Negros Or. governor faces graft charges

MANILA -- Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has found probable cause to indict Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo for graft over the illegal disbursement of calamity funds in 2012.

In a statement posted on its website, the Ombudsman said Degamo would be charged with 11 counts of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Also facing 11 counts of graft are Provincial Treasurer Danilo Mendez, Provincial Accountant Teodorico Reyes and Provincial Engineer Franco Alpuerto.

Mendez and Reyes were also indicted for 11 counts of falsification of public documents.

The Ombudsman ordered the filing of graft charges against Alejandro Lim, Jr. of Lim General Contractor Corp., Mark Anthony Clemente of CTC Builders and Supplies, Inc. Danny Chan of AJAN Jeada, Inc., Wilfredo Chu of Bigfoot Construction and Supply, Farouk Macarambon of Fiat Construction Services, Maribel Ranola of Legazpi Premium Development Corp. and Ricardo Abriol Santos of Richmark Construction and Supply.

“Respondents unilaterally ignored the DBM’s directive and continued to award 11 infrastructure projects,” the resolution signed by Morales stated.

“If respondents had reservations on the legality of the withdrawal of the positive SARO, they could have asked a higher execu- tive authority or secured a judicial directive allowing them to retain control of the funds released to the province. This, respondents failed to do,” the resolution added.

Ombudsman investigators found that in December 2011, Degamo requested assistance for the rehabilitation of the province’s infrastructure damaged by the December 2011 Typhoon Sendong and the 6.9 earthquake that happened in February 2012.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issued in June 2012 a Special Allotment and Release Order (SARO) in the amount of P961.5 million, out of which P480.7 million was immediately released to the provincial government.