Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. | FILE PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he welcomed the filing of complaints against 15 former and incumbent city hall officials for an alleged anomalous garbage collection scheme that cost the city P240 million in public funds.
Rama said this was because that transparency and accountability would be a step towards becoming a Singapore-like Cebu City.
“But the most important thing is it has been lodged to the NBI. Findings came in, and the next thing is I really want to read how far and how strong the case is being prepared…We cannot have a Singapore-like Cebu City if we are not serious in putting transaparency and accountability,” he said.
Rama, however, admitted that he had yet to get a hold of a copy of the entire NBI-7 report.
“I still need to look at the findings, and then I will be discussing (with) our mayor’s legal workforce on how things should be. then definitely, I want another press con. (We) will have to come, and all steps, perhaps, regarding what’s going to happen will be spelled out,” he said.
The NBI-7, in a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 15, said they uncovered at least three modus operandi in carrying out the fraudulent garbage collection arrangement.
These are overbilling, padding, and ghost garbage deliveries.
The bureau named former City Administrator and lawyer Floro Casas Jr., former Department of Public Services (DPS) chief, and lawyer John Jigo Dacua, and Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (Ceset) head and former Garbage Collection and Disposal in-charge Grace Luardo-Silva as among the respondents.
The other city hall executives accused included Allen Omlero Ceballos (Inspection Officer of DPS), Romelito Asinjo Datan (City Treasurer’s Office Inspector, DPS), Mark Abarquez Ugbinar (General Services Office Inspector, DPS), Jerome Visarra Ornopia, and Mare Vae Fernandez (acting City Treasurer).
READ: 15 face charges for anomalous Cebu City Garbage Collection
Meanwhile, both Casas and Dacua refused to issue a comment yet on the matter.
“I cannot comment for now coz I have yet to receive a copy of the complaint. I will of course answer the charges sa proper forum,” Casas told CDN Digital in a text message.
“I have yet to receive the report of the NBI. I will reserve my comment once I get the full context of the case,” Dacua, for his part, said.
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