I am ready to face charges – Mayor Cari

GOV’T CENTER, Palo, Leyte – “I am ready and will face that charges filed against me by my political enemies,” this was the strong reaction of Baybay City Mayor Carmen Cari when asked to comment on the P7 million graft case filed against her last Oct. 31 at the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas by what she called as her “political enemies”. Mayor Cari was among the local government officials who attended the activity of Department of Energy information and education campaign for the 2012-2030 Philippine Energy Plan program of the government held at the Oriental Hotel de Leyte. “I had been elected for several times in this position before I become a district representative and again as a city mayor, but no one has ever filed any case against me because I know every procedure that the government requires for us in the local government to follow to make our transaction valid,” explained Cari. “What they did was a plain political harassment against me, because they can find anything that could ruin my dignity and integrity as city mayor,” she stressed. She added that said graft and corruption complaint in the Ombudsman is a plain manifestation of retaliation of her political foes whom she early filed with libel case in the trial court at Baybay City. “But even I know that this is a political move, I will still face them in court and defend myself over their accusation,” she added. Although confident that she will overcome the case filed against her, she stressed that she would not want to make any more comment on the issue as she rather prefer to face those who filed the case against her in court. “Let’s just wait for the decision of the court for that case,” she stressed. The case filed against Mayor Cari by Vertillano Relevo, Agustin Bacusmo and Oscar Balan, alleged that in 2010 the city government of Baybay, the city government represented by Mayor Cari, purchased some office supplies, drugs and medicines amounting to P7,391,009.31 without the requisite public bidding as required by the Government Procurement Reform Act or R.A. 9184. Attached in the complaint was the Commission on audit report for year 2010 stating that ““Procurement of Office Supplies, Drugs and Medicines amounting to P7,391.009.31 in Calendar Year 2010 were not done thru public bidding instead shopping was resorted to even if the conditions were not met, contrary to Sections 10 and 52 of RA 9184, thus, there was no assurance that the lowest costs/volume discounts were not obtained that would have redound to the benefit of the Municipality.”