Home 
CEBU CITY, Philippines - Whistle-blower Crisologo Saavedra on Monday filed additional evidence to strengthen the graft case involving ?overpriced? lampposts in Metro Cebu.
He implicated two more persons in the deal, this time, a winning contractor and another bidder who allegedly helped rig the bidding for the decorative lampposts installed for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2007.
Saavedra asked the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas to include Romeo Fuentes, the vice president of Fabmik Construction and Equipment, and Ronnie Tiu of 7H Petrochem Industry in the reinvestigation of the cases.
He said Fuentes transacted with government officials of Mandaue City and not Fabmik president Isabelo Braza. Braza, he added, only approved and signed the transactions.
According to Saavedra, Tiu should also be included in the case because he allegedly conspired with the Department of Public Works and Highways and Fabmik to ensure that Petrochem, another bidder, would not get the contract.
He pointed out that the Petrochem's bid was only P100,000 higher than Fabmik's, which he found unusual. ?Normally, during a bidding, the competitors go lower,? he said.
Saavedra filed his omnibus motion on Monday, about two months after Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and State Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio signed an October 15 memorandum returning the two graft cases to the Ombudsman-Visayas due to lack of supporting documents and for reinvestigation.
Gutierrez also wanted a copy of the Commission on Audit (COA) report on the lamppost deal to be included in the case.
Former mayor Thadeo Ouano of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu Mayor Arturo Radaza were among the public officials indicted for the P365-million lamppost purchase.
Also included were Robert Lala, former regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas, former assistant regional director and bids and awards committee chairperson Marlina Alvizo, and six other DPWH officials.
The others were Lapu-Lapu engineer staff ? city engineer Julito Cuizon, assistant city engineer Fernando Tagaag Jr. and engineer Rogelio Veloso; and Mandaue engineering department ? acting engineer Hidelisa Latonio, assistant city engineer Gergorio Omo and engineers Mario Gerolaga, Alfredo Sanchez Sr., and Rosalina Denque.
The top officials of the lamppost suppliers were also included in the charges. They were Braza of Fabmik and Gerardo Surla of Gampik Construction and Development Inc.
Saavedra on Monday submitted to the Ombudsman-Visayas a copy of the COA report and the list of prices from the subcontractor hired by Fabmik for the lamppost project.
Saavedra said he hoped that the documents would strengthen the graft cases.
He said he got a copy of the COA report from the agency's website. The subcontractor's price list was given by Ronelo Salvoro, general manager of Stellar Construction Services, the subcontractor of the lamppost project.
Saavedra said the subcontractor's documents showed that the prices quoted by Stellar were lower than the contract of Fabmik with DPWH.
He also pointed out that Fabmik entered into a subcontract agreement with Stellar without the written authority from the DPWH.
Saavedra said the overpricing could be seen when the cost of the lampposts was compared with the Programs of Works and Estimates (POWE) prepared by Mandaue, the DPWH and Fabmik to that of Stellar.
Based on the POWE of Stellar, a single arm pole lamppost cost P4,725; P6, 075 for a double arm pole; P6,750 for a triple arm pole and P3,750 for a dome like lamppost.
The costs went up almost 10 times in the POWE prepared by the Mandaue, DPWH and Fabmik: P72,500 for single arm pole design; P85,500 for the double arm, P95,000 for the triple arm and P50,000 for dome-like lampposts.
Both POWEs did not include the cost of installation.
If installation cost would be included, the POWE of Mandaue, DPWH and Fabmik showed that a single arm pole would reach P314, 698.33; P325, 916.69 for double arm pole; P350,090.48 for triple arm pole and P224, 494 for dome-like lampposts.
The POWE of Stellar Construction showed that a single arm design would cost P60, 786.79 if installation cost was included.
Saavedra said he did not have the installation costs of the double arm, triple arm and dome-like lampposts.
The businessman said Mayor Radaza should not have been included in the graft case because he was not ?guilty of any conspiracy.?
Radaza, he added, only signed the POWE prepared by DPWH, and Fabmik.
?It is very clear that the Program of Work and Estimate was actually prepared by the contractors and DPWH, and was innocently signed by Lapu-lapu City officials because the DPWH had a malicious intention to implicate Lapu-lapu City officials and trying to free themselves of the responsibility of collusion and overpricing,? he said.
But the case was different in Mandaue, he said.
Saavedra insisted that the DPWH, Mandaue officials and Fabmik conspired to jack up prices.
?This was proven by the counter-affidavit of (former Mandaue City Mayor) Ouano and Braza that these lighting facilities were first introduced to Mandaue City by Fabmik. Programs of Work and Estimates of the lighting lampposts copied by Mandaue and submitted to the Department of Public Works and Highways which was used as the basis of the bidding and award of the contract to Fabmik,? Saavedra said.
He said that Ouano admitted in his affidavit that he copied the POWE from Fabmik, which was later followed by the DPWH.
He said that Fabmik also admitted that the DPWH's POWE was similar to the POWE they used in the bidding for the street lighting project, which was later awarded to them.
According to Saavedra, this would show that the bidding was rigged in favor of Fabmik, in violation of Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
