CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Former Pampanga Gov. Mark Lapid is covered by the investigation ordered by the provincial board on Capitol officials who were involved in the release of P47 million as payment to a P49.33-million geographic information system (GIS) project that was allegedly overpriced and not fully accomplished, Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao told Punto Central Luzon on Thursday.
“Our instruction to the provincial administration and legal officer is to investigate and file appropriate charges against Capitol officials who released the money [to the contractor, Geodata Solutions Inc.) without proof of accomplishments. Mark Lapid should be included because he was the one in control at that time,” said Guiao, the board’s presiding officer.
Aside from ordering a probe on the liabilities of officials during the Lapid administration, the board also approved an ordinance realigning P1.2 million to be used as filing fee for the lawsuit that Gov. Eddie Panlilio is set to file against Geodata.
The provincial government is suing Geodata for breach of contract and asking compensation for damages, according to provincial administrator Vivian Dabu.
In the contract, the project should install a GIS linked to several towns to be able to improve the Capitol’s collection of real property taxes there.
Speaking on behalf of Lapid, now the general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority, former provincial administrator Fidel Arcenas urged the investigating panel to go over the project documents.
“They have all the records there. There had been a review of the project several times by the Commission on Audit and an Ateneo group. We didn’t receive notices for adverse findings,” Arcenas said in a phone interview.
According to him, the project also “underwent due process” and payments were made after Geodata “showed milestones at every step of the project.”
Arcenas said Lapid also wondered why it took the Panlilio administration more than two years to be taking legal actions.
Dabu cited due process for the time being taken before Panlilio officially sought the board’s approval to proceed with the case.
Rem Patco, Geodata vice president, said the company will not issue a statement for now at the advice of its lawyer.
In January, Geodata said it has delivered the project but it was “discontinued” under Panlilio.
Dabu said some of the programs did not have licenses and no existing linkage program was actually established despite payments of P47 million in Lapid’s time.
Guiao had opposed the project in 2006 due to alleged overpricing. Except for him, the rest of the board gave Lapid an authority to negotiate the contract.
Dabu said a consultant estimated that the project should have cost only P10 million.
Guiao said the “failure of the Geodata project is also a problem of the people in government who should have made sure the project was above board.”
“Our instruction to the provincial administration and legal officer is to investigate and file appropriate charges against Capitol officials who released the money [to the contractor, Geodata Solutions Inc.) without proof of accomplishments. Mark Lapid should be included because he was the one in control at that time,” said Guiao, the board’s presiding officer.
Aside from ordering a probe on the liabilities of officials during the Lapid administration, the board also approved an ordinance realigning P1.2 million to be used as filing fee for the lawsuit that Gov. Eddie Panlilio is set to file against Geodata.
The provincial government is suing Geodata for breach of contract and asking compensation for damages, according to provincial administrator Vivian Dabu.
In the contract, the project should install a GIS linked to several towns to be able to improve the Capitol’s collection of real property taxes there.
Speaking on behalf of Lapid, now the general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority, former provincial administrator Fidel Arcenas urged the investigating panel to go over the project documents.
“They have all the records there. There had been a review of the project several times by the Commission on Audit and an Ateneo group. We didn’t receive notices for adverse findings,” Arcenas said in a phone interview.
According to him, the project also “underwent due process” and payments were made after Geodata “showed milestones at every step of the project.”
Arcenas said Lapid also wondered why it took the Panlilio administration more than two years to be taking legal actions.
Dabu cited due process for the time being taken before Panlilio officially sought the board’s approval to proceed with the case.
Rem Patco, Geodata vice president, said the company will not issue a statement for now at the advice of its lawyer.
In January, Geodata said it has delivered the project but it was “discontinued” under Panlilio.
Dabu said some of the programs did not have licenses and no existing linkage program was actually established despite payments of P47 million in Lapid’s time.
Guiao had opposed the project in 2006 due to alleged overpricing. Except for him, the rest of the board gave Lapid an authority to negotiate the contract.
Dabu said a consultant estimated that the project should have cost only P10 million.
Guiao said the “failure of the Geodata project is also a problem of the people in government who should have made sure the project was above board.”
