The Ombudsman says the amount of the Asean Lamp Post scandal is 165 Million. 50 Million is the minimum amount to be charged for PLUNDER. So my question is; Why Not Plunder ?
Ouano, Radaza charged
By Karlon N. Rama
TANODBAYAN Merceditas Gutierrez is reviving the anti-graft cases earlier filed against 21 people, 20 of them in public office, for the allegedly overpriced lampposts bought to beautify Cebu for the 12th Asean summit in 2007.
This follows a reinvestigation by the sectoral office here, which found sufficient basis to bring former Mandaue city mayor Thadeo Ouano, incumbent Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza and the others before the Sandiganbayan once again.
The reinvestigation, which ended last April 30, sustained the earlier findings that the lampposts "were highly overpriced."
The cost of each lamppost, "apparently, was expanded to almost ten (10) times its actual cost," stated a portion of the reinvestigation report prepared by Associate Graft Investigators Rod Blazo, Elmer Gutierrez and Joy Dacumos.
Based on the reinvestigation, evidence showed that the mayors and the public respondents were directly responsible for awarding the various contracts for the supply of street lighting facilities, testing and commissioning of LED. bulbs, traffic signal lantern and other traffic control devices along roads in Cebu to Gampik Construction and Development, Inc. and Fabmik Construction and Equipment Supply Co. Inc.
The total contract price reached P164,524,401.25, which was way beyond the estimates of the Commission on Audit and the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas. The agencies only pegged the value of the contract at P60 million.
Sun.Star Cebu tried but failed to reach Dennis Añover and Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu, lawyers for Radaza and Ouano, for comment yesterday. Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Santiago, for her part, was still in Manila.
Businessman Cris Saavedra, who filed the request for assistance that led to the investigation, described the development as "very good."
He hoped the reinvestigation of the issues means that the case is now stronger and that the evidence against the respondents will be "irrefutable."
"This can prove to the people that there were anomalous transactions during the Asean summit," he said.
The reinvestigation revolved around separate contracts to supply and install the decorative lamps in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.
The original investigation spawned five separate criminal and administrative indictments against the respondents.
Four of the five indictments were withdrawn, however, upon motion of Manila-based anti-graft prosecutors, who said these needed to be strengthened.
The fifth case was dismissed.
The revived indictments are for violation of Republic Act 3019, also known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and against Ouano, Radaza, then Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 director Roberto Lala and assistant directors Gloria Dindin and Marlina Alvizo, who also chaired the bids and awards committee.
Ouano lost in the last election while Radaza won, so he was freed of administrative liability.
Likewise charged were Pureza Fernandez, Cresencio Bagolor, Agustinito Hermoso, Luis Galang, Restituto Diano and Buenaventurada Pajo, Teresa Bernido, Ayaon Manggis and Marilyn Ojeda, all of the DPWH.
Together with them are officials from the Office of the Mandaue City Engineer—city engineer Hidelisa Latonio and assistant engineer Gregorio Omo—and from the agency's counterpart in Lapu-Lapu City—city engineer Julito Cuizon and assistant engineers Fernando Tagaan, Jr. and Rogelio Veloso.
The two men whose companies supplied the allegedly overpriced decorative lamps—Gerardo Surla of Gampik Construction and Development, Inc. and Isabelo Braza of Fabmik Construction and Equipment Supply Co. Inc.—also stand charged.
Why not plunder ?
Kalusot nasab 
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