DepEd exec gets 8 years for graft

The Sandiganbayan recently found a former Department of Education (DepEd) official guilty of graft in the overprice by P2.8 million of the cost of construction materials that were never delivered and labor that was not rendered for a school building in 1991.

The antigraft court sentenced former DepEd Region XI Director Venancio Nava to from six years and one month to eight years in prison and perpetual disqualification from public office.

The court also found Nava and Aquilina Granada, administrative officer and chair of the acceptance and inspection committee of the school building project, guilty of two other graft charges and sentenced them to the same penalty.

The charges against coaccused Andres Suero and Napoleon Ramos, who died before the decision was handed down, were dismissed.

The other accused—Jose Burdeos, Antonio Caneza, Pablito Dimaligalig, Raul Retiza, Rodel Valguna and Jesusa de la Cruz—remain at large.

Nava and Granada were ordered to return the P2.8 million to the government.