4 Quezon DPWH officials sued for P60-million road projects

LUCENA CITY , Philippines  – A former councilor of a town in Quezon province has filed before the Ombudsman criminal and administrative charges against four officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways in connection with the P60 million road project in the province.

Mabini Asia, former municipal councilor of Mulanay town in Quezon, has charged district engineers Rogelio Rejano, Marcelito Ferrer, Jorge Pacia and Oscar Capio, all detailed at the Third District DPWH Engineering Office in Catanauan, Quezon with violation of RA 7080 otherwise known as Anti-Plunder Law; Articles 213 and 217 of the Revised Penal Code for fraud against public treasury and malversation; RA 3019 or Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; RA 6713 or Code of Conduct and Ethical Standard for Public Officials and Employees.

Asia’s complaint-affidavit states that the four officials have “repackaged” the projects for the purpose of collecting anew and consequently defrauding the government when they declared as completed last year various road projects found to have been earlier completed in 2002 and 2004.

Rejano has furnished the Office of the Municipal Mayor of Mulanay Quezon, Individual Project Status Report (IPSR) duly accomplished by Capio and Ferrer dated April 30 and June 30, 2009 about the supposedly ongoing projects: Mulanay-San Francosco road, Poblacion-Solcom section; Road Upgrading of Mulanay-San Francisco road, Sito Divisoria section and road Upgrading of sitio Matataja and on July 31, 2009 the same projects were declared as completed in the IPSR and furnished to municipal mayor of Mulanay.

The three road projects have been undertaken by F.F Rosales Construction and R.V Laborte Builders. Both contrators may be impleaded as co-principals in criminal cases before the Ombudsman if they consented to the reports and lent their business registration to the fraudulent scheme done by the respondents, according to Asia.

Barangay captains Ramon Pereda and Felino Rosas filed sworn statements on Dec. 19, 2009 claiming that the said projects were already finished and completed in 2002 and 2004.

Asia pressed for the investigation and preventive suspension of the four respondent s to prevent them from “contaminating, destroying and intercalating the records in their office.”