Mandaue, Lapu city officials used to overprice lampposts

CEBU, Philippines – The officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways accused in the controversial ASEAN lamppost case deliberately used the officials of Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City because of “ulterior designs of excessively overpricing the lampposts”.

This was one of the key findings of the reinvestigation conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas and submitted to the Sandiganbayan recently.

The supplemental resolution filed by the Office of the Ombudsman was signed by members of the reinvestigation committee headed by Asst. Ombudsman Virginia Palanca-Santiago, Visayas Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol and Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez dated May 4, 2009.

 “Respondents Lala et al purposely involved the city officials in the preparation of the Program of Works and Estimates in order to cater to their ulterior designs of excessively overpricing the lampposts,” the 113-page supplemental resolution stated.

Roberto Lala, who was then the regional director of DPWH-7 was charged together with other eight DPWH-7 officials in connection with the lampposts scandal.

The graft office added that “in the first place, the DPWH-7 officials ought to be the ones to prepare the POWE since the project is implemented by the DPWH-7 and not by the LGU concerned. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP (THE FREEMAN)