THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is now probing the allegedly anomalous purchase by the administration of former Dagupan City Mayor Brian Lim of about P35 million worth of tablet computers intended for high school students during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

This was reported at the September 11 hearing of a proposed resolution urging City Legal Officer Aurora Valle to file appropriate cases in court against contractors and suppliers who willfully abandoned or neglected city government-funded projects.

Valle said the NBI, through District Officer Mark Tello, agreed to investigate the case and file corresponding charges against the supplier and city officials involved in the anomalous transaction.

The hearing, the third on the matter, is being conducted jointly by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) committees on Good Government and Public Accountability (Blue Ribbon Committee), headed by Councilor Jose Netu Tamayo, on public works and infrastructure, headed by Councilor Karlos Reyna, and on Market, headed by Councilor Jeslito Seen.

Valle said when the computer tablets were supposedly delivered to the Dagupan City National High School and the Bonuan Boquig National High School, it was 100 units short of the indicated number. The students, she said, also complained that the tablets were outdated and unusable.

Meanwhile, the case of two ghost motor boats amounting to almost P1 million has been filed before the Ombudsman.

The heads of the General Services Office and the Waste Management Offices at that time filed a case of falsification of public documents against Lim and other officials when they found out that their signatures were falsified in the acceptance documents for the motorboats that were never delivered.

Meanwhile, Valle asked the SP to appropriate funds for the filing of cases against former contractors, including their insurers or bondsmen, since the 2025 annual budget does not provide for such costs.

Foremost among the cases to be filed involves one contractor for four different projects relating to the Malimgas Market and upgrading of the PCC pavement and drainage system of Zamora.

City Engineer Josephine Corpuz said she wrote the contractors twice, calling for the completion of the projects, but got no answer. Valle also sent a letter to the contractor and his insurer, Better Insurance, and was informed by the contractor that his company is already bankrupt.

Valle said her office is also set to file a case against the contractor that supplied and installed  P14 million worth of CCTV to the city, which were all defective. (Leonardo Micua)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments