Government prosecutors eye plunder raps vs DPWH execs in repair scam

State prosecutors are eyeing the filing of plunder charges against five ranking officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) implicated in a P139-million vehicle repair scam.

Meanwhile, Acting Ombudsman Margarito Gervacio has asked the Bureau of Immigration to issue a hold-departure order against the five officials and at least 22 other personnel of the DPWH pending completion of the investigation and the filing of appropriate charges.

Sources at the DPWH and the Office of the Ombudsman identified three of the five officials as Undersecretaries Edmundo Mir and Mabini Pablo and motorpool chief Maximo Borje.

Government Corporate Counsel Amado Valdez said earlier that 521 counts of graft charges would also be filed against Mir and Pablo, who have been placed under a 90-day suspension upon orders of President Arroyo.

Mir and Pablo have denied any complicity in the mess, but investigators said they could be held liable for neglect of duty, enabling the culprits to perpetuate the irregularity for several years now.

Gervacio said investigation results indicated that the irregularity has been going on since 1990, but was uncovered only early this year.

Under the law, a government official or employee may be charged with plunder if the amount involved in the graft case is P50 million or more.

"Based on our records, Borje was a signatory in about 30 percent of the anomalous vouchers," a DPWH source privy to the probe told The STAR.

Borje was believed to have raked in as much as P63 million from the scam, while five other DPWH officials got about P20 million.

He added that two other officials of the department were found to have pocketed at least P2 million or more from the anomalous disbursements for purported repairs of the vehicles at exorbitant costs.

The Ombudsman source told The STAR that the 521 counts of graft cases to be lodged against the suspects were equivalent to the number of vehicles that purportedly underwent repairs last year to the tune of P139 million.

The source said every DPWH official who signed the vouchers authorizing release of the funds for the fictitious and overpriced repairs of the vehicles would be included in the list of respondents.

The probers found out that in some instances, the cost of repair was even higher that the actual value of the vehicle.

In one case, repairs supposedly done last year on an old model Mercedez-Benz car amounted to P900,000.

DPWH internal auditor Irene Ofilada noted that even a Nissan pickup assigned to her ostensibly underwent several fictitious repairs.

Ofilada said some of the vehicles which presumably underwent repairs at the DPWH motorpool were not even owned by the department, but the cost of repairs was nevertheless charged to the agency.

"The respondents systematically cheated the government when (they) sought the repairs when it was not actually done as they made it appear in the series of documents they prepared as part of their respective functions and responsibilities," Ofilada said.

Gervacio has created a probe body composed of senior investigator Wilfred Pascasio as chairman and Emma Suarez, Cherry Bolo and Bonifacio Mantrilla as members, to evaluate the pieces of evidence against the officials linked to the mess.

Gervacio gave the panel until Tuesday next week to submit its report and recommendations based on its inquiry.

He also directed the panel to proceed with the preliminary investigation if there is probable cause for filing of appropriate charges against the five ranking officials and at least 22 other DPWH personnel.

Mrs. Arroyo earlier ordered the filing of appropriate charges against Emily Tanquintic, director for comptrollership and finance management; Burt Favorito, director for administrative and manpower management services; and Florendo Arias, assistant director for bureau of equipment. All three were presidential appointees.

Also reportedly placed on the carpet were Abraham Divina Jr., director for bureau of equipment, and Oscar Abundo, director for legal services. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Jose Aravilla, Perseus Echeminada