Samboan mayor faces charges

CEBU, Philippines - Samboan Vice Mayor Rogelio Capa filed a complaint against Mayor Raymond Joseph Calderon before the Office of the Visayas Ombudsman for the use of the town’s heavy equipment and delivery to a private firm without commensurate rental to the municipal government.

Capa is facing a petition for recall filed against him and his grandson, First Councilor Jeffrey Catipay, by Calderon’s group.

In his complaint, Capa said Mayor Calderon used the municipality-owned dump truck with Plate Number SEY-652 driven by a certain Roberto Nellas to deliver filling materials, strones, rocks and boulders at the construction site of the Lite Shipping Wharf, a private project at San Sebastian in the town between April 2009 to December 2009 without paying rental to the municipal government.

According to Capa, as source of the filling materials, limestone, stones, rocks and boulders, Mayor Calderon authorized the illegal quarry of these materials from the property of Eufemio Hisoler at Titil, Barangay Poblacion between April to October 2009 without getting the required permits from the appropriate government agencies.

Capa said this is in “clear and blatant violation” of the provisions of Section 69-80 of the Implementing Rules of the Philippine Mining Act (RA 7942) regulating quarry operations.

He further said that Mayor Calderon also authorized the use of the municipality-owned backhoe operated by a certain Carlito Catubig for quarry operations in different sites of the municipality, including but not limited to areas situated at Titil in Barangay Poblacion.

The vice mayor said other projects where the municipality-owned heavy equipment were used were the NGCP Tower Installation Projects in Suba, Samboan, a private project undertaken between January to February 2008.

He further said that these equipment were also used without rent to Samboan for government projects which were awarded to and undertaken by Higtech Construction.

Higtech Construction was supposed to pay rentals for their use to the municipal government, Capa claimed.

The use of all these government-owned heavy equipment without rental to the Samboan local government unit “has clearly given undue advantage and benefit to Mayor Calderon and also the private entities” which are not made to pay rentals to the municipal government, Capa added.

The vice mayor said Mayor Calderon committed grave abuse of authority when “he utterly disregarded” the municipal ordinance of Samboan regulating the use of heavy equipment owned by the municipality and fixing the rental rate.

He further accused Mayor Calderon of allegedly authorizing or engaged in illegal quarrying activities in the town.

The Samboan councilors, led by Emerito Calderon, former congressman and current president of the Association of Barangay Councils filed a petition for recall against Capa and Catipay for loss of confidence.

They reportedly heard reports that the two are planning to bolt from One Cebu Party and oppose it.

Capa has said he and Catipay are not doing anything against One Cebu Party that has supported their political careers. (FREEMAN)