Ombudsman affirms ex-BFAR exec’s indictment

MANILA, Philippines — Former fisheries undersecretary Eduardo Gongona has failed in his bid to reverse his graft indictment over alleged irregularities in the awarding of a P2.1-billion contract for vessel monitoring system (VMS) transceivers to a British company in 2018.

In a 13-page order, the Office of the Ombudsman denied Gongona’s motions for partial reconsideration for the reversal of the graft indictments against him, former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) national director Demosthenes Escoto and Simon Tucker of SRT Marine Systems Solutions.

The ombudsman said the motions lacked basis.

“Succinctly, the respondent-movant did not include any newly discovered evidence that would materially affect the assailed findings of this office; neither was he able to show any errors of law or irregularities committed therein that would warrant its reversal,” the ombudsman said.

“The arguments he has put forth have either been already considered or passed upon in the assailed resolution, or better ventilated during trial proper than at the preliminary investigation level,” it added.

The complaint was filed by lawyer James Mier Victoriano after the contract to supply VMS transmitters and transceivers for BFAR’s Integrated Marine Environment Monitoring System Project Phase II (PHILO Project) was awarded to SRT-UK.

The supply contract was initially awarded to an unqualified bidder, SRT-France, before it was cancelled and awarded to the parent company, SRT-UK.

The PHILO project aimed to strengthen BFAR’s capability to monitor the country’s maritime resources by requiring all commercial fishing vessels to install a monitoring system showing their location at sea.