The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to investigate its Cordillera Administrative Region district engineer for allegedly asking for at least P20-million kickback from a contractor.
In a press conference at the Manila Yacht Club, the PACC played a video showing DPWH District Engineer Lorna Ricardo allegedly asking for an initial P10 million as ‘payment/reimbursement fee’ from one of the bidders of a special project worth P100 million.
Ricardo claimed the amount would be used to facilitate the release of the P100-million development fund from the Department of Budget and Management considering the Lagawe-Caba-Ponghal Road was not a regular but a “special project.”
PACC Commissioner and spokesperson Greco Belgica said Ricardo had also demanded 1 percent of the 10-percent mobilization fund as SOP (standard operation procedure) for DPWH Bids and Awards Committee Ifugao District and 5-percent SOP on every progress billing.
He said Ricardo had also asked P20,000 payment for processing fee for the issuance of statement of work accomplished (SWA); 1 percent of P100 million; and, P1 million for purported vehicle rental for the use of the DPWH project engineer.
“The total amount being negotiated is between P16 million to P20 million,” Belgica said.
Belgica clarified that no amount had been released but Ricardo still violated Section 9 of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
He said RA 3019 prohibited public officials from “directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, share, percentage or benefit, for himself or for any other person, in connection with any contract or transaction between the government and any other part.”
After watching the video which was taken between July and August this year, newly-appointed DPWH Director for Legal Services Rodil Millado said they would immediately investigate Ricardo “based on evidence,” including the video presented by PACC.
“As you know we have due process but I’m sure our DPWH Secretary Mark Villar will not tolerate any act of corruption in his office,” Millado said.
Millado said “preventive suspension pending investigation” might be slapped against Ricardo.
Belgica said PACC would file criminal charges against Ricardo before the Office of the Ombudsman.
For his part, PACC Chairman Dante Jimenez said PACC would continue to go after corrupt public officials since other DPWH district engineers in other parts of the country are allegedly involved in corruption.
“Across the country, it is given that district engineers get rich,” Jimenez said.
Belgica said President Rodrigo Duterte had been informed about Ricardo’s alleged attempt to ask kickback from contractor.
“All these, the legal processes, are upon the instruction of the President,” he said. “‹