Noy brod-in-law tagged in right-of-way scam
A brother-in-law of former president Benigno Aquino III has been implicated in an alleged anomaly during the previous administration.
Eldon Cruz, the husband of Aquino’s eldest sister Ballsy, was accused by a whistleblower under government custody of involvement in the P8.7-billion road right-of-way (RROW) scam for projects in General Santos City secured through fake land titles.
In a press conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday, witness Roberto Catapang Jr. presented to the media a supposed letter signed by Cruz endorsing one of the projects in the anomaly.
The letter, which only had a signature but did not have a name, requested then Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Rogelio Singson to endorse the payment for claims with then Department of Budget and Management (DBM) secretary Florencio Abad.
Catapang said Abad apparently approved the release of payment for illegal RROW claims as requested by Singson.
Catapang recalled seeing at least two more letters of endorsement bearing the same signature with one of them even having a letterhead of Malacañang.
“Actually, (Cruz’s involvement) is known in the DPWH. The people in central (office) know that. They had been talking about it during the time of president Aquino,” he said.
In a statement last night, Cruz’s son Jiggy said: “To tag my father in this ‘scam’ is absurd and ridiculous. The letter shown today at the DOJ shows a fake signature. That’s not his signature. It is not even remotely close to it. We live ina time of lies and fake news and I can’t believe it’s reached this point. It’s just totally ridiculous.”
Catapang, who implicated Singson and Abad in the supposed anomaly, claimed he was part of the syndicate who operated the scam.
He said they would fabricate fake titles in the name of non-existent persons and then secure payment using them.
Catapang, who has been placed under the witness protection program of the DOJ, said the syndicate was able to process over 300 RROW claims, including one amounting to P29 million.
The modus operandi was discovered in 2011, prompting the syndicate to stop operations, but the scam continued in General Santos City.
In fact, he recalled that some P500 million was released by Abad in December 2013 upon the request of Singson for payment of RROW involving fake land titles.
Catapang identified the other members of their group as Wilma Mamburam, a certain Colonel Chino Mamburam, Merceditas Dumlao and Nelson Ti, the group’s alleged financier and a “close friend” of Aquino.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Cruz’s name may be added to the list once the signature on the document is verified by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is conducting a factfinding probe into the scam.
Lookout bulletin vs Abad, Singson
As this developed, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday included the names of Abad, Singson and 41 others in its Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order in connection with the ongoing investigation on the RROW scam.
BI spokesperson Ma. Antonette Mangrobang said they received instructions from the office of Aguirre to place the additional names in the ILBO also yesterday.