Pineda camp to deluge Lapids with graft cases

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Sen. Lito Lapid, his son, Gov. Mark Lapid, and a number of provincial officials face a deluge of graft and corruption charges before the Office of the Ombudsman this week.

Lawyers from the camp of provincial board member Lilia Pineda, a gubernatorial aspirant, are finalizing the cases involving alleged ghost deliveries of infrastructure materials to some municipalities.

These are on top of the cases which Pineda’s running mate, Vice Gov. Joseller "Yeng" Guiao, has prepared on alleged anomalies in the collection of lahar sand quarrying fees.

Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, co-chairman of the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi), revealed the moves of the Pineda camp to The STAR yesterday.

The Lapids’ camp, however, questioned the timing of the cases.

"If they have had the evidence all along, why are they threatening to file (the cases) only now that the elections are coming? It is clear that the motive is all political," said provincial administrator Fidel Arcenas, campaign manager of Mark Lapid who is seeking reelection.

Pelayo said the complainants in the ghost delivery complaint would include some of the 17 mayors who bolted the Lakas-Christian, Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) to join Kampi last November.

"Our lawyers are about to finish with the charge documents and (the cases) will be filed within this week," he said.

He declined to give further details on the cases. He promised though to release copies of the graft complaints as soon as they are finalized and filed with the Ombudsman this week.

Pelayo said evidentiary documents are backing the complaints. He cited the case of the Lapids having allegedly spent P6 million for the delivery of gravel for road projects in three Candaba barangays.

"The gravel was not delivered and yet there are documents to prove that the contractor was paid from both the provincial coffers and the pork barrel of Sen. Lito Lapid," he said.

Pelayo said the new cases will be filed together with the complaint of Guiao who earlier had raised the same charges against the Lapids on the alleged lahar sand quarrying anomalies with the House of Representatives.

"The complaints were never acted upon so they will be filed before the Ombudsman," he said.

Guiao earlier cited Commission on Audit (COA) records showing that the provincial government had an income of only P45 million from quarry operations from 2002 to 2004.

This, compared to P382 million collected over a similar three-year period from 1999 to 2001 when quarrying was still under the jurisdiction of the government-owned Natural Resources Development Corp. (NRDC).

Arcenas, however, said the Ombudsman had dismissed similar charges against Sen. Lapid when he was still the governor.

Arcenas also belied allegations of ghost deliveries of infrastructure materials.

"The provincial engineer’s office can readily answer the allegations. It keeps a record of certifications of the local projects as well as acceptance (of project completion by the beneficiaries)," he said.

In some instances, Arcenas clarified that three different road projects could have been placed under the same heading.

"For example, under the heading of Porac-Sta. Rita road, there could be three road projects completed separately," he said.

The STAR tried to contact the Lapids, but they were out of reach.

Arcenas, meanwhile, declined to comment on reports that the Lapids were attempting to reconcile with the Pinedas by taking in either Lilia or her son, Lubao Mayor Dennis Pineda, as Mark’s running mate.

He quoted presidential adviser for political affairs Gabriel Claudio as saying two weeks ago that the administration would uphold the "equity of the incumbent" rule by proclaiming Mark as the official coalition candidate for Pampanga governor.

"We expect this proclamation to be made official before March 28," he said.

He, however, declined to comment on whether President Arroyo would personally proclaim Mark as the coalition candidate.

The President is also known to be close to the Pinedas and had acted as a sponsor in the wedding of Dennis.

The President, though, was also a sponsor in the wedding of Mark’s running mate, Paul Laus, son of Clark Development Corp. president Liberato Laus.

"It’s better for the coalition to decide and announce Mark as the official gubernatorial candidate," Arcenas said.

Arcenas also dismissed reports that the Lapids were thinking of putting up their own local party amid their conflict with the Pinedas.

The other day, the elder Lapid met with opposition senatorial candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson and was reported to have said that he was considering putting up a local party he referred to as Lingat at Lugud Kapampangan.

"It is just out of respect and friendship that the senator met with Lacson who was on his way to campaign in Pampanga," Arcenas said.