Plunder complainant asks city to rebuy lot

CEBU, Philippines — The complainant of the plunder charge against Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes that is pending before the Office of the Ombudsman has offered P1.8 million for the reacquisition of the city-owned lot reportedly sold at P50 per square meter.

Abner Quino manifested his offer in a letter dated September 16, 2019 addressed to Mandaue City Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede.

Quino is requesting the members of the City Council to review all surrounding facts and other pertinent details behind the sale which took place sometime in 2015.

“This is important because Mandaue deserves to know whether or not the possibility of lot reacquisition is among the agenda of this Council. Not only do you hold the City’s purse and property as steward, but upon your shoulder what you carry is the most burdensome of them all: the people and their trust,” read Quino’s letter.

Should the Council opt to consider his request, Quino said he is willing to put up a trust account of not more than P1.8 million in exchange for their good faith.

“The sole purpose of which is to reimburse the city if it decides to buy-back the property it unwittingly sold to ECODEMCOR for P1.7 million more or less,” Quino said.

In addition, Quino said he might also recant the statements he made against Cortes and other respondents as long as the people of Mandaue is assured that the land which they previously owned be restored to them.

Both the camp of Cortes and Bercede are not yet issuing statement regarding the letter of Quino.

Cortes had already answered the complaint as a normal procedure through his lawyers.

The complaint was filed at the height of the May 13, 2019 elections when then Sixth District congressman Cortes ran against his former ally and then incumbent City mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing, who lost in the election along with all his party mates.

Cortes had earlier said his opponents have invested so much money, time, resources and people to try to implicate him in a crime which never happened. (FREEMAN)