FAKE WAIVER SCANDAL DEEPENS

IF IT wasn’t the city hall, then who and how?

 

The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) intends to find the answer to this question as it continues its investigation on the fake waivers used by some 100 owners of illegal structures along the foreshore land in Dagupan, including parts of the Tondaligan Park in Barangay Bonuan Binloc.

 

Councilor Brian Lim, son of the mayor, however, opposed SP’s move to conduct its own investigation since he said the office of the City Administrator is already conducting an internal investigation on the same issue.

 

Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, SP presiding officer, said the council will continue its investigation in aid of legislation and determine how an ordinance can prevent the occurrence of similar incidents in the future.

 

                  CITY HALL CLAIMS

 

City Hall earlier said the waivers are “fictitious” and the supposed signatures of Mayor Benjamin Lim and City Administrator Vladimir Mata on these were forged.

 

Barangay Captain Pedro Gonzales of Bonuan Binloc has also reportedly denied signing any of the 36 certifications issued to as many mayor’s waivers.

 

The younger Lim said his father, in his first six years in office and even for the past one-half year under his new administration, never issued any waiver because he does not tolerate illegal settlers.

 

CITY’S INTERESTS

 

Fernandez, in a press conference last Dec. 6, said the city council must continue to investigate the claimed fake waivers because it involves the city’s interest and there appears to be allegations of criminal conspiracy.

 

Councilor Lim, during the council’s session, insisted an internal investigation is enough since the problem is between the executive department of the city and the Dagupan Electric Corporation (Decorp) that provided electricity supply to the illegal buildings based on the “fake” waivers.

 

“How can it be in aid of legislation? I still do not know. We cannot fathom what kind of resolution we can come up with to help in the problem,” Lim said.

 

Fernandez also pointed out that the waivers not only allowed the illegal structure owners to acquire electrical connection but freed them from paying fees for building permits, locational clearance, certificate of final electrical inspection, fire inspection, business permit, mayor’s permit, sanitary inspection and fire inspection permits in the case of beach resorts and spas.

 

Fernandez asserted the city hall could not make an impartial investigation on itself and the city must be assured that there is no whitewash in the investigation and those responsible must be charged in court in order to show that the government means business.

 

Former City Legal Officer George Mejia, now SP legal consultant, said both can puruse its own parallel investigation with different objectives.

 

He said the city administrator’s investigation will likely can focus on the prosecution of the persons behind the “fake” waivers that bore the “forged” signature of the mayor while the city council will determine its agenda for legislation.

 

The vice mayor said the SP will ask the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct its own investigation since it involved large-scale forgery of the mayor’s signature which is unprecedented in the history of Dagupan.

 

City Engineer Virginia Rosario will also be asked to shed light on the electrical permits given to 12 owners of structures in Sitio Silungan that bore signatures of Nestor de la Torre, who replaced Rosario when she was assigned by Mayor Lim to another job in 1994.

 

DECORP SHOCKED

 

Meanwhile, Decorp has vowed its full cooperation into the investigations.

 

Decorp Retail Service Manager Dominador Liwag said the company was shocked to learn from City Administrator Vladimir Mata officially that some — not all — of the waivers were fake.

 

Liwag turned over to the SP and city hall photocopies of 100 waivers and 12 electrical permits in its possession.

 

The supposedly fake waivers were issued back in 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2011, all during the terms of Mayor Lim.

 

“We believe that it would be to the best advantage of the City Mayor to have this investigated to pinpoint the person or persons who did this and forged his signature,” Liwag said.

He said that once Decorp receives a final communication that the waivers in question are indeed fake, inaccurate or are being withdrawn, they would send a 48-hour notice to the customers for disconnection.

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