MANILA, Philippines - A resident of Payatas, Quezon City on Wednesday filed graft charges against Quezon City Vice Mayor Herbert ‘Bistek’ Bautista for approving a food supply contract worth P733,150 without public bidding.

In a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, Nicanor Royo Salameda Jr. said Bautista acted in bad faith when he resorted to a negotiated contract with Lucky Mama Food and General Merchandise for delivery of food to the Quezon City Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center on December 8, 2008.
 
Salameda said there was no reason to set aside the requirement for a public bidding because there was no urgency at the time the deal was negotiated.
 
The complainant asked the Ombudsman to place Bautista under six-month preventive suspension to stop him from influencing the progress of the investigation.

Bautista, who is running for mayor under the Liberal Party, welcomed a formal inquiry by the Ombudsman but questioned the timing of the complaint.
 
“The only way they can attack me is by peddling lies. This only betrays their desperation after the most recent survey showed I stand to get 75 percent of the votes while all my opponents managed only single-digit ratings,” he said.