Matugas denies role in Surigao road project, seeks dismissal of complaint

Surigao del Norte 1st District Rep. Francisco “Lalo” Matugas has denied involvement in the Mahayhay-Tuburan Road project under investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman, saying he did not sign any project document and was out of public office for most of the period covering its implementation and payments.

Matugas raised the arguments in his counter-affidavit filed in the preliminary investigation involving the road project in Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte.

He said his term as governor ended on 30 June 2022 and that he did not hold any elected or appointed public office from 1 July 2022 until 30 June 2025. He assumed his current congressional post on 1 July 2025.

According to the complaint cited in his counter-affidavit, the project contract was entered into on 22 February 2022, while payments to contractor Boometrix Development Corporation were made from 23 February 2022 to 24 March 2024.

Matugas said the timeline and the project records should be considered in assessing his alleged participation.

“I never signed any document in relation to this Project,” Matugas said.

He also denied taking part in the preparation, review or approval of project documents, disbursement vouchers, inspection reports or certifications being questioned.

The counter-affidavit also addressed a Real Estate Mortgage executed by Matugas and his wife on 1 May 2025, which the complaint cited in alleging that he had a financial or pecuniary interest in Boometrix.

Matugas said the mortgage merely secured a loan obtained by former Rep. Francisco “Bingo” Matugas II, his wife Ethel and Boometrix.

“The REM indicates that on 1 May 2025, my wife and I agreed to mortgage our property to secure a loan of Boometrix with RAMPVER Financials Inc., a financing company,” he said.

He described himself as a third-party mortgagor who “only accommodated a company loan.”

Matugas argued that the mortgage did not establish any role in the road project or in Boometrix’s management.

“The terms of the REM do not even mention the DPWH Project or allow me to participate in the management of Boometrix,” he said.

He also pointed out that the mortgage was executed more than a year after the last project payment identified in the complaint, which was made on 24 March 2024.

At the time the mortgage was executed, Matugas said he was still not holding public office.

He likewise rejected the argument that his family relationship with Boometrix shareholders established conspiracy or participation in the alleged irregularities.

“Neither circumstance establishes that I agreed to participate in, or performed any overt act in furtherance of, the alleged unlawful transactions described in the Complaint,” Matugas said.

His counter-affidavit also stated that he was neither a stockholder nor an officer of Boometrix and that he did not receive proceeds from the project.

The Office of the Ombudsman is conducting a preliminary investigation into alleged irregularities involving the Mahayhay-Tuburan Road project, including questions over its reported accomplishment and payments.

Matugas has asked that the complaint against him be dismissed, arguing that it failed to establish prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.

“The REM and my familial relationships, whether considered separately or together, therefore provide no sufficient factual basis for attributing the acts of the other respondents to me,” he said.