Balili controversy TWG wants dismissal of charges

CEBU, Philippines - The four members of the Technical Working Group involved in the purchase of the controversial Balili property by the Province of Cebu in Tinaan, Naga City, have asked the anti-graft office for the dismissal of the charges brought up wrongfully against them.

Mariflor Vero, Michelle Languido, Roger Dumayac and Pilar Yburan, all of the Provincial Assessor’s Office, were charged for grave misconduct.

Other respondents for grave misconduct were former Provincial Board Member Juan Bolo who heads the committee on properties and the appraisal committee members Anthony Sususco, Roy Salubre and Eulogio Pelayre.

Vero, Languido, Dumayac and Yburan said that the complaint “contented itself with general and sweeping conclusions of law without any adequate recital of specific or ultimate facts of our individual participation in the claimed offense/s.”

They stated that the time material to the complaint, there was then no formal TWG tasked to assist the Cebu Provincial Appraisal Committee.

The TWG was only permitted to be created under the auspices of Executive Order No. 15 dated October 15, 2009.

The respondents claimed members of technical staff of the Provincial Assessor’s Office and invariably, requests for assistance in the appraisal of properties are relayed to them for appropriate action.

One such request relates to the Balili properties in Naga as indicated in the July 3, 2007 travel order.

Yburan was tasked to “conduct actual ocular inspection and re-assessment of buildings owned by Luis Balili and Amparo Balili.”

Dumayac and Languido were required to “conduct actual ocular inspection and appraisal of the properties subject of the request of Bolo on June 26, 2007 and to gather opinion values and pertinent related data.

Respondents also noted that “none of the technical staff are lettered in geodetic engineering nor were they tasked to ascertain the metes and bounds of the properties”.

Dumayac and Languido said they submitted the gathered data and opinion values as embodied in the report in accordance with their assigned duties.

“Plainly, reflective of the affiants’ innocence, there is nothing in the complaint that ascribes a specific act or omission on any of the affiants in the purchase of the Balili properties,” the counter-affidavit said.

The Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Office of the Ombudsman Visayas found basis to upgrade into criminal and administrative cases an anonymous complaint filed against Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez, PB members and nine others over the purchase of the more than 20-hectare Balili property.

In an evaluation report released November last year, the anti-graft body said the government paid P78.6 million for submerged lands. Capitol paid a total of P99 million for the 24.9-hectare property. —(FREEMAN)