ANGELES CITY – A rain of cars in this city and, for outgoing Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno, another Ombudsman case to face.
Granting the request of outgoing mayor Nepomuceno, his allies in the city council passed last Friday a “midnight” resolution donating at least 25 vehicles, mostly relatively new cars of the city government to local barangays, non-government organizations, and civil society groups.
Two of the identified beneficiaries are officials of the Commission on Audit (COA) based in this city and two regional trial court judges.
Nepomuceno’s elder brother was also listed as prospective recipient of four cars.
Reelected Vice Mayor Vicky Vega and four other allies of Pamintuan in the city council did not attend last Friday’s session to protest what Pamintuan dubbed as a “raid” of city government resources. The session was held behind closed door at the mayor’s office.
“This is virtually raiding the city coffers before his (Nepomuceno’s) exit and is in violation of our agreement on orderly transition,” Pamintuan told Punto, as he vowed to file charges against the incumbent mayor before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Nepomuceno (Nationalist People’s Coalition) lost in his reelection bid to Pamintuan (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) who got an edge of some 27,000 votes over him.
Pamintuan used to be presidential adviser on external affairs, chairman of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council, and president of the Luzon North Railways Corp.
In letters dated last May 18 and 19, Nepomuceno asked the city council to hold a special session and pass resolutions authorizing him to donate cars and other vehicles of the city government to various beneficiaries.
The cars, mostly bought last year, consisted of Mitsubishi, Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan brands. One Isuzu dump truck was also among the vehicles.
The letters of Nepomuceno named the beneficiaries which were mostly local barangays, identifying their chairmen.
A Toyota Super Grandia, a Toyota Hi-Lux, a Toyota Innova and Nissan Urvan Estate would go to Nepomuceno’s brother, Robin Nepomuceno who is the chairman of Barangay Cutcut and head of the Liga ng mga Barangays.
The other beneficiaries were identified by the mayor as SK Federation president Carl John Miranda, Commission on Audit officers Edelmira Gonzalez and Amelia Manabat.
RTC judges Omar Viola and Gerardo Santos were listed as prospective recipients of a Toyota Avanza and a Toyota Innova, respectively..
A Toyota Avanza would also go to Angeles City Public Schools Credit Cooperative through one Manuel Duenas, and yet another such car is to be turned over to the Philippine Elementary Schools Principal Association through Dr. Enriqueta Tayao, Nepomuceno’s letter on the resolutions said.
Pamintuan deplored the donation move, saying “the motive of the donations is highly questionable.”
“It is not only meant to disable the incoming administration but also to bizarrely reward people who caused his trounching in the last elections,” he said.
Nepomuceno could not be reached by phone and people identified with him could not say where he could be located.
Earlier, Vega and three city councilors filed plunder charges against Nepomuceno and his city administrator Mark Allen Sison for allegedly overpricing by P92 million the purchase of a five hectare land in Barangay Mining here for a proposed sports complex, amid a P63-million debt to a sanitary landfill that has consequently refused to take in the city’s garbage.
Granting the request of outgoing mayor Nepomuceno, his allies in the city council passed last Friday a “midnight” resolution donating at least 25 vehicles, mostly relatively new cars of the city government to local barangays, non-government organizations, and civil society groups.
Two of the identified beneficiaries are officials of the Commission on Audit (COA) based in this city and two regional trial court judges.
Nepomuceno’s elder brother was also listed as prospective recipient of four cars.
Reelected Vice Mayor Vicky Vega and four other allies of Pamintuan in the city council did not attend last Friday’s session to protest what Pamintuan dubbed as a “raid” of city government resources. The session was held behind closed door at the mayor’s office.
“This is virtually raiding the city coffers before his (Nepomuceno’s) exit and is in violation of our agreement on orderly transition,” Pamintuan told Punto, as he vowed to file charges against the incumbent mayor before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Nepomuceno (Nationalist People’s Coalition) lost in his reelection bid to Pamintuan (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) who got an edge of some 27,000 votes over him.
Pamintuan used to be presidential adviser on external affairs, chairman of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council, and president of the Luzon North Railways Corp.
In letters dated last May 18 and 19, Nepomuceno asked the city council to hold a special session and pass resolutions authorizing him to donate cars and other vehicles of the city government to various beneficiaries.
The cars, mostly bought last year, consisted of Mitsubishi, Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan brands. One Isuzu dump truck was also among the vehicles.
The letters of Nepomuceno named the beneficiaries which were mostly local barangays, identifying their chairmen.
A Toyota Super Grandia, a Toyota Hi-Lux, a Toyota Innova and Nissan Urvan Estate would go to Nepomuceno’s brother, Robin Nepomuceno who is the chairman of Barangay Cutcut and head of the Liga ng mga Barangays.
The other beneficiaries were identified by the mayor as SK Federation president Carl John Miranda, Commission on Audit officers Edelmira Gonzalez and Amelia Manabat.
RTC judges Omar Viola and Gerardo Santos were listed as prospective recipients of a Toyota Avanza and a Toyota Innova, respectively..
A Toyota Avanza would also go to Angeles City Public Schools Credit Cooperative through one Manuel Duenas, and yet another such car is to be turned over to the Philippine Elementary Schools Principal Association through Dr. Enriqueta Tayao, Nepomuceno’s letter on the resolutions said.
Pamintuan deplored the donation move, saying “the motive of the donations is highly questionable.”
“It is not only meant to disable the incoming administration but also to bizarrely reward people who caused his trounching in the last elections,” he said.
Nepomuceno could not be reached by phone and people identified with him could not say where he could be located.
Earlier, Vega and three city councilors filed plunder charges against Nepomuceno and his city administrator Mark Allen Sison for allegedly overpricing by P92 million the purchase of a five hectare land in Barangay Mining here for a proposed sports complex, amid a P63-million debt to a sanitary landfill that has consequently refused to take in the city’s garbage.
