Vice mayor, councilors sue Madridejos mayor for graft

Madridejos Vice Mayor Virgilio Atienza and eight councilors yesterday filed a graft case against Mayor Lety Mancio for allegedly unauthorized disbursements of municipal funds, amounting to over P7.3 million, within seven months in 2005.

Atienza and the councilors trooped to the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas to file the charges against the mayor and the municipal treasurer.

The complaint sheet included a report of the fact-finding inquiry by the council's committees on Finance/Appropriation and Blue Ribbon in relations with the 2005 Commission on Audit Report on Madridejos' finances.

The COA report cited Madridejos for allegedly unliquidated cash advances by the mayor and unauthorized disbursements of funds for the town's Kota Park project, a historical and tourism site.

The council's committees also confirmed in their inquiry that the cash advances were unauthorized, and that the procurement of supplies and materials for the project had no public bidding.

They also alleged that there was no proper inventory of government properties, worth over P17 million, and that requisitions were done in parts to do away with the public bidding.

They also noted that rental of equipment, amounting to over P100,000, was done without proper appropriation, bidding, and authority to enter a memorandum of agreement.

They further complained that the town's unserviceable vehicles and equipment were sold to a certain scrap buyer without proper endorsement and authority to dispose from the municipal council.

The COA report stated that these "scrap" vehicles and equipment still carried a book value of over P994,000. - Ramil V. Ayuman/RAE