Naga City mayor, administrator charged before Ombudsman

CEBU, Philippines - Naga City Mayor Valdemar Chiong and city administrator engineer Arthur Villamor are facing charges before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas for allegedly giving unwarranted benefits and advantage to Petronas Energy Philippines, Inc. by issuing a mayor’s permit despite its alleged failure to comply with the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Fire Code of the Philippines.

Darwin Sarraga, assistant vice-president of the Corporate Administrative Services Department of Pryce Gases Inc., through his legal counsel, filed a criminal complaint for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the anti-graft and corrupt practices act and administrative complaint for gross neglect in the performance of duty or gross dereliction and gross misconduct against Chiong and Villamor.

“That, after making investigations and inquiries on two (2) very big LPG storage tanks which is owned by Petronas Energy Philippines, Inc. we discovered that it failed to comply with the distance required under the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Fire Code of the Philippines,” the complaint reads.

Lawyer Julius Ceasar Entise said that despite Petronas’ failure to comply with the implementing rules and regulations, the Chiong and Villamor allegedly issued a mayor’s permit on April 7, 2014.

“After the expiration of the so-called temporary FSIC on December 31, 2013, SInsp Vilma Abarquez, the city fire marshal of Naga City, admitted before the Provincial Board of Cebu Province during an executive session last March 3, 2014 that the Bureau of Fire Protection-city of Naga Fire Station did not issue any fire safety inspection certificate to the LPG plant of Petronas,” he said.

He said that upon verification with the city government, they discovered that Chiong issued a Mayor’s Permit on April 7, which allowed the Petronas to operate as a wholesaler of LPG.

Villamor could have prevented the issuance of Mayor’s Permit, according to Sarraga, but the latter allegedly chose to “conspire” with Chiong.

The Pryce Gas Inc. reportedly received a letter from a concerned citizen, a resident of barangay Langtad, Naga City, asking about the safety implications and risks of the two big Liquefied Petroleum Gas  Tanks owned by the Petronas.

Sarraga said after conducting an investigation and inquiries of the two LPG storage tanks of Petronas, it was discovered that it failed to comply with the distance required under the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Fire Code of the Philippines.

Chiong denied he railroaded the giving of the mayor’s permit to Petronas as alleged by Sarraga.

“Every action I make naa gyud na’y basehan. But that’s one of the hazards to our trade,” said Chiong, in reference to the complaint filed against him.

Chiong clarified that he issued a conditional permit to Petronas being an investor, but it was only after the Naga Fire Department and the Bureau of Fire and Protection-7 gave a clearance.

He said Pryce Gas, which questioned Petronas’ existence, elevated its complaint to BFP national office, which, later on, reversed the findings earlier issued by the Naga Fire Department and the BFP-7.

The mayor said he has yet to receive a copy of this decision. “I’m going to reassess my position.”

Chiong said he gave Petronas, after completing all the requirements, a conditional permit which will expire in October but can be revoked anytime, like what he did to Pryce Gas, when it was earlier found out to have not complied with the Fire Code.

Chiong said he was only caught between two colliding stones.

“Away na sa Pryce Gas ug Petronas, naangin lang ta,” he said. —/ATO (FREEMAN)