Ex-Intramuros exec gets 10 years for illegal structures

Former Intramuros Administration (IA) administrator Dominador Ferrer Jr. was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for allowing illegal constructions in the historical walled city in 1998.

In a 27-page decision promulgated on May 11 and released to the media yesterday, the Sandiganbayan Second Division found Ferrer “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

He was sentenced to a prison term of six years to 10 years and perpetually disqualified from public office.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2001, the case stemmed from Ferrer’s awarding of a lease contract in August 1998 to Offshore Construction Development Co. (OCDC) for three establishments within Intramuros – Baluarte de San Andres, Revellin de Recoletos and Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao.

The ombudsman said the lease contracts were awarded without holding any public bidding.

The ombudsman said Ferrer also allowed construction of new structures in the leased areas without any building permit or clearance required under Presidential Decree 1616 or the Intramuros Charter and Republic Act 6541 or the National Building Code.

In convicting Ferrer, the court gave weight to the testimony of IA technical committee head Augusto Rustia, who said his team disapproved OCDC’s plans because the construction might impair the integrity of the walls in Intramuros.

Rustia said that despite the technical committee’s reservations as well as the lack of a building permit, Ferrer still allowed OCDC to push through with the construction.

The decision was penned by division chairman Associate Justice Oscar Herrera Jr. with the concurrence of Associate Justices Michael Frederick Musngi and Lorifel Pahimna.