ILOILO CITY — Mayor Samuel Gumarin and several officials of Buenavista town, Guimaras province are facing administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman for purchasing a P2.6-million water tanker.
GUARIN
Complaints of grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest in the service were lodged against Vice Mayor Cyril Beltran as well as Sangguniang Bayan (SB) members Arthur Cartel Jr., Edgar Gallo, Rubin Magno, Valentine Talabero, and Rex Fernandez, and ex-officio Barangay Captain Rommel Infante.
In his complaint, SB Member Vincent Pascal de Asis claimed that an SB resolution approved last June 28, 2024 authorized Gumarin to enter into a negotiated procurement for the second-hand water tanker.
For De Asis, the purchase of the second-hand water tanker by the Buenavista local government unit (LGU) under Gumarin is an unnecessary use of calamity fund.
The water tanker, which arrived last August, was also deemed late for the LGU’s response to the El Niño climate phenomenon as it was over last June 2024.
De Asis noted that the Buenavista LGU also has a standby tanker that was already in place during the time of former Mayor Eugene Reyes.