“ON GOOD GOVERNANCE: PAKI SAGOT NAMAN MAYOR!”
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“Pakisagot naman, Mr. Mayor!
Welcome back Mayor Florencio Mayuga Bernabe, Jr. of the City of Parañaque. I’m glad you’re alive and kicking. I went to Mass for you, prayed for your speedy recovery, and I’m certainly glad you’re back to work or so it seems!
But what really is your present health condition? It remains a mystery like all other things in the City Government of Parañaque.
I have written you two letters, one dated January 21, 2008 and a second follow-up letter dated April 21, 2008. You’ve never answered my letters, you have never answered my questions. You have given me so many verbal excuses but not a single formal answer from you has been received by this humble representation. Your minions have tried to answer but have failed. My request for documents have been flatly denied by your office.
Now that you’re back, it’s time that you answer these questions, in the spirit of transparency, in the spirit of public service, I demand answers to these questions. These questions are questions that are being asked not only by me but all our constituents, because they deserve straight-forward answers.
There are just too many inuendos, so much speculation, so much gossip, so many reasons, and so many lies. It’s time that you face these questions squarely:
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1. Is it true that three (3) checks aggregating to P30 million was disbursed before the 2007 elections, signed by you and the treasurer, as cash advances from the general fund, as intelligence funds, P10 million withdrawn from PNB by you personally and the P20 million deposited into your personal account? Are these, as you claim, intelligence funds, or do you think of these as your personal funds? Isn’t this a clear violation of the law?
2. Is it true that the garbage hauling and disposal contracts, from 2004 to 2007, were allegedly not subjected to public bidding? Why is this so? Where are the council resolutions authorizing you to enter into such a contract? What are the real contract prices?
3. Is it true that the decorative street lights along Roxas Boulevard, were grossly overpriced at P49 million? Why did you use public money to buy street lights at a fantastic price of P422,000.00 each? Where is the council resolution authorizing this project?
4. Why are the street lights along the roads in the city allegedly priced more than double the current cost? Why is it monopolized by only one contractor?
5. Why are the barangay Internal Revenue Allotments (IRA) not done via the regular fund transfers to the barangays, but are instead delivered in the form of materials, equipment, and supplies, whereby all purchases for these barangay requirements are centralized and awarded by the office of the Mayor?
6. Is it also true that all school and office supplies for both city hall and the school board are controlled by only three suppliers, all directly connected to you, Mr. Mayor (Maan Bernabe, a certain Velasco, and Bessie Sarmiento), and that funds of the school board have allegedly remained unaccounted for and unaudited from 2004 to the present?
7. Your relatives, Roland Bernabe (brother/chief of staff), Benjo Bernabe (son/head of youth and sports), Dean Calleja (son-in-law/head of DSWD), Julie Torres (cousin/head of UMADO), and Romeo Bautista (your wife’s brother-in-law/head of traffic), have been appointed to very high positions and reportedly receive renumeration from city hall. Isn’t this a direct violation of Civil Service rules? Why did you appoint them?
8. Why is the first lady occupying an office beside your office? Is she your private secretary? Who’s paying for her salary?
9. Why are you running around with at least six bodyguards, two back-up vehicles, and an ambulance? And so does your brother? Your sons? Your wife? Who is paying for the salaries of these support personnel?
10. Is it true that Dr. Boy Bernabe, your brother, controls all janitorial and security services contracts in the city hall, plus the medical inspection certificate requirements of all GRO’s in the city? Why are all health certificates in the city being issued by only one corporation, namely “IGFS”, allegedly owned by your family?
11. Why was the annual clothing allowances of employees (P4,000 each) worth P12 million annually, supplanted with RTW uniforms worth half the amount? Is it true that the city had to still pay P12 million for this? Who pocketed the difference?
12. Why are there so many “ghost” employees in the city for all City Councilors? In the Civil Security Unit? And in the Solid Waste Management Department? Why are so many of them labeled as “street coordinators”? For what purpose is this? We had 3,708 employees as of 2007. At an average pay of P6,000.00, that’s about P267 million per year! No wonder you’re trying to raise taxes.
13. Why was the recorded volume of “ghost” deliveries of overpriced Christmas goodie bags in 2007 and 2008 a lot more than the volume actually delivered?
14. Why do you continue to borrow money, when the city’s pyramid of debt now amounts to P1.4 billion? If true, can we afford this? How are we to pay them?
15. Why is the new hospital wing of the Parañaque Community Hospital, built at an exorbitant cost of P70 million, sorely lacking in hospital equipment and accessories, more than two years after completion? And why is your brother, the doctor, allegedly occupying a whole floor for his own personal office?
16. Was the contract for the computerization of city hall, totalling 80 million, split into several smaller contracts in order to avoid arousing suspicion, and should this have cost less than half of this amount?
17. Was the construction of the new City Jail, again, grossly overpriced at P80 million? Where is the council resolution authorizing this project? Why was there no “septic vault” in such a very expensive building?
18. Is it also true that public money was used to purchase 240 bunk beds for the new city jail at an exhorbitant price of P35,885.30 each, totalling P8.6 million?
19. Why did the P13 million contract for the construction of a permanent concrete bridge in SAV3, Bgy. San Antonio include the construction of a temporary access bridge worth more than P4 million, when in that location, there is physically no way to construct a temporary bridge? Was this amount returned to the city or did it go to somebody’s pocket? Is this covered by a city council resolution?
I dont know why it is taking you so long to answer these questions. Are you avoiding answering them? Or is it that you simply can’t.
I dont know why you continue to evade these questions that need answers. I dont know why you continue to avoid answering the issues that confront you.
In addition to those questions, I have new questions to ask you, because of recent developments in the City of Parañaque. Pakisagot na rin po.
1. Is it true that you recently bought equipment worth $200,000 (dollars) through a Cebu broker in tandem with your brother, and gave a downpayment of $100,000 (dollars)? Again, and repeatedly so, this is not covered by a City Council resolution. Why the secrecy? Why the lack of transparency? What are these equipment for?
2. Why are you trying to raise taxes, from the current level to as much as 300 to 500 percent? Your first attempt failed, didn’t it? Will there be a second attempt to raise taxes?
Is it because you clearly do not know where you can get your sources for your budget? Your budget for this year is P3 billion, your source of revenue is only P2.3 billion. How do you intend to make up for the deficit? How do you intend to make up for the difference? By raising taxes anew?
3. Why are you building a P400 million Hall of Justice? Why so expensive an edifice? You and I cut the ribbon of the “Ospital ng Parañaque” two years ago and up to now that building remains almost empty. Why don’t you just complete the hospital first before getting into a grossly overpriced new Hall of Justice?
P400 million? Why so huge an amount?
4. Why do you continue to show disrespect to the office of the Representative of the first District of Parañaque?
5. Why are you refusing to give permits for my construction projects such as daycare centers and buildings necessary for the welfare of the people of Parañaque? Why? Is it because they are my projects? Why are you pretending or making it appear that congressional projects were done by you and not by me? What’s wrong with you? Why do you continue to harass and intimidate the people that are identified with me? Takot ka ba sa kanila? O sa akin?
6. When we voted for you, we voted for you and you alone, not your entire family. A large number of your relatives are allegedly now employees of City Hall. Secondly, why is your entire family allegedly running the city government and owning all the businesses in the city? Everybody is certainly talking about it.
7. Why have you increased the fees on the licenses and permits of small establishments? For Pedicab drivers? Tricycle drivers? Jeepney drivers? Why are you allowing FX taxis to continue to ply jeepney routes? Is it true that you own them? And why are the traffic fines in our city so expensive, much higher than that of the MMDA?
8. What about the funds you receive monthly from a large government entity operating in the City of Parañaque? Why are you keeping this away from your Councilors, your Barangay Captains, your Kagawads? Have you fully accounted for this? That’s about P3 million a month, Mr. Mayor, which some say you have allegedly pocketed. Can you explain the use of these funds?
9. Where did you get the money to buy all the lots allegedly surrounding your house in Tahanan Village? What about your son’s allegedly new house in Tahanan, and your other son’s house being constructed right in front of your house? Is this all from a mayor’s salary of P30,000 a month?
10. What about the money that you used to reconstruct your old house? To build almost a new one? What about the renovation cost of your vacation house in Tagaytay? Are these true?
11. Where did you get the money to pay the “back taxes” of your Berma Centre building in Baclaran, to the tune of P38 million. Paki-explain nga po?
12. What about the new house that’s being built by your brother in Multinational Village? Is this also yours, Mr. Mayor? Rumours has it that the roof alone costs P3 million.
Are you blind, are you insensitive, or just still sick? I certainly hope not.
Padami na po nang padami ito. Please lang! Pakisagot naman, Mr. Mayor.
I continue to pray for you and the people of Parañaque, that you may see the light, that you may govern in the true spirit of transparency.
It’s time that you answer these questions. It’s about time you face these issues squarely.
I’ve officially asked the Ombudsman to investigate these shenanigans. Up to now, there seems to be no action. May I therefore, direct a question to the Ombudsman about the status of my request? Why is it taking so long for the Office of the Ombudsman to act on it? Or even answer my request. My hope is that the Mayor of Parañaque city is given his day in court.
And as for you Mr. Mayor, I hope you convince the Ombudsman, and the people of Parañaque, that your government is clean. I hope so for your sake.
In the meantime, I urge the House Committee on Good Government to look at these alleged irregularities in the exercise of our constitutional oversight duty over all local and national offices.
I hope that the action of the House will serve as an example that we do not tolerate abuses of any kind and obvious lack of good governance, whether local or national.
Panahon na! Sumagot ka naman Mr. Mayor. Karapatan namin na malaman ang panig mo, ANG KATOTOHANAN.
Pakisagot naman! Mr. Mayor! Sagutin mo!”
Privilege Speech of Cong. Eduardo C. Zialcita
Otober 5, 2009
Session Hall, HOR, Quezon City
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