By Nimfa L. Estrellado Mayor Anthony Lim addresses city employees during the May 25 flag raising ceremony at Tayabas City Hall amid the grow...
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| Mayor Anthony Lim addresses city employees during the May 25 flag raising ceremony at Tayabas City Hall amid the growing controversy over the questioned LED wall procurement project. (Tayabas City CICRO) |
TAYABAS CITY, Quezon - A city employee allegedly walked into Vice Mayor Rosauro Q. Dalida’s office carrying documents tied to a multimillion-peso LED wall project now under scrutiny in Tayabas City. Days later, the documents spilled across Facebook feeds, city hall hallways and political circles already buzzing over the issue.
“Bit-bit ang kopya ng kumpletong dokumento tungkol sa proyekto na sa tingin niya ay may mga irregularidad,” Dalida said in a Facebook video released on May 22. “Sa pagkakataong iyon, tila nakaramdam ako ng pag-usig sa aking konsensya para kumilos at maging boses ng ordinaryong mga mamamayan.”
Three days later, Anthony Abustan Lim stood before city employees during the May 25 flag raising ceremony and answered the growing controversy. By then, the issue had already moved beyond city hall and into public debate across Tayabas.
“Ang hindi lamang po maganda ay kung inuuna ang pagpapakalat sa media bago hintayin ang magiging desisyon ng tamang tanggapan,” Lim said before employees and department heads gathered inside city hall. He argued that accusations released online before investigations are completed could confuse residents and damage public trust.
That explanation collided with Dalida’s reason for skipping council debate and heading straight to investigators instead. The vice mayor said he kept the issue out of public sessions because he expected accusations of politics the moment he raised it.
“Naniniwala po ako na sa paraang ito ay mabibigyang pagkakataon ang mga sangkot na opisyal at kawani na sagutin at ipaliwanag ang kanilang panig,” Dalida said in the same video statement. He maintained that formal complaints give investigators room to work without political pressure inside the council.
Lim also said his office had not received any formal complaint from the Ombudsman at the time of his speech before city employees. He suggested the records may have been leaked by someone working inside the local government.
“Kung may problema o nakikitang mali, sana ay idaan muna sa opisina ng mayor at sa tamang proseso,” Lim said during the ceremony. He described the alleged leak as disappointing after more than a year of working alongside the same employees.
Dalida rejected accusations that the complaint was politically motivated while elections still remain far from view. He admitted the timing could even hurt him politically and turn allies against him inside the city government.
“Hindi po target ng reklamo ang isang tao at hindi lahat ng dawit sa usapin ay politiko,” Dalida said in the Facebook video. He later described the move as possible “political suicide” because of the backlash already building around the issue.
The project centered on an outdoor LED wall package meant for city events and government programs across Tayabas. Supporters of Lim later released a statement listing sound systems, microphones, lighting equipment, laptops and steel framing included in the package.
“Hindi lang po LED ang kasama sa proyekto,” Lim said during the gathering at city hall. “Kasama po rito ang speakers, AVR, laptop, microphones, civil works, steel framing at iba pang kagamitang kailangan para magamit ito sa mga programa.”
The same statement claimed the package carried a five-year warranty meant to reduce future repair costs for the city government. It also argued that cheaper LED systems usually become more expensive once repairs and replacement parts start piling up.
Lim said the procurement passed through public bidding and review by the city’s Bids and Awards Committee before approval. He also reminded employees that the city council approved the budget without raising formal objections during deliberations.
The vice mayor also drew a line between approving a budget and handling project implementation after funds are released. He said the council approved the appropriation because no irregularities appeared during budget discussions.
“Iba ang usapin ng pagpapasa ng budget at iba ang usapin ng implementasyon ng proyekto,” Dalida said while defending the council’s role in the process. He maintained that procurement and implementation fall outside the legislative powers of the council.
The controversy surfaced while Tayabas City continues dealing with water shortages, employee concerns and complaints over illegal land developments in several barangays. Lim spent part of his May 25 speech talking about dry faucets, unregulated subdivisions and mounting pressure on city services.
As of Tuesday, investigators had not released any ruling on the questioned procurement despite the growing public attention surrounding the issue. Inside Tayabas political circles, the louder question now is who leaked the documents and who might speak next.
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