Mayor Jaraula dared not to extend Scantel deadline, file raps

April 12, 2008

Jaraula and media

HOT SEAT. Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino Jaraula may yet again be under fire should he again extend the deadline he gave to Scantel to finish off its P49 million mothballed barangay telephone project.

OPPOSITION city councilors are now challenging City Mayor Constantino Jaraula not to extend the
April 17, 2008 deadline he has given to Scantel president Francisco Villapando and those involved in the P49 million botched barangay telephone project .

This as they voiced strong doubts that Supplier Contractor and Networking Telecommunication Inc. (Scantel) can finish off the failed P49 million Barangay Telephone System project awarded to it as early as 2003 and meet its deadline this Wednesday, April 17, 2008.

“We are challenging Mayor Jaraula to make true to his stand never to hesitate to file a cased against Scantel and get back the people’s money amounting P31 million,” said Opposition City Councilor Teodulfo “Bong” Lao.

However, this opposition city councilor admitted that there will be some problem with the full prosecution of Scantel.

This as Lao pointed out that the legal battle will be undertaken with former city councilor now City Legal Office head Atty. Maryanne Enteria as lead counsel or with her Assistant Legal Officer Atty. Mart Maandig who was the OIC-City Legal Officer during the signing of the Scantel deal.

“We will check on how to go about this…we trust Mayor Jaraula, as a lawyer, will not hesitate to do everything in his power to protect the interest of the people,” he said.

The Commission on Audit (COA) Annual Audit Report 2006 reported that as early as January 2004, Scantel was already given a total of P31 million of the total P49 million project cost by City Hall under the administration of former city mayor now Vice-Mayor Vicente Emano.

This despite how there was no feasibility study for the barangay telephone project and that it even failed to get the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC-10) nod.

The opposition believes that Scantel does not deserve another extension considering that the mothballed project had caused too much damage to the city government and its constituents already for accepting the P31 million but still failing for almost five years now to deliver their end of the project contract.

“Sa halos lima na katuig, pila na unta ka dagko nga proyekto ang nahimo nianang P31 million? Pila na unta ang nakabenepisyo? (For almost five years now, how many huge projects could have been undertaken using this P31 million? How many could have benefited from it already?),” Lao said.

He added that he is already drafting a speech regarding this concern to be delivered this Monday (April 14, 2008) as part of a special report.

Other opposition city councilors Roger Abaday and Zaldy Ocon are one with Lao over this controversy.

Abaday, Lao and Ocon recently took turns accompanying a national media network around the 17 hinterland barangays for an ocular investigation over this botched project.

Moreover, a 62-page document from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that Scantel’s president Francisco Villapando was actually given the P49 million barangay telephone project despite how his company was not even eligible to install telecommunication facilities.

It has to amend its SEC papers so it could increase its authorized capital and engage in engineering consultancy in relation to installation and maintenance of telecommunication equipment. The amendment was made last January 22, 2004 or months after the project was awarded on May 9, 2003 and days after the checks amounting to P31 million were received on January 4, 2004.

Abaday and Ocon said they had tried their best to call for an investigation on this project in aid of legislation at the City Council Blue Ribbon Committee.

However, they admitted that their efforts were blocked by administration city councilors who were also signatories to this bogus barangay telephone deal. (By Lizanilla J. Amarga)

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Written by Lizanilla Amarga · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro