Pasig City Mayor Vico N. Sotto now has two graft complaints filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB).
The graft charge that was received by the OMB last July 30 involved the receipt by Pasig City employees of commemmorative t-shirts instead of P1,500 cash allowance during the 2024 Araw ng Pasig celebration last July 2.
The complaint was received by the OMB last July 30. Aside from Mayor Sotto, also charged in the complaint filed by Michelle Gonzales Prudencio were Human Resources Development Office (HRDO) Head Elvira R. Flores, City Administrator Jeronimo U. Manzanero, and Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Head Josephine C. Lati-Bagaoisan.
Aside from graft, Prudencio asked the OMB to charge Sotto and his group with violation of Republic Act No. 9184, the Government Procurement Reform Act
Early this month, Mayor Sotto was also charged with graft before the OMB for allegedly giving a 100 percent tax discount to Converge ICT Solutions, Inc.
Also charged in the complaint filed by Ethelmart Austria Cruz were Business Permit and Licensing Department (BPLD) head Melanie B. De Mesa and City Administrator Manzanero.
Sotto and Manzarero were also charged with violations of Section 4 Paragraphs (a) and (b) of RA 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Employees. Complainant Cruz also wanted them held liable for the administrative offenses of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and dishonesty.
Prudencio's complaint stemmed from the issuance of Executive Order No. PCG-28, series of 2024 on June 27, which prescribed a grant of allowance worth P1,500 for every employee in Pasig City for the purpose of purchasing two commemorative shirts for the 2024 Araw ng Pasig celebration.
During the date of release that started on June 29, Prudencio alleged that employees were required to acknowledge the receipt of P1,500 cash allowance. However, the T-shirts employees received bore a design commemorating the "450th" Araw ng Pasig instead of the "452nd" anniversary design that was required for 2024, Prudencio also alleged..
Given the timeline for the t-shirt distribution, Prudencio said in her complaint that "it would have been physically and legally impossible for the purchase of the t-shirts to have undergone the proper procurement process as required by law."
"The timing of the issuance of the EO and the subsequent distribution of the t-shirts defies logic and reason. Even if the EO had provided for the distribution of t-shirts, which it did not, the procurement of these t-shirts failed to undergo the proper bidding process mandated by law," the complaint also stated.
"There was no advertisement or posting of any bid invitation for the procurement of the Araw ng Pasig t-shirts. This blatant disregard for the legal requirements of the procurement process suggests either gross negligence or intentional circumvention of established rules," it added.
Since the Pasig City failed to allot the proper timeline for the procurement and distribution of the t-shirts, Prudencio claimed there was a "blatant disregard" of the law and the respondents exhibited "gross incompetence or deliberate manipulation of the procurement process."