SENATOR Emmanuel Pacquiao has asked the Senate to investigate the alleged anomalous P8.7-billion fund releases made by the Department of Public Works and Highways as payments for the road right-of-way claims in General Santos City.
He wanted the Senate Committee on Public Works to get to the bottom of the fund anomaly under the tutelage of former DPWH secretaries Hermogenes Ebdane and Rogelio Singson.
He filed on Tuesday Senate Resolution 561, titled “A resolution directing the Senate Committee on Public Works to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the reported faults in the system, if any, resulting to (sic) the misuse of government funds for its road right-of-way project covered by alleged spurious land titles in General Santos City.”
The boxer-lawmaker said there was a need to investigate the anomalous fund releases to curb corruption in the agency involved and to correct whatever flaws were present in the system.
“I believe that it is our duty as legislators to solve the faults in our system,” said Pacquiao.
“Mr. President, I’m very disappointed with these public officials, who are nothing more than mere scammers, thieves, embezzlers..,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The senator from Mindanao claimed the funds should have been used for the development of the country and upliftment of the people’s lives.
“I do not know how these people can sleep well at night when they were well aware of the anomalies they did. These actions were done by humans with no conscience,” said Pacquiao.
He hoped the Senate probe would expose a labyrinth of conspiracy involving officials in the Register of Deeds, Courts of Law, DPWH, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, including some influential private individuals who were fabricating spurious land titles to defraud the government of billions of pesos.
Whistleblower Roberto Catapang Jr. mentioned in his affidavit Wilma Mamburam, a certain Col. Chino Mamburan, Merceditas Dumlao and Nelson Ti as among those involved in the P8.7-billion scam.
Catapang claimed to be a member of a syndicate involved in the fund scam but turned state witness due to fear for his life.
He was placed under the Witness Protection Program of the DOJ.
He revealed that Ti, the group’s alleged financier, was a “close friend” of former President Benigno Aquino III.
He also disclosed that he had documents that could prove former budget secretary Florencio Abad approved the release of funds for right-of-way claims totaling P500 million in just four days in late 2013.
Singson allegedly made the request on December 23, 2013 and was approved by Abad on December 27, 2013.
Abad, Singson and 41 other individuals had been placed on the Department of Justice’s immigration lookout bulletin order.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II had directed the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a deeper investigation on the anomalous fund releases.
In 2005, Ebdane, then the DPWH secretary, released P135 million as payment for the road right-of-way claim of one Vicente Lagpang Torres in General Santos City through the help of one Col. Mamburam.
Mamburam allegedly was a former official pilot of Ebdane.
He reportedly used an anomalous order of Judge Cader P. Indar to secure the release of P135 million from DPWH.
Indar issued an order directing DPWH-Manila to pay P135 million to Torres as RROW compensation despite the absence of an original certificate of title.
Indar was dismissed as judge when Lucia Olarte Magtibay, one of the heirs of Don Jose Olarte, owner of Hacienda Olarte in General Santos City, filed a complaint aganst him beforethe Supreme Court.