Espino suspects misuse of P300 Million loan
Agbayani defends disbursements
LINGAYEN–Two weeks into his new post and Governor Amado Espino Jr. believes he has unearthed anomalies in the use of provincial funds.
Espino, in his inaugural address before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Monday afternoon at the provincial Capitol here, already noted that there have been “irregular disbursements or mismanagement of funds” as evidenced by the financial reports he has been reviewing alongside consultations with the department heads of the provincial government.
Meanwhile, former governor Victor Agbayani, now congressional representative for the Pangasinan’s 2nd District, maintained that all transactions made during his administration as governor were “legal and strictly followed proper bidding and auditing procedures”.
Espino referred in particular to a P300 million loan acquired from the Land Bank of the Philippines in 2006, the disbursement of which he said appears suspicious.
He said records show that out of the P300 million loan, P266 million have been paid to contractors within a period of eight months from (September to June 28, 2007) before the last elections,.
“Surprisingly, P52.4 million was paid in the month of June, 2007, the last check amounting to P11.9 million released on June 28, only one day and a half before the end of the nine-year term of the previous administration,” said Espino, who defeated Agbayani’s wife, Dr. Jamie Eloise Agbayani, in the last elections.
Espino said only P34 million is left out of the P300 million loan as of June 30, 2007.
Agbayani, who was governor for three terms, defended the projects funded by the P300 million loan and maintained that the funds were released in strict accordance with the auditing and inspection procedures of Land Bank, a government-owned institution.
The loan, he said, was spent to finance irrigation dams, roads and bridges and the rehabilitation of provincial government hospitals. These included the P131.88 million for concrete or asphalt paving of 17 roadlines in various locations with a total aggregate length of 40.08 kilometers, P17.676 million for the construction of four major bridges with total length of 107 linear meters and an almost kilometer long drainage canal to alleviate flooding in Poblacion, Lingayen, P103.37 million for the construction of 28 irrigation projects benefiting more than 2,200 hectares of farmland and about the same number of farmer families, and P28.5 million or the initial and urgent rehabilitation of 13 government hospitals.
“Rather than destroy what we have built through three successful terms, I invite the new governor to instead build on the gains we have made, utilizing existing talent in the current bureaucracy, so that he can achieve even greater heights,” Agbayani said.
He added that he is offering his hand of reconciliation and cooperation in all matters that will be for the good of the province and the people.
OTHER ANOMALIES
In a related development, Espino also expressed disgust over the apparent non-performance of certain departments.
He noted how the Social Welfare Office chief, during their consultations, could not readily even give an estimate on the total number of the province’s indigents.
“Meaning it failed to do its most basic function of generating and keeping records of indigent families of the province,” Espino said.
He also cited the Provincial Population Office (PPO) which “has been performing extraneous functions such as operating a Day Care Center within the Capitol and giving out loans for small business ventures under a trust fund intended for the Provincial Livelihood Assistance Program”.
Espino said he has nothing against livelihood assistance programs, “but I believe a more appropriate government agency must handle this,” he pointed out.
He noted that outstanding loans granted by the PPO as of December 30, 2006 have amounted to P18 million yet no report of its collections from January 1 to June 30, 2007 has been submitted, Espino said.
He also scored the operation of the provincial hospital in Barangay Bolingit, San Carlos City, supposedly “one of the best regional hospitals we have”. He lamented that charity ward patients were seen lying on a leather bed without bed sheets, in rooms with no ventilation.
“I can just imagine the pitiful state of smaller hospitals not adjudged “best in the region”, he said.
Espino also decried the operations of the Environmental and Natural Resources Office and Inter- Mineral Products and Aggregates Coordinating Team for its “very low collection levels, much less than the amount spent to maintain the office”.
Out of its 2006 target collections of P7.6 million, only P2.3 million accrued to the provincial government coffers, while the total expenditures for personnel and operation within the same period reached P5.6 million.
“Clearly, from these discovered problems, certain provincial government offices do not understand and perform their assigned roles and tasks in the context of a provincial government responsible for coordinating, integrating and strengthening province-wide programs and activities for responsive needs of the people,” he said.
He asked,” How can we hope to deliver on our sworn duties on a province-wide scale, when we cannot even function efficiently right within our own backyard?”
Espino also noted that “nobody seems to be in charge” of the tourist facilities and attractions under the provincial government like the Maramba Park, the Capitol Complex and the Lingayen Resort Hotel, all located here, as “engineers didn’t even know when there were biddings on supplies, etc”.
He said the one supposedly in charge with the hotel didn’t even know what repairs are needed for the building.
Espino vowed to sort things out in the provincial Capitol and said he is counting on the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to be his strongest allies.–EVA
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