THE Sandiganbayan on Monday ordered a 90-day preventive suspension on Tuguegarao City Mayor Jefferson Soriano for his alleged involvement in the anomalous procurement of defective rubber boats in 2008 and 2009.
The anti-graft court invoked “the suspension under Section 13 of Republic Act 3019 admits no exceptions, and that the impossibility of tampering with evidence and intimidating witnesses is not a ground for denial of the preventive suspension.”
“The claim that the suspension from work may deprive them of their only source of income cannot override the mandatory character of Section 13 of RA 3019,” it said.
Based on court records, Soriano as the chairperson of the bids and awards committee, awarded four separate supply contracts for rubber boats worth P131.5 million in 2008 until 2009.
Upon delivery and inspection, the boats and engines were found not functional when fitted together rendering them unusable for disaster operation efforts, the Office of the Ombudsman said.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales noted various defects in the equipment “which make their use risky to end-users.”
In a separate case, the anti-graft court also ordered the suspension of officials of the Department of Budget and Management, Technology Resource Center and National Livelihood Development Corp. for the questionable utilization of the Priority Development Assistance Fund of former Rep. Samuel Dangwa of Benguet.
Ordered suspended were Mario Relampagos, Rosario Nunez, Lalaine Paule, Marilou Bare, Marivic Jover, Consuelo Lilian Espiritu, Belina Concepcion, Gondelina Amata, Gregoria Buenaventura, Chita Jalandoni, Sofia Cruz, Filipina Rodriguez and Ofelia Ordoñez.