Ex-Surigao solon indicted for graft

Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Constantino Navarro Jr. was indicted for graft in the Sandiganbayan by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) yesterday for allegedly misappropriating P11.8 million of his pork barrel and overpricing by at least P4.3 million many of his projects in his district from 1997 to 1998.

Navarro faces nine counts of graft and one count of malversation. His bail for graft totals P330,000 or P30,000 for each count, while his bail for malversation amounts to P60,000.

Charged with Navarro were Carlos Derecho, Caraga director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government; Romeo Jardenico, Quirino Libuano and DILG Assistant Secretary Benito Catindig.

Derecho faces seven counts of graft, Catindig two counts, and Jardenico and Libuano, one count each.

"We want to show to members of Congress that we will be scrutinizing every detail of their CDF (Countrywide Development Fund). A big portion of Navarro’s CDF was unaccounted for," Chief Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa Ignacio said.

As witnesses, the OSP will tap Rosalinda Salvador and Mila Lopez, both of the Commission on Audit.

The OSP said the respondents entered into a contract with private firms allegedly without the benefit of any public bidding, and allegedly overpriced the prices of drug testing kits, plows, assorted medicines, notebooks, ballpens and blackboard erasers.

The OSP said 1,000 drug testing kits bought from Revelstone Sales International were allegedly overpriced by P835 each when local officials said each unit only cost P1,000. A check with the PNP Crime Laboratory showed that each kit cost only P165.

Some 834 sets of plows from EG Trading were allegedly acquired at P1,199 each when they could be bought for only P600 each, or a price difference of P539.

A P1-million alleged overprice was also discovered in the purchase of 15,000 notebooks and 10,000 ballpens and blackboard erasers which cost a total of P1.5 million, when they could be bought for only P500,000, the OSP said.

Prosecutors also uncovered alleged overpricing in four medicine purchases from July 1997 to May 1998.