Case filed vs Subic mayor over relocation plan
By Tonette Orejas - Philippine Daily Inquirer
SUBIC, ZAMBALES—The provincial government’s Task Force Hanjin has filed a complaint against the mayor of this town for his alleged refusal to release documents related to the relocation project for 470 families displaced by a Korean shipbuilding firm.
The complaint, filed at the Ombudsman for Luzon on Dec. 18, said Mayor Jeffrey Khonghun violated Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
In a three-page complaint, Ramon Lacbain II, Carlos Castillo Jr., Belen Figueras, David Maceda, Andres Sazon and Ruben Gaduang said Khonghun failed to answer the task force’s requests to release the documents on the Agusuhin relocation project.
The requests, contained in letters dated Sept. 3 and Oct. 18, went unanswered despite the lapse of almost two months, they said.
The law requires public officials and employees to “act promptly on letters and requests” by the public within 15 working days from the date those were received.”
It also “obliges public officials and employees to “make documents accessible to the public.”
In a phone interview, Khonghun said he could not comment on the complaint because he had not received a copy of it. “I will make a statement once I receive a copy,” he told the Inquirer.
He confirmed receiving “some letter-requests” from the task force but did not say why his office failed to release the papers.
Lacbain, chair of the task force formed by Gov. Amor Deloso in July, said the documents could clarify and answer the issues and concerns raised by residents.
They include certified copies of the program of work, building permits, change order, certificate of acceptance, lists of actions undertaken, subdivision plan of the relocation site, environmental compliance certificates, and certificate of titles or awards.
The task force reported that four structures were unfinished, 23 others were labeled “none,” three were considered finished while two school buildings were marked “collapsed.”
A Malacañang source said a DPWH team estimated the costs of the existing structures at only P3 million.
Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd. purchased P18 million worth of construction materials in May 2006 to build the relocation site. It had earlier spent P24 million more for compensation to the settlers.
Khonghun, as mayor, oversaw the project while former Gov. Vicente Magsaysay admitted to supervising the payment for damages. Both tasks were supposed to be done by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
SUBIC, ZAMBALES—The provincial government’s Task Force Hanjin has filed a complaint against the mayor of this town for his alleged refusal to release documents related to the relocation project for 470 families displaced by a Korean shipbuilding firm.
The complaint, filed at the Ombudsman for Luzon on Dec. 18, said Mayor Jeffrey Khonghun violated Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
In a three-page complaint, Ramon Lacbain II, Carlos Castillo Jr., Belen Figueras, David Maceda, Andres Sazon and Ruben Gaduang said Khonghun failed to answer the task force’s requests to release the documents on the Agusuhin relocation project.
The requests, contained in letters dated Sept. 3 and Oct. 18, went unanswered despite the lapse of almost two months, they said.
The law requires public officials and employees to “act promptly on letters and requests” by the public within 15 working days from the date those were received.”
It also “obliges public officials and employees to “make documents accessible to the public.”
In a phone interview, Khonghun said he could not comment on the complaint because he had not received a copy of it. “I will make a statement once I receive a copy,” he told the Inquirer.
He confirmed receiving “some letter-requests” from the task force but did not say why his office failed to release the papers.
Lacbain, chair of the task force formed by Gov. Amor Deloso in July, said the documents could clarify and answer the issues and concerns raised by residents.
They include certified copies of the program of work, building permits, change order, certificate of acceptance, lists of actions undertaken, subdivision plan of the relocation site, environmental compliance certificates, and certificate of titles or awards.
The task force reported that four structures were unfinished, 23 others were labeled “none,” three were considered finished while two school buildings were marked “collapsed.”
A Malacañang source said a DPWH team estimated the costs of the existing structures at only P3 million.
Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd. purchased P18 million worth of construction materials in May 2006 to build the relocation site. It had earlier spent P24 million more for compensation to the settlers.
Khonghun, as mayor, oversaw the project while former Gov. Vicente Magsaysay admitted to supervising the payment for damages. Both tasks were supposed to be done by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
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