NAVAL, Philippines — People in this island province are wondering whatever happened to the government school buses that used to ferry students from their homes to school and back for free during the elections last year.

For more than a year now some eight government-owned school buses have been parked in a private lot owned by the father of an incumbent municipal councilor, here. The vehicles are reportedly deteriorating.

The Division Federation of Parents Teachers Association of Biliran has submitted a resolution to Rep. Rogelio J. Espina and Gov. Gerardo J. Espina Jr. asking them to look into the case of the eight buses used by former congressman Glenn A. Chong to provide indigent students transportation.

In response, Congressman Espina has filed a letter of complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman on September 8 regarding the buses which are owned by the municipality of Maripipi, Biliran in the capital town of Naval.

Espina said the former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had allocated R9.120 million to Chong in 2009 to buy the buses. Despite the lack of a Sangguniang Bayan resolution, the buses were turned over to Chong through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with former Maripipi Mayor Noel Albelda.

Espina said that immediately after Albelda and Chong lost in the election in 2010 and before they left office, another memorandum of agreement was signed by Albelda and incumbent Naval Mayor Susan Parilla for the storage of the buses in Naval, again without a supporting Sangguniang Bayan resolution. Albelda, Chong and Parilla belong to one political party, it was gathered.

Upon assumption of Uldarico Macorol as mayor of Maripipi, he demanded that Parilla return the buses to their municipality. Parilla reportedly failed to comply with the request.