Friday, June 17, 2011

MANILA -- Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro has ordered graft charges filed against Representative Jesus Sacladan for allegedly spending P18.6 million for “ghost” gasoline purchases when he was governor.

The charges –12 counts of malversation and 12 counts of graft – stemmed from a complaint filed by Milagros Casis, a former district engineer, who accused Sacdalan of telling her to manipulate financial records of the province's calamity fund in 2008.

Sacdalan, then governor of Cotabato, wanted the calamity fund released to buy gasoline for repair work on the San Vicente-Bulcanon Road in Makilala and the Nicaan-Banisilan Road in Alamada.

source: Sunstar.com http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2011/06/17/north-cotabato-congressman-faces-raps-ghost-gas-purchases-161656

According to the Office of the Ombudsman, Sacdalan released more money than what was needed to finish the projects.

In one transaction made in May 2008, the Provincial Government bought 134,438.72 liters of fuel from a gas station in Midsayap town that only had 16,000 liters in stock, the Office of the Ombudsman said.

Casis said she "was repeatedly ordered by the governor to revise the program of works covering the road project in order to hide irregularities in fuel purchases."

She said Sacdalan authorized the release of P12 million for fuel from Double V Petron in Kidapawan City. A Shell station in Midsayap town, was given P6.6 million, she said. (Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)

Cotabato City and the neighboring municipalities are under a state of calamity. Flooded rivers brought downstream tons of water hyacinth or water lilies that clogged the Rio Grande de Mindanao. Tens of kilometers of water hyacinths blocked the Cotabato Delta River spilling the flooded water on both banks submerging almost 36 barangays of Cotabato City and some areas in the municipality of Sultan Kudarat.

For almost a week now, the people are practically living in a ‘water world’ wading through a waist deep of water. Classes are suspended and people scamper to higher grounds.

The flooding in Central Mindanao has given rise to urgent calls to revisit and change policies and behavior that directly impact the fragile eco-system. 

First, by its very name, Maguindanao, the place tells a story of water inundation every time the Rio Grande de Mindanao is swollen. This is an annual occurrence as far back as memory remembers.
source: http://blogs.gmanews.tv/jun-mercado/archives/107-Cotabato-Water-World.html