Indescribable state of corruption

By Modesto P. Sao-noy

It is a common practice for people in government suspected of digging their hands into the public coffers to attack and malign whoever raises a question on certain transactions. That kind of defense already indicates that there is some truth, perhaps not entirely, to the charge. Indeed, if a transaction is above board, an innocent public official would present facts and proofs to show that the allegations are false or at the least, not entirely true.

And if shown to be indeed onerous, to immediately withdraw or correct the error, not to defend it like, “it was not yet consummated”. What if it was not exposed?

Bacolod Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr. asked the city’s budget office and the four beneficiaries of the recently approved P113 million for the city’s response to the pandemic, to re-examine their budget but he was attacked.

This is not to defend Gamboa, he can handle his defense. Our concerns are the facts that he alleges and since these are verifiable, the city officials’ response would be to match them with authenticated ones. This is what we need, not an avalanche of words tending to becloud the issue.

Gamboa’s claim is only one of the information I received from concerned citizens but I will discuss them later.

A truly sincere official that made an error could have responded with intelligent and factual answers and not resort to argumentum ad hominem which only proves that the accusations have bases in truth.

Gamboa asked the City Budget Office and three departments to review their budget request from the City Council for the purchase of Vitamin C with Zinc, and alcohol. He believes the amounts given in the budget for these purchases are overpriced.

To back up his claim, Gamboa said the City Health Office requested for Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamins C) with Zinc and priced it at P2,250 per box. He claims he bought the vitamin with the same specification at P390 per box. Ergo, there is an overprice of P1,860 per box.

He also claimed that the alcohol requested by the CHO was priced at P1,500 per gallon; he bought a gallon of alcohol at P599. The overprice is P901.00 a gallon.

These items are consumable thus the city will need hundreds of boxes of Vitamin C and dozens of gallons of alcohol. Imagine the volume that would be needed and how big the illicit mark-up is beyond the market price.

Gamboa’s claim was cited by the press and the netizens and undisputed by city officials. Defenders of the overprice instead lamely asserted non consummatum. Rather than correct, they divert the issue which indicates the high possibility they will consummate it. Not surprising really.

The budget for these purchases will be drawn from the recently and unanimously approved P113 million to be taken from the city’s Annual Investment Plan.

If these allegations were true, some people have already planned to draw their share from the city investment fund.

CHO head, Dr. Carmela Gensoli said the amount listed in the budget request is not the final price. They just provided an “allowance” for the actual amount which may fall short of their estimate. If the lowest offer will win in the bidding at least they have an allowance, she added.

Did the city health office not canvass the market price? The prices of these items are easy to check. They are common in the health office and the market price is not a secret. Haven’t they bought these items before?

There was no denial of the prices cited by Gamboa or intent to correct. There is a clear plan to overprice.

The clear overprice was so unthinkable that the news became viral on the internet. The attack against Gamboa rather than correcting the error only reinforced the belief that at this time when people are panicky, city officials could conspire to enrich themselves. The one-party council “blindly” approved the budget.

The excuse that anyway there will be bidding is an insult to people of modicum intelligence. We know that biddings are rigged, even services as the city’s garbage collection is not spared from corruption. The defenses of this overpricing and the quickie approval indicate it has top official blessing.

Indeed, this transaction exhibits again the indescribable state of a corrupted officialdom.