NBI files plunder raps vs former govt officials

THE National Bureau of Investiga on Wednesday over a P255-million right-of-way scam.

Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson and 33 other face the plunder complaint, on top of a graft complaint.

The current officials also face the administrative charge of grave misconduct.

The plunder complaint is part of an alleged P8.7-billion scam that involved fake compensation claims on lands used for government projects.

A state witness identified as Roberto Catapang Jr. came forward to say he used to work for a syndicate that works with DPWH officials in filing for bogus claims in right- of- way projects.

Catapang said the syndicate was allegedly headed by a certain Wilma Mamburam, whose participation was to collect “just compensation” from before paying for pieces of private property that were allegedly affected by construction of national roads.

The NBI said they were initially looking at 50 titles but as of now, only nine titles have been found to be spurious or fake.

These titles amount to P255million worth of compensation that has been released.

According to Catapang, the documents and the claimants were fake.

He said he joined the syndicate in 2009 but left the group.

Since then, he added, the syndicate has collected P8.7 billion from around 300 bogus right-ofway claims in General Santos City, Sarangani, in connection with the construction of the Digos-MakarBuayan national road.

- ister of Deeds of General Santos certi titles—which would lawfully transfer ownership to the government—of nine claims were not processed “and [they do] not exist in the record and the vault of the Registry of Deeds.”

It has in its possession a letter from Singson to Florencio Abad, then- secretary of Department of Budget and Management, dated December 23, 2013, “requesting for [sic] the release of funds for the payment of the outstanding claims.”

The letter involved the P255million worth of claims.

“Abad granted the above-mentioned fund requested by Singson. The said amount was used to fund the fourth payments of the nine claims being investigated. In March 2015, all nine claims were fully paid,” the NBI said.

The NBI, however, said that before the government pays compensation to claimants, it should make sure the deed of sale had been registered with the Registry of Deeds and the transfers of title already made in favor of the government.