Former Negros Occidental  Board Member Angelito Colmenares Saturday said he had nothing to do with the concreting of a barangay road in Barangay Tuguis, Hinigaran.

He also said the road was not concreted by the Provincial Engineer’s Office but by the Department of Agriculture  for the Department of Agrarian Reform.

 It was the DA  who identified it as a farm-to-market road  for agrarian reform beneficiaries and had it concreted about two to three years ago, he said.

 He also said the road has been considered a barangay road, not a private road, and they are thankful that it was concreted without  our even asking.

The Negros Occidental Provincial Engineer’s Office was not part of the  project, he added.

Colmenares was reacting to a report about a complaint filed against officials and employees of the Negros Occidental Provincial Engineer’s Office and their civilian cohorts for allegedly using public funds for the concreting of a private road in Barangay Tuguis, Hinigaran, in violation of the law.

The formal complaint was filed before Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. by Buenafe Parcon and Jose Mari Salvador.

The Provincial Legal Office has asked the Engineer’s Office to explain its side, Jose Ma. Valencia, chief of staff of the governor, had  said.

“As of now, we do not believe that Provincial Engineer’s Office undertook the concreting without basis, we are looking into the matter,” Valencia said.

Valencia said it appears that the complaint also stems from a family dispute among the Colmenares siblings, he added.

The complainants said the concreting of a private road using government funds is in violation of sections 335 and 336 of Republic Act 7160 of the Local Government Code of 1991, Article 220 of the Revise Penal Code and the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

They said the road that was concreted is 150 linear meters in length and privately owned by B.M. Colmenares Corp., and leads to the fighting cock farm of former Board Member Angelito Colmenares.

The road concreting was done under the supervision of a certain Engineer Osorio of the Provincial Engineer’s Office, the complaint said.*CPG

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