Conviction of 5 ex-NHA execs for graft upheld

The Sandiganbayan Second Division has affirmed its graft conviction of former executives of the National Housing Authority (NHA).

In a three-page resolution, the antigraft court court denied the separate motions for reconsideration of former Visayas Management Office Division Manager Josephine Angsico, Manager Virgilio Dacalos, Regional Project Director Felicisimo Lazarte Jr., Project Management Officer Josephine Espinosa, and Supervising Engineer Noel Lobrido.

All five were earlier convicted of graft for their involvement in an overpriced construction project in Bacolod City in 1992, and were sentenced to a minimum of six years and one month imprisonment to a maximum of 10 years, and were perpetually disqualified from  public office.

The case stemmed from the accused conspiring with each other to pay Triad Construction and Development Corp. some P1,280,964.20 for work on the Pahanocoy Sites and Services Project in Bacolod City.

However, the project’s actual cost turned out to be only P330,075.76.