At least ten Baguio City officials will be undergoing lifestyle checks by the Office of the Ombudsman. Without disclosing their identities, the Civil Service Commission(CSC)-Baguio has accordingly forwarded to the Ombudsman for Luzon the papers of the ten city officials who will undergo probes. The only clue provided however is that most are officials nearing retirement, meaning those who have been with the government for 30 years. Some are new, however.
BY ACE ALEGRE
Bulatlat.com
Vol. VIII, No. 32, September 14-20, 2008
BAGUIO CITY (246 kms north of Manila) – At least 10 Baguio City officials will be undergoing lifestyle checks by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Without disclosing their identities, the Civil Service Commission (CSC)-Baguio has accordingly forwarded to the Ombudsman for Luzon the papers of the ten city officials who will undergo probes. The only clue provided however is that most are officials nearing retirement, meaning those who have been with the government for 30 years. Some are new, however.
The CSC is aiding the Ombudsman in the probe of government officials by giving information that would help in the investigation. The personal data sheets of the 10 officials have already been submitted by the CSC.
Lifestyle checks are usually conducted on officials who are suspected of amassing properties beyond what their legal earnings from their work in government could provide. The investigation is part of the government’s bid to cleanse itself of corrupt officials.
The lifestyle checks on the 10 were prompted by formal complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The lifestyle check on the 10 Baguio officials came months after a successful entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation on August 6 against two “mulcting” government engineers right inside the City Engineering Office here.
An “honest-to-goodness” probe of the City Engineering Office was pushed by Baguio citizens, but it apparently fell on deaf ears.
A contractor for 10 years who asked not to be named said, “There should be a full dress investigation of the CEO for the city to uncover the anomalous dealings there.”
“Without the city officials’ action, we cannot get rid of corrupt practices in that department,” he added.
Assistant City Engineer Elpidio Garabiles, 56, was caught with P10,000 ($222.82 at the August 2008 average exchange rate of $1:P44.88) of “marked money” allegedly for City Engineer Leo Bernardez’s trip to Bicol. It was handed over by Rudy Echague, a contractor, to Engineer II Richard Lardizabal inside the City Engineering Office at City Camp Lagoon.
NBI investigators caught the duo and charged them with robbery and extortion, and violation of the law on graft and corrupt practices.
Another contractor said, “due to extortion (by government engineers), an average 40 percent deduction from the project cost is set aside while another 5 percent is cut (from the project cost) while the work is ongoing.” Thus, he said, “a total of 45-50 percent of the project fund goes to corruption”.
Not a single city official had come out in the open to deny that he or she is the one being probed by the Ombudsman, “thus, every single official in the city is suspect,” noted lawyer Reinaldo Cortes. Contributed to (Bulatlat.com)
