Dismissed vice mayor charged with graft

MANILA, Philippines — A dismissed vice mayor in Negros Occidental has been charged with graft in connection with an allegedly anomalous deal that he entered into when he was mayor.

Romel Yogore of Valladolid town was charged with violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the Sandiganbayan.

Municipal agriculture officer Giovanni Robles; bids and awards committee members Joseph Alfonso Manayon, Daisy Galve, Merlene Magbanua and Ramonito Amazona, and private citizen Romeo Tanalgo of FranMar Agro-Industrial Sales were included in the charge sheet.

In a complaint filed on Dec. 1, the Office of the Ombudsman said the officials conspired when they awarded to FranMar a contract for the repair of two grain dryers owned by the municipal government.

Graft investigators said no public bidding was conducted for the deal, which was signed in March 2009.

The ombudsman recommended bail of P30,000 for each of the respondents.

In January, the ombudsman dismissed Yogore and the five respondents for grave misconduct in connection with the deal.

The dismissal order was implemented by the Department of the Interior and Local Government on March 27.

The ombudsman said the contract was done through “shopping,” an alternative mode of procurement for lower-value items usually employed during emergency situations.

Anti-graft investigators said the respondents failed to justify their decision. 

“There was no resolution supporting the mode of procurement,” they said.