Pangasinan mayor charged with graft for relocating school

BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan, Philippines – The battle for the transfer of the Bayambang Central School has reached the Office of the Ombudsman with the filing of a complaint against the town mayor and a businessman.

Filipina Alcantara, president of the Parent-Teachers Association, filed the complaint against Mayor Richard Camacho and Willy Chua, the owner of the lot where the school was transferred.

Alcantara questioned the relocation of the school to Barangay Bical, which is 400 meters away from its original location, without consultation with the parents, teachers and students.

The Sangguniang Bayan passed a resolution approving the transfer.

“The power to transfer the location of schools rests with the DepEd (Department of Education). The power of the mayor is limited to the construction, repair and maintenance of elementary school buildings and other structures connected with public elementary school education,” the complaint said.

It added that the transfer of the school under a land swap deal was grossly disadvantageous to the municipal government because the old school’s lot is valued at P620 million while Chua’s lot is worth only P150,000.

“In willfully and feloniously entering into an agreement with Mr. Willy Chua, Mayor Camacho bound Bayambang into a forced transfer of location,” the complaint stated.

Camacho could not be reached for comment.