53 face raps for ‘anomalous’ irrigation projects in Caraga

MANILA, Philippines - Fifty-three persons, including three officials of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in the Caraga region, are facing graft charges for the alleged anomalous implementation of seven irrigation projects worth P119 million, a police official said on Saturday.

A complaint filed last week with the Office of the Ombudsman named former NIA regional manager Modesto Membreve, his successor Dexter Patrocinio, current NIA regional manager Encarnacion Soriano, and Gardinel Jimenez, owner of Dungan Constructors and Development Corp., as among the respondents in the case.

Senior Superintendent Rudy Lacadin, deputy chief for operations of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said the funds for the projects were released in early 2012 to the NIA regional office.

Lacadin said the projects remain unfinished.

“Technical specialists also found out the materials used in the projects were substandard and prescribed specifications were not followed,” he said.

Last April, President Aquino questioned the long-delayed completion of the projects and ordered an investigation.

A special investigating team composed of personnel from the departments of the interior and local government, justice, and public works and highways; the National Bureau of Investigation; the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the CIDG was created to investigate the matter.

Lacadin said the 53 persons were accused of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Government Procurement Reform Act involving three of the seven irrigation projects.

“We will file more cases based on the remaining four projects before the end of the month,” he said

The police official said the three NIA-funded projects included the MAP irrigation project packages two, three and seven worth P53 million.

Also included are projects to build canals and other irrigation facilities in the remote villages of Mat-i, Ambacon and Pinana-an in Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte.

“We are receiving reports from NIA employees that some of the documents are being tampered with. But it’s too late to tamper with the documents that have been submitted to the Commission on Audit. We have copies of that,” Lacadin said.