MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE 2) The Field Investigation Office (FIO) of the Office of the Ombudsman is recommending the filing of graft charges against 17 former and present officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the alleged anomalous bidding for a $330-million World Bank (WB) project.
Former secretary Florante Soriquez, current undersecretary Manuel Bonoan, and the other officials involved in at least six bidding processes for Phase 1 of the National Roads Improvement and Management Project (NRIMP-1) could also face charges of grave misconduct and neglect of duty, among others.
The case stemmed from the controversial WB report, which had banned three local contractors for the alleged corruption.
The FIO cleared absolved Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. of any liability for the alleged in connection with the anomalous bidding for road projects funded by the World Bank.
?We have not found evidence that Secretary Ebdane participated in the bidding,? Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni, FIO chief said.
Jalandoni said the evidence they gathered showed that Soriquez was acting secretary at the time the projects were bid out and awarded.
As for First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, whose name has been mentioned in connection with the allegedly rigged bidding, Jalandoni said they would summon the three witnesses who mentioned Mr. Arroyo?s name during the investigation conducted by the WB.
The fact-finding committee of the FIO, which looked into the case, is submitting its complaint for preliminary investigation still within the Office of the Ombudsman to determine if the recommended charges should be filed with the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.
It recommended the filing of charges against Soriquez, who approved the results of the bidding; Bonoan, who was the chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) for Visayas and Mindanao projects; Undersecretary Bashir Rasuman, who was BAC chair for Mindanao; BAC members and assistant secretaries Salvador Pleyto, Mocamad Raki-in Sr., Juanito Abergas and Rafael Yabut;
Project Manager III Emerson Benitez; Legal Service officer-in-charge Joel Jacob and later Camilo Foronda; Project Directors Baliamen Mamainte, Lope Adriano and Mario Bandelaria; Bureau of Research and Standards Director IV Antonio Molano Jr.; Bureau of Construction Director Walter Ocampo; Florencio Aricheta and Leonora Cuenca.
Jalandoni said they will summon Tomatu Suzuka, Shingo Nakamura and O.Y. Kwan to verify their testimonies linking Mr. Arroyo to the alleged anomaly before deciding whether to include the First Gentleman in the second phase of their investigation.
At the same time, Jalandoni said they will conduct a joint investigation with the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) to determine the private corporations and individuals who should be prosecuted.
The project was divided into two components: The rehabilitation of the Surigao-Davao Coastal Road, with an initial approved budget of more than P967 million and the Kabankalan-Basay/San Enrique-Vallehermoso Road with an initial approved budget of P1.013 billion.
In all the bidding processes, the involved officials allegedly declared as eligible companies, which gave bids between P200 million and P600 million above the approved budget for the contracts. They also chose bidders who gave bids higher than the approved budgets.
The Field Investigation Office (FIO) of the Office of the Ombudsman said these actions violated the law, which said that bids higher than the approved budget for the contract should be disqualified automatically.
In an earlier interview, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez lamented the lack of cooperation from the World Bank. "The World Bank should also answer why those [supposedly confidential] information are in the newspapers and why some people have copies [of the reports]," Gutierrez said last month.
But Jalandoni said they have been coordinating with the WB for the investigation. "We have a continuous coordination and communication with the WB," Jalandoni said.
He said that aside from the documents the WB gave to the Office of the Ombudsman, they also used other papers the fact-finding committee independently got, as well as reports from the Department of Public Works and Highways. They also got copies of the documents of the questioned bidding processes.
The Office of the Ombudsman was expected to officially announce the results of the fact-finding investigation in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
