Graft and corruption complaints filed against Isabela LGU
Published Aug 16, 2019 08:59 pm
By Alexandria San Juan
Graft and corruption complaints were filed against the local government of Isabela for an overpriced road construction project worth P1.6 billion and the illegal acquisition of "Honeymoon Island."
Former Angadanan town mayor Manuel Siquian of Isabela (Photo via Alexandria San Juan)
The Office of the President asked the Office of the Ombudsman to look into the alleged anomalies happening in the province of Isabela which stemmed from a letter sent by former Angadanan town mayor Manuel Siquian to the Presidential Complaint Center last month to seek help in stopping "graft and corruption being committed in the province."
In the two-page letter dated July 12, Siquian presented documents and evidence that would support his claims on the infrastructure budget anomalies in Isabela as well as the unlawful acquisition of the Honeymoon Island which he found out through his townsmen and several government employees.
"Ang sabi ng Presidente, isumbong sa kanila ang mga magnanakaw sa gobyerno (The President said report to him the thieves in the government). So this is the right time to expose the anomalies in the province of Isabela headed by Vice Governor Bodjie Dy, the board members, and other government officials," Siquian said in a press conference in Quezon City on Friday.
According to Siquian, he obtained pertinent documents and evidence that would strongly support their complaint only after the recent national elections.
In the issue of the Stagno Island, named also as the Honeymoon Island, located in the municipality of Divilacan, Siquian said its a public domain and was declared "alienable and disposable" by the Bureau of Lands in 1966.
He added that the issuance and acquisition of the island do not conform to a 1979 Letter of Instruction (LOI) issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos declaring a 45-kilometer radius from Palanan Point as "wilderness area," meaning beyond commence of man.
While the island is only four kilometers from Palanan Point, Siquian explained that the acquisition of the island is "null and void ab initio" as it violated the LOI.
"Nakapagtataka na napalagyan nila ng titulo yung 21-hectare island in Palanan and Divilacan. Kaya the president should act on this particular anomally," Siquian, who served as mayor in the municipality of Angadanan in the 1970s, said.
Upon learning the controversies in the Honeymoon Island, Siquian said they also found out an overpriced 82-kilometer road construction from the City of Ilagan up to the coastal town of Divilacan worth P1.6 billion.
Siquian said the total project cost was basically priced at P20 million per kilometer, which he said five times higher than the usual costs of an all-weather road.
"Itong overpricing talagang nakkatakot because walang P20 million per kilometer na all-weather road. Siguro mga nasa P4 million to P5 million 'yan," he bared.
Based on the document presented by Siquian, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) released the funds for the infrastructure project four times from March 2016 to March 2018 amounting to P1,388,681,871.07.
According to Siquian, these funds were released by the DBP to the provincial government of Isabela despite the project being half completed.
"There is a connivance from the DBP and the Isabela Provincial Inspection Committee and the Isabela Provincial Auditors Office so that the proceeds are fully released," he added.
The Office of the President already endorsed Siquian's letter to the Ombudsman last July 25 and now waiting to be resolved.
"I am seeking the help of the Office of the President and the Ombudsman. The President already endorsed it to the Office of the Ombudsman because there is always a due process of law," he said.
Former Angadanan town mayor Manuel Siquian of Isabela (Photo via Alexandria San Juan)
The Office of the President asked the Office of the Ombudsman to look into the alleged anomalies happening in the province of Isabela which stemmed from a letter sent by former Angadanan town mayor Manuel Siquian to the Presidential Complaint Center last month to seek help in stopping "graft and corruption being committed in the province."
In the two-page letter dated July 12, Siquian presented documents and evidence that would support his claims on the infrastructure budget anomalies in Isabela as well as the unlawful acquisition of the Honeymoon Island which he found out through his townsmen and several government employees.
"Ang sabi ng Presidente, isumbong sa kanila ang mga magnanakaw sa gobyerno (The President said report to him the thieves in the government). So this is the right time to expose the anomalies in the province of Isabela headed by Vice Governor Bodjie Dy, the board members, and other government officials," Siquian said in a press conference in Quezon City on Friday.
According to Siquian, he obtained pertinent documents and evidence that would strongly support their complaint only after the recent national elections.
In the issue of the Stagno Island, named also as the Honeymoon Island, located in the municipality of Divilacan, Siquian said its a public domain and was declared "alienable and disposable" by the Bureau of Lands in 1966.
He added that the issuance and acquisition of the island do not conform to a 1979 Letter of Instruction (LOI) issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos declaring a 45-kilometer radius from Palanan Point as "wilderness area," meaning beyond commence of man.
While the island is only four kilometers from Palanan Point, Siquian explained that the acquisition of the island is "null and void ab initio" as it violated the LOI.
"Nakapagtataka na napalagyan nila ng titulo yung 21-hectare island in Palanan and Divilacan. Kaya the president should act on this particular anomally," Siquian, who served as mayor in the municipality of Angadanan in the 1970s, said.
Upon learning the controversies in the Honeymoon Island, Siquian said they also found out an overpriced 82-kilometer road construction from the City of Ilagan up to the coastal town of Divilacan worth P1.6 billion.
Siquian said the total project cost was basically priced at P20 million per kilometer, which he said five times higher than the usual costs of an all-weather road.
"Itong overpricing talagang nakkatakot because walang P20 million per kilometer na all-weather road. Siguro mga nasa P4 million to P5 million 'yan," he bared.
Based on the document presented by Siquian, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) released the funds for the infrastructure project four times from March 2016 to March 2018 amounting to P1,388,681,871.07.
According to Siquian, these funds were released by the DBP to the provincial government of Isabela despite the project being half completed.
"There is a connivance from the DBP and the Isabela Provincial Inspection Committee and the Isabela Provincial Auditors Office so that the proceeds are fully released," he added.
The Office of the President already endorsed Siquian's letter to the Ombudsman last July 25 and now waiting to be resolved.
"I am seeking the help of the Office of the President and the Ombudsman. The President already endorsed it to the Office of the Ombudsman because there is always a due process of law," he said.