DPWH execs face graft for P491.9 million right-of-way scam

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has filed before the Sandiganbayan graft and malversation charges against six officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Soccsksargen and other individuals over an alleged P491.9-million scam involving a road right-of-way in General Santos City.  

Personnel of the anti-graft body brought several trolleys carrying stacks of documents as they filed 18 counts of graft and 18 counts of malversation against the accused.  

The cases were subsequently raffled to the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Divisions. 

In a statement, the ombudsman said it found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction against former DPWH-Soccsksargen regional director Subair Diron, former assistant regional director Laureano San Juan Jr., Tomas Rodriguez, David Padlan, Paisal Padate and Ansare Busran. 

Seven private individuals were likewise charged, namely Wilma Mamburam, Nelson Ti, Evelyn Paloso, Rudy Ong, Marisa Seguirre, William Uy and Paul Michael Bagio. 

The ombudsman said the charges stemmed from three reports of the National Bureau of Investigation in 2018 and 2019, which involved the payment of right-of-way for 18 parcels of land that were supposedly affected by the construction of the Digos-Makar National Road in Lagao, General Santos City.

The anti-graft body cited a 2017 affidavit of witness Roberto Catapang, who claimed a syndicate, in collusion with the respondent public officials, collected money from the government supposedly as payments for the acquisitions, by fabricating and submitting fake documents. 

Through this, the DPWH-Soccsksargen technical working group approved the disbursement of P491.9 million to claimants who were later found to have presented fake documents.

Ombudsman probers also found an alleged unlawful use of a 2009 appraisal value of P3,500 per square meter to determine compensation for properties taken by the government in the early 1990s. 

This resulted in “inflated” right-of-way claims, it said.