TABUK CITY – The issue on the alleged overpriced purchase of three parcels of land by the city government and the alleged attempts to bribe certain city officials continues to heat up as individuals who have been earlier dragged in the said issue are now coming out in the open to air their sentiments on the brewing issues.
City Administrator Arnold Tenedero, who was earlier identified by Vice Mayor Bernard Glenn Dao-as to have allegedly visited his office to hand over the P1.1 million supposed share of the members of the city council in the consummated transaction of the purchase of the 3 parcels of land by the city, vehemently belied the occurrence of the said visit to the latter’s office and the handing over of the huge amount considering that he was not the seller of the properties and that he never had that amount.
He pointed out that his only role was a member of the appraisal committee that evaluated the various offers from private individuals that resulted to the purchase of the 3 parcels of land in Barangay Laya West and that he was not aware of whatever transactions between the vice mayor and the seller.
Tenedero disclosed that it was Vice Mayor Dao-as who had been directly talking with Mario Abing Duclan, the husband of Florence Duclan, the authorized seller of the 3 purchased properties, and that he was not aware of what were their agreements on the matter.
“I was surprised to know that I was being dragged into the issue which I was not aware and privy about. It only shows that the issue is being used by some quarters for political purposes at this early,” Tenedero stressed.
The city administrator asserted that the alleged overpriced purchase of the 3 parcels of land in Laya West which will be used for the establishment of the buildings of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) passed through the required transparent processes that included the passage by the city council of a resolution granting authority to the local chief executive for the procurement of the property aside from approving the purchase price of P2,555 per square meter.
According to him, the plan of the city government to purchase some properties along the road was initiated sometime in February 2019 during the term of the previous administration when he was still a councilor and Mayor Darwin Estrañero was still the vice mayor where the approved offer was P3,000 per square meter.
However, the former local legislator explained that when Mayor Estrañero became the city mayor, he ordered a review of the previous offers and the acceptance of new offers that resulted to the eventual approval of the P2,555 per square meter purchase price of the 3 parcels of land for the prescribed purpose.
Tenedero stipulated that in fact, it is the vice mayor who allegedly admitted in a video that he received a certain amount from Duclan but reportedly returned the same that is why he has to clarify and anwer the said issue being raised against him.
Earlier, Vice Mayor Dao-as revealed that at around 3 pm of September 10, 2019, City Administrator Arnold Tenedero allegedly came to his office at the city hall and allegedly offered him the amount of P1.1 million where the amount was the supposed share of the city council in the transaction involving the purchase of the 3 parcels of land but he outrightly rejected the money that was being offered.
For his part, Duclan, who filed a complaint against the vice mayor before the Ombudsman for alleged extortion, confirmed that he is in possession of a video of the city official when he allegedly admitted that he allegedly received some P300,000 from him but he reportedly returned the same to him considering that the city mayor knew about the amount that was given to the vice mayor which he did not like in the first place.
The complainant stated that he went to the house of the vice mayor to hand over the amount because he was reportedly pestered by text messages from the latter regarding the supposed amount and that he was even grateful to him despite the reduced amount from his previous request of P600,000.
However, after 4 days, the vice mayor allegedly returned the amount to him and that he was so mad when the mayor learned about him having been given by the complainant the said amount.
Duclan revealed that after the lapse of several days, a barangay official of Bulanao that is closed to the vice mayor went to him and allegedly took the amount so that he will hand the same to the city official but Duclan is no longer aware whether the amount was given by the said barangay official to the vice mayor.
Vice Mayor Dao-as urged the involved parties to prove their allegations in the proper forum considering that there are already cases that were filed against the involved officials in the supposed overpriced purchase of the 3 parcels of land.
He stood firm on the supporting documents that were attached to his complaint that shed that there was really overpricing in the purchase of the parcels of land having a total land area of 18,306 square meters valued at P2,555 per square meter with a total purchase amount of over P46.7 million.
Dao-as expressed disappointment on the alleged disinformation being done by some quarters against him which is geared towards ruining his credibility to negate his expose on the alleged overpriced purchase of the parcels of land purposely for the use of the BFP and the PNP considering their involvement in frontline services.
By Dexter A. See
