Silay Mayor Jose “Oti” Montelibano yesterday said he will fight and win the charges filed against him by his two former allies before the Ombudsman.

Montelibano was reacting to the filing of more charges by his former consultant for law enforcement and infrastructure, Jose Lindy Chan, and former Mambulak barangay captain and consultant for barangay affairs, Jose Sumiller, against him and 28 others, including Vice Mayor Mark Andrew Arthur Golez and several other city officials.

A copy of the complaint he filed against Montelibano and 28 others for alleged violation of the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Government Procurement Act, and for grave misconduct and dishonesty before the Office of the Ombudsman for Visayas on March 25 was furnished by Chan yesterday to the DAILY STAR.

The complaint was in connection  with a Memorandum  of Agreement entered into  by Montelibano in January 2008   with the Systems  and Plan Integrator Development Corp. through its president engineer Julieta Cunanan for the automation or computerization of the city’s major revenue  generating  operation in the amount of P18 million.

The project was financed through a loan agreement between Silay City and the Land Bank of the Philippines.

The complainants said there was no transparency in the procurement process and no competitiveness by extending equal opportunities to enable private contracting companies who are eligible and qualified to participate in a public bidding.

They asked the Ombudsman to put all the public respondents under preventive suspension   to prevent their continued stay in office from prejudicing the case, and for their eventual removal from service.

Other respondents named were Councilors Jose Raymundo Locsin, Michael Maravilla, Mario Torres, Ramon Jison, Warlito Go and Salvador Segovia, Association of Barangay Captains Representative Joedith Gallego, Sangguniang Kabataan Representative April Grace de los Reyes, City Administrator Ignacio Salmingo, City Treasurer Elsie Jimenea, City OIC Accountant Emmanuel Arsenal;

City Legal Officer Kara Aimee Quevenco – Bids and Awards Committee chairperson, Pepito Hechanova Jr., Alma de la Cruz, Sonia  Cordero  and Ricardo Ledesma – BAC members, Rene Pahilanga, Giovanni Guzon, Jake Oppus, Arnie Trajera, Jose Genaro Estrañero, Macarse Tionko, Armin Paredes, Alore Golez, Wilma Dooma, and  Cunanan.

Montelibano said he welcomes the charges filed in the spirit of transparency.

The charges will not deter the Silay City government from moving forward with its computerization aimed at improving its tax collection efficiency, he said.

In time the results of this improvement will prove me right, he said.

“Everything in connection with the computerization move was above board, the Land Bank that provided the loan would have not allowed it if our moves were not in proper order,” he said.

Montelibano said he heard that Chan plans to file 20 cases against him, which he said he is  sure will not prosper because his actions have all been  above board.

Chan yesterday said the case on the P18 million computerization move was the fourth he has filed against Montelibano and he has more poised against the mayor.*CPG

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