Former Norkis employee accuses Rep. Quisumbing of graft

Elberto Emphasis (left) and Roberto Letaba show documents supporting their allegations that Rep. Luigi Quisumbing illegally purchased multicabs from the family-owned Norkis Co. ( CDN PHOTO/FERDINAND EDRALIN)

A FORMER ally of sixth district Rep. Luigi Quisumbing is accusing him of making anomalous purchases during the first years of his term as congressman.

Former Transportation and Communication undersecretary Elberto Emphasis, who used to be an employee of the Quisumbing’s family business Norkis Group, said that based on the website of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), there were purchase orders of “Easy Riders multicab” using Quisumbing’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from 2011 to 2012.

Lawyer Elaine Bathan, legal counsel of Quisumbing and the Norkis Group of Companies, said the allegations are baseless and politically motivated.

Emphasis claimed that “Easy Riders multicabs” are exclusively produced and can only be bought from the Norkis Group of Companies which is owned by Quisumbing’s family.

“(This is a) concrete proof of Quisumbing politics, meaning if ever he becomes the mayor, (there’s a big) possibility (that) the purchases will be controlled by Norkis,” he said during the press conference which was organized by Quisumbing’s rival political party, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA)-Mandaue.

Quisumbing is running for mayor under the Liberal Party.

Bathan said that “Easy Riders multicab” is a generic term which is not exclusive to Norkis.

“We don’t even have a patent. It is a common name. Easy Ride is used in Dumaguete nga ilahang jeepney nga multicab,” Quisumbing’s lawyer said

She said it is not only Norkis Group that manufactured such kind of multicabs, but there are other distributors that manufacture multicabs and used the term Easy Riders.

She said Emphasis should know better since he worked with the Norkis Group for years.

Emphasis worked as a consultant and managing head of the Human Resources Department of the Norkis Group of Companies from 1993 to 2004.

He claimed to be one of the campaign managers of Quisumbing when the latter ran for Provincial Board member in 2004.

Emphasis said there were technical specifications on purchasing the multicabs that only Porta Coeli, which is also owned by Norkis, can manufacture.

He claimed that the purchase of 107 multicabs did not undergo any public bidding.

There were 107 “easy riders multicabs” purchased using Quisumbing’s PDAF that were distributed to different barangays in Mandaue City, and municipalities of Consolacion and Cordova.

Each multicab had a price of P250,000. The purchase amounted to P26.75 million.

Bathan denied Emphasis’s allegations.

“You cannot even make a request for a redeem of your PDAF to the DBM if you use specific sites or brands which are exclusive to one company alone because that will defeat the purpose,” she said.

During yesterday’s press conference, Robert Letaba, an ally of UNA-Mandaue, who filed last month a criminal complaint against Quisumbing, said he will file another complaint before the Visayas Ombudsman against Quisumbing for violation of the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Letaba said that documents presented by Emphasis clearly showed that there is, indeed, conflict of interest which is prohibited under the law.

Last March, Letaba filed a complaint against Quisumbing for allegedly using his PDAF to purchase multicabs from Porta Coeli Industrial Co. Inc., an affiliate of the Norkis Group of Companies.