NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has acquitted four workers of a Cebu town of graft charges for failing to post online invitations to bid for a government supply contract to construct a school facility.

The anti-graft court’s Sixth Division acquitted Ronda municipal budget officer Thelma Landiza, municipal assistant treasurer Brigida Cabaron, clerk Frauline Requilme, and utility worker Evelina Tan on charges of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in a decision dated February 23 and released Thursday.

The workers, along with Mayor Mariano Blanco III and Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chair Oscar Pilapil, were charged in 2017 with violating Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Act, by failing to post invitations to bid (ITBs) for a school building project in 2012 on the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS).

During the pendency of the 15 complaints for irregularities in the tendering of contracts for PHP1.71 million for the construction of the Madanglog Elementary School, Blanco and Pilapil died in 2018 and 2021, respectively.

The court recognized the accused’s efforts to follow the law despite their lack of computer skills in its decision.

“On the surface, the accused’s refusal to publish the ITBs in the PhilGEPS is a violation” (the requirement). The accused, on the other hand, placed the stated ITBs in prominent locations such as in front of the municipal hall, the public market, and along the road beside their church. When combined with accused Pilapil’s albeit unsuccessful efforts to post in the PhilGEPS, the Court sees such efforts as “substantial compliance with the law,” it added.

Pilapil, who was not computer proficient, was the only one in their township who attended PhilGEPS trainings, according to the report. He originally refused to attend the trainings, but he was forced to do so because all municipal employees were computer illiterate as well.

It went on to say that his inadequate familiarity of Microsoft Word made him the best candidate for training.

Pilapil, on the other hand, said that he couldn’t understand the technical themes during the seminars.

The municipality possessed only two computers, one of which was in the mayor’s office and had an internet connection.

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