Ombuds probe sought on NIA project boss
By: KIT BAGAIPO

Bohol Irrigation Project (BHIP) manager Engr. Modesto Membreve is again in hot water for awarding a contract to a bidder which failed to submit the lowest qualified bid for the ongoing civil works of the controversial Talibon Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (Talibon Dam).

Leon Biliran of M.D. Biliran Construction filed a complaint at the Ombudsman Visayas against Membreve for allegedly awarding the construction of irrigation facilities at Talibon Dam to a bidder which submitted a bid P980,000 higher than the firm's offer.

M.D. Biliran Construction requested the intervention of the Ombudsman for the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) to award the contract to their company which offered the lowest bid at P13,653,987 to construct the irrigation dam facilities.

Membreve and the chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the said project has allegedly awarded the contract to the second lowest bidder which submitted a total bid price of P14,633,000.

In his letter-complaint, Biliran stated that if Membreve and the BAC chairman refuse to award them the contract, then the Ombudsman should "charge them for violating the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, causing damage to the government and for violating the Government Procurement Act and other existing laws."

According to Biliran, Membreve and the BAC did not award to his company the contract due to an error in the company's bids document.

The error stated pertains to one item wherein the bid was P567.26 per unit (for the furnishing and stockpiling of pipes). However, the word "thousand" was erroneously added in the amount for such item.

Biliran admitted of having committed the "clerical error" but "the total amount in figure for the item was correctly written as P20,421.36."

The total amount of M.D. Biliran Construction "in words and figure" was P13,653,987, the same figure is also the total figure if the estimate per sub items are added, Biliran explained.

"If the total amount of bid in words and figures are the same which tallies if the sub items are added, clearly indicates that the error was clerical," the letter-complaint stated.

According to Biliran, he sent a letter to Membreve and the BAC chair explaining the clerical error. However, this was refused and disqualified them from the bidding.

"They refused to adhere to what is the purpose of the law - that the lowest bid and most advantageous to the government be given the award because they already have a favored bidder," the complaint cited.
Membreve and the BAC chair allegedly used "a very minor technicality" to award the contract to a bidder which submitted a bid much higher by almost a million pesos, Biliran said.
The Talibon Dam is one of the anomalous irrigation projects here in the province.
The Ombudsman Visayas previously found prima facie evidence against 5 NIA officials who were implicated in a complaint filed by former NIA project manager Engr. Petronilo Sarigumba.
The government has spent P165-million for the project but on inspection of the project's site, only an embankment and canal was to be found.
The case is still pending at the Office of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez awaiting the filing of formal charges at the Sandiganbayan against the 5 NIA officials.

NIA-7 office sought here
EIGHT years after the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) corporate board passed a resolution to create a regional office for Central Visayas separate from the Eastern Visayas "mother office," the same has yet to be implemented................
This prompted Bohol leaders led by Gov. Erico Aumentado to write separate but similar letters to NIA Administrator Marcelino Tugaoen Jr., Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reminding them of Resolution No. 6904-99 dated September 27, 1999, with a position paper attached.
During his 2-1/2-hour marathon meeting in Malacañang with President Arroyo, Aumentado said she instructed Secretary Cerge Remonde of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) to take the matter up with Tugaoen and Yap.

The letter signed by Aumentado, Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera and Reps. Edgar Chatto, Roberto Cajes and Adam Relson Jala of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Districts respectively stated that as early as when the resolution was passed, Central Visayas already had a total of 25,910 hectares of irrigated rice land. The hectarage already qualifies the region to its own regional office.

The recent inauguration by President Arroyo of the Bayongan Dam of the Bohol Irrigation Project Stage 2 (BHIP 2) and other developments since then increased Region 7's irrigated rice lands into 35,115 hectares. BHIP 2 alone can irrigate 5,300 hectares.

In the position paper prepared by Engr. Calixto Seroje, provincial irrigation officer, and recommended by Aumentado, the proposed regional office will be located at the NIA Compound in Dao District, Tagbilaran City.

It has an area of around a hectare, with existing buildings and other facilities. It is strategically located, being just 1-1/2 hours away by fast craft from Cebu, Dumaguete in Oriental Negros and Siquijor. It is only an hour by plane from Manila, with two trips in the morning and another two in the afternoon.

"The proposed Central Visayas NIA regional office has adequate earth-moving equipment now stationed in BHIP 2 for the construction of more rice fields in the irrigable areas, maintenance of the canals' service roads and the farm-to-market roads traversing the irrigated areas in the province," the letter stated.

The Bohol leaders lamented that the present setup of the regional office in Tacloban City in Leyte "has prejudiced so much the operations and maintenance of the irrigation facilities in Bohol and the three other provinces in Region 7."

"The time loss alone in going to Tacloban City and the bureaucratic red tape thereat are factors that militate against the development of agriculture, especially the irrigation component thereof in Region 7," they said. Meanwhile, in justifying that the regional office be located in Bohol instead of

Cebu, Seroje and Aumentado said in Region 7, only Bohol has existing national irrigation systems - the Bohol Integrated Irrigation System and BHIP 2, not to mention BHIP 3 that will cover an additional 2,500 hectares.

UN-WTO brass prepares for world tourism forum

A top official of the United Nations - World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is coming next month to prepare Cebu and Bohol for the 6th UNWTO International Tourism Forum for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities on October 22-25 this year.
Rep. Edgar Chatto reported in the Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) meeting on Thursday the February 2-3 coming of Dominique Bernardette, chief of the UNWTO International Conferences Department, to assess the proposed venues and logistics of the global event.
As many as 300 delegates from 156 countries are expected to come for the first world assembly of tourism and related policy makers in 2008, according to the congressman in the meeting led by PTC chair Peter Dejaresco and Gov. Erico Aumentado.
The Philippines earned the right to host the global gathering after winning the bid during the 5th UNWTO Conference in Tunisia, South Africa in June of 2007.
Chatto, chair of the tourism committee in Congress since 2004, and Department of Tourism (DOT) Planning Director Allan Canizal presented and defended the country's interest to host the event with technical visit to Bohol. Cebu is the main venue.
The solon said the Philippine bid drew support from fellow ASEAN member nations and even earned the backing of China, then the strongest contender for the hosting right.
While in the country, UNWTO's Bernardette will meet with DOT Sec. Ace Durano, Sen. Richard Gordon, Usec. Edu Jarque, Usec. Phineas Alburo, Regional Dir. Dawnie Roa, Canizal and Chatto.
In Bohol, Bernardette will be escorted by the First District solon and PTC Chair Peter Dejaresco in her courtesy visits to the Bohol officials headed by the governor and local tourism industry keyplayers.
In the PTC meeting, Chatto attributed the lucky Philippine bid to host the UNWTO forum to the diplomatic dialogues that simply served well the country's position.
Foreign counterparts hailed the spirited and exceptional lobbying by the Chatto-led Philippine delegation as one of the best-admired sidelights in-between the high-profile Tunisia conference of the UNWTO.
The UNWTO gathering this year hosted by the Philippines was launched last November in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia on the occasion of the UNWTO General Assembly.
Cong. Chatto led the 3-man Philippine delegation to Colombia General Assembly to officially turnover conference materials to UNWTO Sec. Gen. Francesco Frangialli and hold preparatory meeting with key UN-WTO officials. He was assisted by DOT Usec. Phineas Alboro and Dir. Cañizal.
A recent global survey thru a website known to international travelers and tourists named Bohol as now one of the world's ten best travel sites otherwise "never heard of before."
The Bohol Tourism Office (BTO) recorded 107, 377 foreign and 372,960 domestic arrivals---or a total of 480,337 arrival---here from January to November last year.
One of Bohol's first-time visitors in 2007 was US Ambassador Kristine Kenny, who later wrote to Chatto and described this island-province to be at par with the world's best in eco-cultural tourism.
UNWTO is a specialized agency of the United Nations addressing global policy issues on tourism and related industries.

Evangelista retracts notes on "lapses" of Bohol PNP
By: KIT BAGAIPO

Former Bohol Police Director SSupt. Arturo Evangelista buckles down from his allegations that the provincial PNP committed lapses in the operations and arrest of the Meloy Garcia Robbery Group.
Evangelista and present provincial PNP chief SSupt. Edgardo Ingking have been at odds after the former made a report regarding errors of the Bohol police in responding to the robbery at Bank of Commerce perpetuated by the Garcia bandit group.
The report, which was submitted to the PNP Regional Director, caused Ingking to file administrative charges for gross misconduct against Evangelista. The case is pending at the National Police Commission (Napolcom) en banc.
Evangelista, currently the Chief of the Regional Intelligence and Detection Management Division, has retracted the report however.
In a recent validation report, Evangelista said that the Bohol PNP has "initiated efforts in fielding beat and mobile patrol policemen in strategic areas purposely to deter criminals and to prevent the occurrence of [robberies]" that has victimized Boholanos.
This statement is a complete turnaround of Evangelista's previous evaluation where he criticized the Bohol police for failing to field mobile patrols.
Evangelista stated further that "there is a well-established police community relation" here which "resulted to the unselfish concern of citizens to immediately report the whereabouts of the suspects (Meloy Garcia Group), which led to their subsequent arrests."
"The orchestrated and positive efforts exerted both by the Bohol Police Provincial Office and the Tagbilaran PNP in maximizing limited manpower and material resources within the necessary response time, were indications of synchronized police actions through the creation of standby special reaction units specially tasked to respond to robbery incidents and high profile cases," Evangelista added.
The former Bohol police chief said the "rules of engagement during the operations conducted have been well-followed by the concerned superior offices."
According to Evangelista, "doubts and lapses which were beforehand observed were unfounded."
He added that the personnel involved in responding to the Bank of Commerce robbery and the operation which led to their arrest were "deserving" to be awarded.
It may be recalled that Ingking filed an administrative complaint against Evangelista last year which was found meritorious by the Napolcom-7 and endorsed for resolution by the commission en banc.
Ingking had said that only a public apology could make him withdraw his charges against his immediate predecessor which "harmed the image of the Bohol PNP."
In an interview with the Chronicle yesterday, Ingking refused to categorically state whether he is withdrawing the case saying it is now in the hands of the Napolcom en banc.