Acquisition of P200-M Maguindanao equipment pool done properly

MAGUINDANAO --- The launching on Wednesday of the new P200 million heavy equipment pool of the province disproved allegations by rivals of Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu that he mishandled its procurement, allies said Saturday.
Mangudadatu, reelected to a third term as Maguidanao governor on May 9, 2016, led the symbolic inauguration of the 25-unit river dredging and road-building machinery at the provincial capitol in Buluan town. The provincial government proved wrong the assertions by hostile camps that there was misuse of the bank loan for the procurement of the equipment,” said Ramil Dilangalen, appointed deputy governor of Maguindanao.

The equipment pool is comprised of two huge river dredgers two motor graders two wheel loaders a truck mounted concrete conveyor pump ten dump trucks three crawler excavators three transit cement mixers and two vibrator road rollers.
The new road-building and river dredging equipment of the province was procured using an allocation from the provincial government’s P1.9 billion loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
Fractions of the loan are now being spent for the setting up of a new, multi-million provincial capitol in Buluan town in the second district of Maguindanao.A big amount had also been earmarked for the expansion of the Maguindanao Program for Educational Assistance and Community Empowerment, which presently has about 6,000 beneficiaries.The application for the equipment loan was facilitated last year yet, initiated by the Mangudadatu administration to complement the national government’s normalization thrusts in areas where there are Moro secessionist forces.Dilangalen said the involvement in the symbolic inauguration of the heavy equipment by state accountants Guiaria Akmad and Mark Nor, provincial and assistant provincial auditors, respectively, was a tacit indication that the procurement of the heavy equipment was done properly.Also present in the event was LBP’s account officer, Nelson Ocampo, Jr.

Ocampo said the processing of the provincial government’s loan application took time and that releases of the borrowed money were done in tranches. The provincial government of Maguindanao enjoys the trust and confidence of the bank,” Ocampo said.Mayor Ramon Piang of North Upi town said he did not believe in the insinuations by rival quarters during the campaign period that the Mangudadatu administration embezzled the loan for the heavy equipment. Our municipality is beneficiary of major socio-economic projects of the governor so we found the campaign attacks as nothing but gossips,” Piang said on Saturday.