From previous administration: Ombudsman probe on 15 projects sought

CEBU, Philippines — Fifteen infrastructure projects from the previous administration with questionable or incomplete procurement records will be endorsed by the Cebu Provincial Government to the Office of the Ombudsman for further investigation, with possible graft and corruption cases involving Capitol personnel.

Assistant Provincial Legal Counsel Atty. Romielyn Macalinao said the Provincial Legal Office (PLO) is finalizing the legal action on the projects, which remain under investigation by the provincial government.

“We are looking into graft and corruption cases," Macalinao told reporters at a press conference yesterday, Monday.

The 15 projects were reduced from an initial list of 20 infrastructure projects that Governor Pamela Baricuatro identified during her previous State of the Province Address (SOPA) as having lacking or questionable procurement proceedings. The projects had a combined value of about P120 million.

Of the 15 projects, three have been confirmed to have no documents that the current administration could locate, while 11 have missing procurement documents. One has some records but still has several deficiencies.

Macalinao said the three projects for which the Provincial Legal Office and the current Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) could not locate the records involved two reinforced concrete lamp post projects and one road concreting project.

The first involved the installation of 112 reinforced concrete lamp post head stems in Asturias, Carmen, Barili and Toledo City, with a project cost of P550,000.

The second involved 467 reinforced concrete lamp post head stems in Balamban and Toledo City, amounting to P2.4 million. Macalinao said both projects had the same contractor.

The third involved the concreting of a road and shoulder section in Aloguinsan, with a project cost of P4.7 million.

Another questioned project involves road concreting in Balamban worth P1.9 million. Unlike the three projects with no records, some documents for the Balamban project were found, although several remain missing.

11 projects still being verified

Macalinao said 11 of the 15 questioned projects have missing procurement documents, including performance bonds, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) documents and Contractor’s All-Risk Insurance (CARI).

She said the deficiencies could still be remedied if the required documents are located and properly certified.

“These are documents nga mo provide kay si contractor and pangayoon na nila sa third-party agencies,” Macalinao said, explaining that contractors may obtain certified true copies of the missing documents from the concerned agencies.

“If they can provide us with certified true copy nga naa jud na kay basin nawala na or unsa na siya, basin ma-remedy pa na siya,” she said.

The PLO has therefore not ruled out clearing some of the 11 projects if the missing requirements are properly established.

Macalinao, however, stressed that procurement documents are critical to the validity of government contracts.

“Ma considered jud nga null and void ang contract if walay procurement documents,” she said.

No payments made

The province has not yet transmitted the 15 projects to the Commission on Audit (COA) because the documentary deficiencies remain unresolved.

Macalinao said the province has also not paid for the projects because transmitting them to COA without the required documents could result in audit disallowances.

“Wala na na endorse to COA because of the lacking documents. Kay mao ra gihapon ma disallow, that's what we're avoiding,” she said.

“Si province dili pud pwede mobayad kay wala pud gi transmit to COA,” she added.

Macalinao said the PLO intends to endorse the questioned projects to the Ombudsman for further investigation but would not disclose the parties involved or the current status of the complaint.

“As to the action of the provincial legal office (PLO) sa endorsement of the investigation before the Ombudsman, we will not divulge as to the parties involved as well as unsa nay current status niya. But rest assured that it is ongoing and it will be endorsed before the Office of the Ombudsman,” she said.

The provincial investigation stemmed from a memorandum issued by Baricuatro on July 28, 2025 directing a probe into the questioned projects.

Macalinao said the Provincial Engineering Office subsequently issued suspensions involving the projects in September 2025.

The investigation remains ongoing, with the legal office awaiting documents and certifications related to the projects.

“I am only waiting for the certification of the former BAC Secretary (from the previous administration). Gi instructan nato nga e locate,” Macalinao shared.

She attributed some of the difficulty in locating the records to the lack of a proper turnover from the previous administration to the current BAC.

“Kay one of the reasons is gubot ang arrangements before sa previous BAC… which resulted nga ang current BAC members, naglisod sila og pangita,” she said.

No formal turnover

Macalinao said there was no proper turnover of documents when Baricuatro assumed office, leaving the current BAC to search through the records handed over to them.

“Paglingkod ni Gov. Pam there was no proper turnover. So paglingkod sa current BAC they were given the documents as is unya wapa juy formal ceremonial turnover,” she said.

Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces said the review initially covered a much larger number of projects from the previous administration.

“It all started with 125 projects then naghimo nag memo si Gov ana and after a year, just to make sure that all the projects from the previous administration, all legal matters will be complied,” Empaces said.

According to Empaces, the review eventually narrowed the list to 20 infrastructure projects with questionable concerns, which were then subjected to further examination.

“There are some projects nga nagpadayon na. Out of those 125, there were remaining 20 infra projects nga questionable and then out of the…naay 4 nga daghan jud og kuwang,” he said.

“Naa na ta sa stage of finalizing the legal actions with regards to the four infra projects,” he said.

Macalinao, however, clarified that the province will not necessarily limit the Ombudsman endorsement to the four projects if the deficiencies in the remaining 11 cannot be remedied.

She said the 11 projects with missing performance bonds, DOLE documents and CARI requirements may also be included if the BAC fails to establish the existence of the missing records.

Macalinao said former BAC secretariats were given an opportunity to search their records, and some documents were eventually recovered, reducing the original list of 20 projects to 15.

The deadline for locating and submitting the remaining documents was last Friday, September 11, but the former BAC secretariats asked for an extension.

Macalinao said she had informed them that no further extension would be granted.

Separate nbi endorsement

Apart from the Ombudsman action, Macalinao said the province would also make a separate endorsement to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

She emphasized that the planned investigations concern Capitol personnel involved in the questioned projects and are separate from any proceedings involving private contractors.

Empaces said the province had also contacted the contractors involved in the questioned projects to give them an opportunity to explain or address their lapses.

“Naa toy usa ka contractor ang gi-blacklist, action sa BAC tungod sa performance. Pero base on procurement law, basta ila lang nang na address ilang lapses, pwede man sila makabalik,” he said.

He added that projects with complete documents are allowed to proceed while the province continues to address deficiencies in the questioned projects. — (FREEMAN)