Ombudsman forms 3-member panel to probe ex-DPWH executive

MANILA, Philippines - Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez has formed a three-man panel of investigators and gave them 90 days to complete its preliminary probe against former Public Works and Highways secretary Florante Soriquez and 16 other officials of the DPWH allegedly involved in the World Bank road fund anomaly.

Assistant Ombudsman Jose de Jesus Jr. said yesterday that a composite team headed by a senior investigator of the Office of the Ombudsman has been created to handle the case.

He said the panel was given three months to do the job of determining whether or not there is probable cause to file graft charges against Soriquez and the rest of the respondents before the Sandiganbayan.

“Instead of raffling it to a lawyer, a composite team has been formed by the Ombudsman. If the 90 days given them will not be enough, they have to ask, in writing, for extension,” De Jesus told The STAR.

The Field Investigation Office (FIO) of the Office of the Ombudsman filed charges of grave misconduct, dishonesty, conduct prejudicial to the interest of the service, and neglect of duty against Soriquez and 16 other DPWH officials for approving bids that go beyond the approved budget contracts (ABC) of the $150-million National Road Improvement and Management Project-Phase 1 (NRIMP-1) funded by the World Bank.

The other officials being investigated for the alleged bid-rigging are DPWH Undersecretary Manuel Bonoan, chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) for Visayas and Mindanao projects; Assistant Secretaries Bashir Rasuman, Salvador Pleyto, Juanito Abergas, Mocamad Raki-in Sr., vice-chairman for the Mindanao Area, and Rafael Yabut, vice chairman for operations for Area III, and 10 other BAC members.

Soriquez was DPWH secretary when the bidding for the NRIMP-1 project was conducted and participating private contractors were allegedly allowed to enter bids that went beyond the approved budget.

The FIO’s report said recommendations to award the contracts to the winners were issued despite alleged irregularities in the procedure.

Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni, who headed the fact-finding investigation, said there is strong documentary evidence showing clear violations of the country’s Procurement Act.

De Jesus said the FIO has already submitted its report to the Preliminary Investigation and Administrative Adjudication and Monitoring Office (PAMO), which he also heads.

“The complaint has been transmitted and docketed as both criminal and administrative cases,” he said, noting that the task of determining probable cause to indict is now in the hands of the panel created by the Ombudsman.

Gutierrez recently attended a meeting of the Asian Development Bank’s Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (ADB-OECD) and presented the country’s anti-corruption reforms, despite criticisms of her alleged delay in filing graft charges against influential people.

Gutierrez told participants in the ADB-OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific held in Macau last March 23 to 24 that initiatives are being undertaken by the Philippines to promote integrity of public servants and the business sector, strengthen anti-bribery measures, and institute public awareness with the support of non-government organizations (NGOs).

She said that a bill was filed in Congress exempting the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) from the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) that would entitle them to be compensated with two percent of their collections and allow both agencies to implement initiatives to improve revenue collection.