By SHERWIN DE VERA
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — A member of the Baguio City Council filed a graft and corruption complaint against City Mayor Benjamin Magalong in connection with a purchased lot in Tuba, Benguet, for the city’s socialized housing project.

In her December 20 submission, Councilor Mylen Victoria Yaranon asked the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend and remove the mayor for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019) and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713).

The complaint is related to the acquisition of the properties of William Tan and his daughter, with a total area of 65,585 square meters in Sitio Topinao, Poblacion. The city government bought the lot for P95,377,000.00, with the Deed of Absolute Sale executed on January 10, 2023.

“(The) respondent did not only cause undue injury to any party, including the City Government of Baguio but also he gave a private party in the persons of the TAN’s unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference,” the councilor stated in her complaint.

She pointed out that even before the approval of the ordinance allocating P120 million to buy the lots, the mayor was already negotiating with the owners. The councilor also noted the respondent’s failure to inform the public of the city’s interest in buying land and conduct public bidding to find a better offer for the city.

According to Yaranon, the city bought the property at “a scandalous price” of P1,650 per square meter despite the lack of an access road, and a third of it is “not suitable for residential use.”

“The respondent also acted on bad faith or inexcusable negligence when he signed the Deed of Absolute Sale without authority from the Sangguniang Panglungsod,” she said.

The councilor also noted the failure to conduct due diligence on the status of the property. She further contends that before buying the property, the local government should have conducted a feasibility study to determine if it would be favorable to the city.

In April 2020, the council approved a P704.1 million supplemental budget for the city, which included the P120 million for the purchase of Tan property. The Committee on Laws of the City Council also stated in a July 2022 report that the authority requested by the mayor to purchase the property was given when the body approved the ordinance for the 2020 Annual Investment Plan, providing funds for the specified programs and projects.

In a statement, Magalong expressed readiness to face the graft and corruption allegations “in the interest of truth and justice.”

“I am prepared to answer all the charges in the proper forum. I welcome the development to determine who is telling the truth,” the mayor said.

He added that all documents pertinent to the issue are open for scrutiny.

“I am confident that justice will prevail because the acquisition of this lot, which is intended for our socialized housing project, underwent a complete, correct, and transparent process. Due diligence was observed all throughout,” he added.

Magalong, who ran under the slogan – “Good governance beyond politics,” is one of the lead convenors of the “Mayors for Good Governance Movement” launched last August at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Yaranon and Magalong have a history of discord. In October 2022, the councilor filed a complaint for slander and libel against the mayor. She is also the only Liberal Party member in the current city council who was not on Magalong’s ticket in the 2022 elections. # nordis.net