PB nod ‘required’ in use of Balili property culverts

CEBU, Philippines — Did Capitol officials circumvent the rules on donation of government property for allowing the transfer and use of 10 culverts from the controversial Balili property?

In the regular procedure when the provincial government donates a property or resource, lawyer Pulchra Marie Acevedo, secretary of the Provincial Board, said a PB resolution is needed to authorize an individual to execute a deed of donation.

“All actions by the executive they have to pass through the PB for authorization, especially if these are not specifically stated under the Capitol’s appropriation ordinances,” she said.

Cebu Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino earlier admitted using Capitol-owned materials in a drainage project of the village where he lives in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.

Tolentino, however, clarified that the culverts were donated by the provincial government to the homeowners’ association where he was also president for two years from 2016.

The construction was done in August 2017.

Tolentino said he was told by Provincial General Services Office (PGSO) head Jone Sepe about the unused culverts stocked at the controversial Balili property in the city of Naga. According to him, he requested the provincial government to donate the materials to their village.

The culverts were excess materials of the projects from the previous administration.

Sepe earlier said a Request Issuance Slip (RIS) was released to document the donation.

But Acevedo said a PB resolution is vital in order to “officially” transfer the ownership of a Capitol asset.

“Para sad in such a way also, ang Province of Cebu dili na siya answerable kung maunsa to. By executing the deed of donation, there’s conveyance of ownership,” she said.

In a donation involving materials within its “useful life,” a draft has to be made and evaluated by the Provincial Legal Office (PLO) to ensure that the content of the resolution is “right and proper.”

Once deemed valid in substance and form by PLO, the draft will be processed for PB authorization.

Once approved by PB, a deed of donation is executed between the provincial government and the recipient.

Acevedo, however, said she has not encountered an instance wherein a donated “waste property” needed to have a deed before a conveyance of ownership takes place.

She added that waste property of the Capitol is under the jurisdiction of the PGSO.

“I am not very knowledgeable about that concern because that’s under the domain of the PGSO. As far as I know, as deeds of donation are concerned, I have not gone through deeds of donation anang waste material,” she said.

For his part, Tolentino said he is willing to process the necessary papers if he may have missed a necessary procedure. (FREEMAN)