San Jose del Monte, Bulacan Mayor Arthur Robes and his wife, Rep. Florida Robes, are facing multiple counts of murder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the explosion of a water tank that killed four people in October 2017.
In a 20-page complaint, Councilor Irene del Rosario filed four counts of murder as well as 43 counts of frustrated murder against the Robes couple.
She alleged the mayor hired two witnesses to identify her as behind the water tank explosion, saying Noli and Rex Barcelona received P8,000 in exchange for an affidavit implicating her as the principal suspect in the incident.
A private secretary to the mayor, Perfecto Tagalog, paid the witnesses.
The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption accompanied Del Rosario in the filing of the cases.
Included in the complaint sheet were San Jose del Monte Water District general manager Loreto Limcolioc; board chairman Enrique delos Santos; secretary Felipe Policarpio Jr.; board members Victoria Camua and Jovita Vizmonte-Mateo; assistant general manager Victor Canita Jr.; Tagalog, and one Gil Gayosa.
Del Rosario blamed the Robeses to allow a joint venture between the SJMWD and Prime Water Infrastructure Corp. belonging to ex-senator Manny Villar.
She cited “circumstantial evidence” to prove the couple’s culpability, saying such “sufficient to conclude there is probable cause” of a commission of the crime.
“They deliberately caused the explosion of this water tank without regard to the big risk that it would likely cause deaths to the residents around the said tank,” the complaint read.
“Why should Tagalog hire witnesses if there was no foul play in the explosion incident. According to the witnesses, they stayed at the couple’s farm [for awhile].”
On Oct. 6, 2017, a 42-foot tall water tank exploded in Muzon, San Jose del Monte, killing four residents and wounding scores of people.