Former Antique Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao, eight other provincial officials and a private contractor have been charged with graft over the alleged irregular construction of a P531.2-million provincial government center.

Complainants Jon Sherwin S. Pacete and Wilson A. Geronimo filed the case before the Office of the Ombudsman, alleging that the project proceeded despite a lack of legal permits and unresolved land-use issues.

The complaint names Cadiao alongside Provincial Accountant Esther Minnie A. Julian, Provincial Treasurer Joyce N. Suriaga and several members of the provincial bids and awards committee. Owners of F. Gurrea Construction Inc. were also included in the charge.

According to the complaint, the 6.4-hectare project site in Barangay Badiang, San Jose de Buenavista, is classified as agricultural land. The municipal council reportedly denied a 2023 request to reclassify the land for institutional use, and the project was publicly declared shelved by Cadiao in March 2023.

Despite the project’s cancellation, the complainants alleged that the contractor continued work, completing 30 percent of the structure by early 2025. They claimed the provincial government paid the firm a total of P531.2 million through a “mobilization payment” in late 2023 and a “partial progress payment” in May 2025.