Masbate Gov slapped with P99M plunder case

Plunder, malversation, and falsification of public documents charges were filed against Masbate Governor Antonio T. Kho and seven other local officials on Thursday at the Office of the Ombudsman.

The charges were brought by two local media practitioners, Benjamin Gigante and Edarlito Doremon Jr., in their capacity as taxpayers and constituents, as well as members of the Masbate Quad Media Society Inc.

The two also included in the charges Liborio Gonzales Jr., Provincial Budget Officer Glenda Talisic, Provincial Accountant Eduardo Arcenas, Acting Provincial Treasurer Engr. Ralph Bacolod, Acting Provincial Engineer Atty. Rany Sia, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Chairman Atty. Lowell Pillejera, and project engineers Roberto Lyco and Ricardo Miontecalvo Jr.

Also included in the charge sheet are Rino Revalo and Mary Grace Arellano Baylon, General Managers of Sansa Construction Supply; Shalou Pitajen, owner of Shaljomar Construction Supply; Johnrie Salinas of Triple 8 Construction Services; Jopet Romero, owner of JRMG Construction Supply; and Geraldine Balacano of MBS Construction.

Gigante and Doremon averred in their complaints that the accused officials and contractors in August 2022 "conspired and confederated" with each other in committing plunder and malversation "in the guise of rehabilitations and re-gravelling of road projects and disbursing public funds by falsifying public documents consisting of bidding process and project inspection reports to justify the disbursement of funds to pay for 'non-existing three ghost projects.'"

The amount of the contracts is pegged at P99,805,000, which was sourced through a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines.

The 'ghost road projects,' according to the complaint sheet provided to the Daily Tribune, were Taisan Road in Milagros, Lantangan Road in Mandaon, and Dayao-Bugtong Barangay Road, also in Mandaon, all in Masbate.

Gigante and Doremon also want the Ombudsman to order preventive suspensions against the said officials to prevent them from influencing the investigation.

Kho, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment.