A group of lawyers has filed a petition to stop the implementation of an allegedly anomalous and overpriced P120-million heavy equipment project of Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante.
In their petition, lawyers Clint Dabalos, Dennis Bacala, Araceli Luyahan-Orcilla, Vincent Jose Fortun and Dendo Ugarde asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order or writ of preliminary injunction against the project.
The petition was raffled off to the sala of Judge Augustus Calo of Branch 5 of the Regional Trial Court of Agusan del Norte and Butuan City. It was docketed Civil Case No. 7263.
The petitioners discovered that the heavy equipment that will be supplied by Conequip were all made from China and considered as the cheapest in Asia.
However, the price of heavy equipment indicated in the bidding documents from Conequip were far higher compared to branded heavy machineries in the market.
Aside from Amante, the lawyers also included private contractor Conequip Phils. Inc. and members of the Bids and Awards Committee as respondents.
The petitioners claimed that the price of 11 different heavy equipment awarded to Conequip Phils. Inc. was “glaringly excessive and displays a badge of corruption.”
Conequip Phils. Inc. won the bidding to supply one crawler-type excavator, four 10-wheeler dump truck, two pneumatic pavement breaker, one motor grader, one vibratory compactor, one 10-wheeler tractor head, three 6-wheeler 4 x 2 garbage compactor, two 6-wheeler garbage compactor truck, one transit mixer and one vacuum and jetting truck.
The lawyers also asked the court to order the respondents to produce the documents pertaining to the contract, which is presently under their full control and custody.
Despite the lack of documents in their possession, the petitioners conducted extensive research and analysis on Conequip’s heavy equipment and the results were “dumbfounding.”
“Petitioners are making the stand for and in behalf of every citizen and taxpayer of Butuan City. If we allow our government officials to snoop into our government coffers and let them get away with it easily, then our City has no way of reaching its envisioned moral destination,” the petitioners said.