MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman has filed malversation and graft cases against two former Department of Public Works and Highways officials, four DPWH personnel, and seven private individuals over their alleged involvement in a road right-of-way scam in General Santos City.

The Office of the Ombudsman said in a press statement on Sunday, October 25, that it “found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction” against former DPWH Region 12 regional director Subair Saro Diron, former assistant regional director Laureano B. Suan Jr., and DPWH personnel Tomas Marquez Rodriguez, David Lucena Padlan, Paisal Amerol Padate, and Ansare Mariga Busran.

The Ombudsman also included seven private individuals in the cases filed before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan: Wilma Mamburam, Nelson Ti, Evelyn Paloso, Rudy Hadji Ong, Marisa Seguirre, William Uy, Paul Michael Bagio.

“The Ombudsman filed 18 informations for Malversation of Public Funds or Property through Falsification of Public Documents under Article 217 in relation to Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code, and another 18 informations for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” the Office of the Ombudsman said.

In 2018 and 2019, the National Bureau of Investigation submitted three investigation reports to the Ombudsman in relation to the DPWH Region 12 payment for right-of-way for 18 parcels of land allegedly affected by the construction of the Digos-Makar National Road in Lagao, General Santos City.

The witness, Roberto Catapang Jr., had admitted in his 2017 affidavit that he was involved in a syndicate that was allegedly “in collusion with respondent public officers, collected money from the government purportedly as payments for the acquisitions, by fabricating and submitting fake documents.”

Investigators found that the claimants, which were paid a total of P491,931,120.20, had presented falsified documents. The DPWH Region XII technical working group had approved the disbursement of the amount to the claimants.

“Investigators also uncovered the 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, resulting in inflated right-of-way claims,” the Office of the Ombudsman said.

The press statement also said that in a separate administrative decision, the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal from service of former DPWH Region 12 legal officer Ansare Mariga Busran. – Rappler.com