CATBALOGAN, Samar –
Western Samar Governor Milagrosa T. Tan has requested the Ombudsman
for an extension in the filing of counter-affidavit on the recent
graft cases filed against her regarding the purchase of drugs and
medicines.
In a motion dated
October 16, 2006, the counsels of the governor requested for an
extension of 20 days, from October 9 to 29, 2006, to file the
counter-affidavit.
Administrative and
criminal charges were filed by Aurelio Bardaje Jr. before the office
of the Ombudsman-Visayas against Governor Tan, for allegedly violating
an SP ordinance and for purchasing medicines without any supporting
documents.
It can be recalled
that Bardaje, the complainant, was one of the co-respondent of Tan in
a graft case earlier filed at the Ombudsman central office and is now
pending at the Sandiganbayan.
Bardaje's complaint
was received by the office of the Ombudsman on June 28, 2006. In his
complaint, he alleged that the provincial government purchased drugs
in three instances at a total amount of about P6 million which, he
claimed, was in violation of Sangguniang Panlalawigan ordinance.
Bardaje was an
appointed Administrative Officer V of the Samar Provincial Health
Office (PHO) - Samar Provincial Hospital in December 2001, and was
detailed to the Samar Provincial General Services as OIC until
November 7, 2003, then detailed again to the Office of the Governor
until November 22, 2004 but he was assigned back at the PHO.
“It is respectfully
requested that an appropriate investigation be conducted by your
office and, if the evidence warrant, to file the appropriate charge/s
before the Sandiganbayan,” Bardaje said in his letter-complaint to
Ombudsman Merceditas Guttierrez.
In his affidavit
attached to the letter-complaint, Bardaje accused Tan and five other
provincial officers -- Dr. Rudolf Mabulay of the
Samar
Provincial
Hospital
and Bids and Awards committee members Provincial Budget Officer Maximo
Sison, Administrative Officer Rolando Montejo, Provincial Legal
Officer Anastacio Yong, and OIC General Services Officer Ariel Yboa –
of alleged wrongdoings.
Last September 11,
after “finding enough basis to proceed with the preliminary
investigation and administrative adjudication proceedings of these
criminal and administrative cases,” Edgardo G. Canton, Director of the
Evaluation and Investigation Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas based in
Cebu City, has ordered the respondents to submit or file their
counter-affidavits within 10 days from receipt of the order.
The cases against the
respondents are docketed as OMB-V-C-06-0362-G for the criminal case
and OMB-V-A-06-0405-G for the administrative case.
This writer tried to
reach Tan and the other respondents for their comments but to no
avail.
According to the
sworn-affidavit of the complainant (Aurelio Bardaje Jr.), a copy of
which was obtained by this writer, he alleged that on August 10, 22
and 23, 2005, the provincial government through Governor Tan purchased
various drugs and medicines in the total amount of P6,044,032.00
without some proper necessary documents.
In the purchase,
“There was no (attached) recommendation made by the Samar Therapeutic
Committee which was a violation of Sangguniang Panlalawigan Ordinance
No. 542, series of 2003, and that the purchases were also made in
violation of Section 7 Article II and Section 13 Article V, RA 9184 as
there was no approved Annual Procurement Plan of the province.”
Earlier, Ombudsman Ma.
Merceditas N. Gutierrez has charged Governor Tan, and six other
capitol officials including the complainant Bardaje with graft before
the Sandiganbayan for also purchasing medicines and other goods worth
P16. 1 million without public bidding in 2001 and in 2002.
