Now, it’s ‘he said, she said’ in right-of-way affair

The supposed road right-of-way (ROW) racket in General Santos City has turned into a “he said, she said” affair.

One of the alleged members of a criminal syndicate accused of defrauding the government of P8.7 billion in fictitious ROW claims on Friday warned Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II against falling prey to the supposed whistleblower, Roberto Catapang.

Assisted by lawyer Danny Villanueva, Mercedita Dumlao submitted a letter of appeal to the Department of Justice asking Aguirre to reconsider his decision to admit Catapang as a government witness.

In a two-page letter, Dumlao dismissed Catapang’s allegations that she was one of those who facilitated the release of payment for the private properties used for road projects funded by the Department of Public Works and Highways in General Santos using fictitious land titles.

Turning the tables on Catapang, she said it was actually he who “induced” her to “invest” her money in several ROW claims and that he had sent her 25 land titles as assurance for her investment.