanao Norte Chapter yesterday said they are still in the process of gathering the documents against the city officials.
Initially, he did not want to get involved, Salibay said but the calls, the visits to his house and office by concerned citizens can no longer be set aside so he relented, he added.
He said one of the other lawyers involved in the filing of cases is Leo Zaragoza who he said has a “change of heart.” Zaragoza, to note, was an avid supporter of the mayor and was the lead lawyer in the mayor’s criminal case that sent him to jail then.
The other lawyers involved, Salibay added, are Vermin Quimco, Tomas Cabili, Dino Quijano, Betsy Zalsos, and Jack Dasmarinas.
Quimco and Cabili were also supporters of the mayor and like Zaragoza had also “change of heart.”
To recall, Zaragoza gave an exposé concerning the city’s transactions concerning rice in which a certain GH2 General Merchandise with allegedly a capital of only P10,000 was able to supply the city with a P60 million worth of high-quality rice
Three committees of the city council are scheduling a series of public hearings “in aid of legislation” the first of which is set July 2 at 1:30 pm at the session hall. Among the personalities invited are the said supplier, personnel from accounting, the city treasurer, Commission on Audit, members of the Bid and Awards Committee, and the media.
It was also learned that the “Citizens Crime Watch’ will be the ones who will file the cases.
