By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
LAOAG CITY—Eight Sangguniang Panlalawigan members declared on June 27, 2017 Rep. Rodolfo C. Fariñas (Ilocos Norte, 1st district) as “persona non-grata.”
Officially known Draft Provincial Resolution No. 2017-06-080, its first reading was on June 27, 2017. At least 10 board members sponsored the measure namely: Mariano Marcos II, Juan Conrado Respicio, Ramon Gaoat, Vicentito Lazo, Da Vinci Crisostomo, James Paul Nalupta, Donald Nicolas, Rogelio Balbag, Domingo Ambrocio Jr. and Paulino Baltazar. Senior board member Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc, son of Ilocos Norte governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos; and SP member Ria Christina Fariñas, daughter of the House majority floor leader, was both absent during the 45th regular session of the 10th Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
When it was time to deliberate on the proposed resolution on Tuesday afternoon, June 27, 2017 Mr. Crisostomo moved to defer it citing they still need to include other “important matters” to the resolution.
A few minutes later, when the board was about to finish its legislative agenda, Mr. Lazo walked to the lectern and presented the persona non grata resolution anew.
The resolution is primarily an offshoot of the current House investigation through Mr. Fariñas’ initiative.
In aid of legislation, the House Committee on Good Government is currently investigating the Ilocos Norte government for its alleged misuse of about Php66.4 million of its tobacco excise tax share on tobacco. During the on-going investigation, the House held in contempt and detained four Ilocos Norte department heads and two administrative officers of the Provincial Treasurer’s Office since May 29, 2017 up to this time.
The detained Ilocos Norte officials, through their lawyers, filed a petition for habeas corpus at the Court of Appeals, which the appellate court later granted. The House, however, has refused to honor the court’s order and thus continue to detain the six employees.
According to Mr. Lazo, “it is obvious that [Mr.] Fariñas has already arrived at a conclusion when he filed House Resolution 882, directing the house committee on good government to investigate the ‘highly irregular’ acquisition of vehicles purchased in cash advance by the provincial government without public bidding.
Ms. Marcos, however, defended that there was no irregularity in the transaction citing there was no adverse findings from the Commission on Audit in a press conference earlier at the Provincial Capitol.
It appears however that the original documents pertaining to the purchased of mini trucks and buses in 2012 were now missing at the COA office.
“All that we ask is for government authorities to uphold the rule of law. But it would seem that we have officials in our midst who do not have the high regard of the law,” Mr. Lazo said in his sponsorship speech citing a quote, “he who comes to court must come with clean hands.”
Counter allegation
When Mr. Farinas served as Ilocos Norte governor, Mr. Lazo said his then administration acquired a Crown Victoria v8 engine luxury vehicle worth Php1.65 million for his personal use but the payment came from the province’s tobacco excise tax share.
In 1996, Mr. Lazo, continued, the then Farinas administration purchased a brand new 4x4 Cherokee jeep worth more than Php500,000. The purchase, he scored, was through a “cash advance” of a certain Remigio Ancheta, a provincial treasury employee.
Mr. Lazo added that the Cherokee vehicle was delivered to Mr. Fariñas’ brother, former Laoag mayor Roger C. Fariñas. He went on to state that the Economic Intelligence and Investigation Bureau confiscated the vehicle later for unpaid custom duties. He pointed out that up to now, the said vehicle purchase remains “unaccounted.”
Release order
“There’s an order of release, if Congress is not in agreement in the order of release, the remedy is to respect the order of release and bring the case in court,” Mr. Lazo stressed.
If the six Ilocos Norte officials later becomes “guilty” of any wrong doing, Mr. Lazo said they should answer in court.
Congressman replies
In a text statement, Mr. Fariñas who was out of the country when he was declared persona non grata in Ilocos Norte has threatened to file cases against the eight members of the provincial board who voted for the resolution on Tuesday afternoon.
“I will file cases against them for damages for the violation of my constitutional rights, as well as for violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act for causing me undue injury thru evident bad faith,” said Mr. Farinas.
As a Filipino citizen and also as the duly elected representative of Ilocos Norte’s first district and House Majority Floor Leader, Mr. Fariñas explained “No one, especially the Sangguniang Panlalawigan members, can declare me, or any other citizen of this country, a persona non grata. Not even convicted criminals are declared as such.”
He stressed persona non grata declaration “only applies in diplomatic relations or aliens.”
BBM advises Imee not to attend probe
Meanwhile, Ms. Marcos on a press conference on June 23, 2017 said her brother, former Sen. and losing vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., advised her not to attend the House inquiry into the province’s PHP66.45-million tobacco fund expenditures.
“I really want to attend. I want to explain myself in Congress but others said I should not. Bongbong told me I could also be detained,” Ms. Marcos explained at her first news conference after the House detained the Ilocos Norte officials.
Imee said the House committee concerned rebuffed her mother, former First Lady and now Rep. Imelda Marcos (Ilocos Norte, 2nd district) when she requested for the release of the six employees.
Insisting that the purchase of vehicles serving tobacco farming communities was “above board”, Ms. Marcos said different provincial leaders, among them were Rudys Caesar Fariñas, who served as ex-officio member of the Ilocos Norte provincial board, and Mary Michelle Louise “Mikee” Fariñas, Laoag Association of Barangay Councils current president, also requested the vehicles.
Rudys is Mr. Fariñas’ son, while Mary Michelle Louise is his grandchild, being the daughter of Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas and his nephew, Laoag Vice Mayor Michael Fariñas.
Ms. Marcos declared that there was no overpricing in the vehicles’ purchase and they underwent proper bidding procedures prior to their purchase.
“It was a special fund. [The purchases] underwent pre-audit and post-audit by the Commission on Audit. There was no audit observation memo [after the transaction]. There [were] no adverse findings in the annual report of COA, unlike other provinces,” she remarked.
Asked about the vehicles’ non-registration, Ms. Marcos said the new vehicles served as “agricultural equipment like tractors”. But she promised to register them should the Land Transportation Office (LTO) require the provincial government.
“Dirty politics”, Imee said, has used Congress to target “a small province like Ilocos Norte and its employees.”
Describing Congress as a “bully”, she said in Filipino: “We will not allow it. We will seek justice using the legal and right procedure and will not submit to the bullying by Congress.”
Probe missing LC funds
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan also again urged the Ombudsman to prove the missing PHP85 million Laoag City government funds.
Ten SP members approved a resolution urging Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales “to motu propio conduct an investigation and if warranted, [file] the appropriate criminal or administrative charges against the persons or government officials responsible for the loss of taxpayers’ money.”
It was a reiteration of an August 6, 2016, letter to the Office of the Ombudsman that requested an investigation into the theft.
Laoag treasurer Elena Asuncion reportedly fled to the United States after officials had uncovered the missing funds.
Mrs. Asuncion’s last sighting in the city was during last year’s Independence Day celebration.
Though both the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) have both investigated the issue, neither has released a report.
SP member Vicentito “Toto” M. Lazo said the province found itself embroiled in another money scandal without any resolution to the Laoag City issue. He was referring to the House of Representatives’ investigation of the alleged misuse of tobacco funds by the provincial government.
“It’s ironic that while we celebrated Independence Day [last week], four Provincial Capitol department heads and two cashiers were detained at the House of Representatives despite a release order from the Court of Appeals,” Mr. Lazo stressed.
Rep. Rodolfo C. Fariñas (Ilocos Norte, 1st district), initiated the probe.
“There is a need to reiterate to the Office of the Ombudsman [our request for a probe] in order for the wheels of justice to finally turn,” Mr. Lazo added.
He said the government should assure Laoag taxpayers that no whitewashing had taken place to determine how the money disappeared.
According to Mr. Lazo, the resolution supplements the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation, which recommended plunder charges against Mrs. Asuncion, and administrative sanctions against the city government’s auditors, accountant, and the cashier division for their failure to detect fake time deposit and savings accounts that Asuncion allegedly opened to hide the funds.
Initial results of the investigation traced the theft back to 2007 during the administration of former Laoag mayor Michael Fariñas.
The Laoag City government local finance committee, however, only detected the irregularity last year.
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