Ex-BuCor chief charged with graft

OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio Morales has indicted a former head of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and three other BuCor officials for failure to bid out a P1.4-million construction project at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City in 2012.

Former BuCor acting director and ex-Army Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan and chief administrative officer Ligaya Dador will be charged with five counts of graft.

Pangilinan will also be charged with one count of violation of the government procurement law along with administrative officer Larry Hari.

BuCor chief of staff Venancio Santidad, who was convicted by the Sandiganbayan in October for the ghost purchase of 21 vehicles in 2003 when he was transportation director for procurement, will also be charged with graft.

Representatives of contractors Grand Potential Press Inc. and Dotgain Solutions: Alman Madrid, Lawrence Balolong, Julita Balolong, Alex del Rosario, Alicia Madrid, Nelson Lee Cheng, Gina Rabancos and Paulino Fernandez, Jr. will also be charged with graft.

In a statement on Tuesday, Morales said she had dismissed and perpetually disqualified from the government service Pangilinan and the three other BuCor officials due to grave misconduct.

If they are already separated from the service, they have to pay a fine equivalent to one year’s salary, the Ombudsman said.

Morales said investigators found that in 2012, the BuCor officials split into four contracts a P1.4-million project for the construction of a building in the NBP to evade the requirement of a public bidding.