Accused in IDPP Plunder Case Welcomes Ombudsman Order

By Frank E. Dosdos, Jr.

Former and Incumbent Elected Officials of Iligan City welcomed the Order of Ombudsman Mindanao for them to submit their counter affidavit on the complaint for Plunder filed by a former Councilor of the City.

Speaking for himself and on behalf of his co-accused former Councilor Moises Dalisay, Jr. told this writer in the latter’s radio program “TIMBANGAN” over DXRJ AM, 1475 khrz, Iligan, last week that they welcome the issuance of the said order.

Dalisay said that they are happy about the order because it gives them due process of law.

He said that the complaint is full of fabrications, lies, speculations and baseless allegations.

It was gathered that the complaint filed by former Councilor Atty. Voltaire I. Rovira after the May 13, 2013 Elections where he lost is an off-shoot of the sale of the Iligan Diesel Power Plant to CONAL HOLDINGS, the owner of Mapalad Power Corporation early this year.

Accused in the said complaint are former Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz, former Vice Mayor Henry C. Dy, former Councilors Moises Dalisay, Jr., Jose Zalsos and Chonilo Ruiz, and reelected incumbent Vice Mayor Rudy Marzo and Councilors Providencio Abragan, Jr., Marlene Young, Frederic Siao, Ariel Anghay, Michelle Sweet, Roy Openiano and other officials of the City.

Dalisay said that the Complaint tried to mislead the Ombudsman by not mentioning that the sale began with the passage of an Ordinance sponsored by the Complainant while he was still a member of the Sangguniang Panglunsod in 2008 authorizing the Sangguniang Panglunsod to sell the said Plant at Public Auction.

He said that surprisingly, the Complainant changed his mind after losing in the Elections of 2010.

It can be recalled that the sale of the IDPP to CONAL HOLDINGS was an election issue last May 13, 2013 Elections but majority of the voters did not believe it because all but one of the candidates for reelection got a new clear mandate from the people.

Dalisay said that no plunder was committed because not a single centavo went to the pockets of the accused as payment made by the buyer was delivered to and duly receipted by the City Treasurer of Iligan.

He added that the proceeds of the sale were already appropriated by the Sangguniang Panglunsod for the different programs, projects and services of the City government.

According to Dalisay in the crime of Plunder the accused must have accumulated over P50 Million.

He said that the sale was above board as it came through a bidding process in accordance with law.

He added that after two failures of bidding when the City government decided to proceed to negotiated sale as another means provided by law, the Complainant initiated negotiations with CONAL HOLDINGS since there were no other bidders.

It was learned that the negotiations was not concluded as it was overtaken by the Elections of 2010.

Dalisay said that afterward, since the bid of CONAL HOLDINGS was only P300 Million, the Sangguniang Panglusod subjected it to Swiss Challenge where interested parties were invited to participate.

However, it was learned that nobody participated in the Swiss Challenge as well.

Instead of awarding the sale to the only bidder, the City Government submitted to the Commission on Audit the records of the process and asked for approval of the sale, it was gathered.

Eventually, the Commission on Audit approved the sale subject to certain conditions in the amount of around P386 Million, higher by P86 Million than the bid of CONAL HOLDINGS which the latter accepted, records indicate.

According to Dalisay, the accused are now preparing their Joint Counter-Affidavit which may take some time because of the volume of supporting documents that will be submitted.

He said that he is confident in the dismissal of the complaint for lack of evidence.

It was learned that the Complainant had a string of dismissed complaints before the Ombudsman in the past.

He was said to have also filed complaints before the Ombudsman in the past against former Mayors Alejo Yañez and Franklin Quijano but all were dismissed.