MALOLOS CITY—The city engineer of San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan survived an ambush try by two unidentified gunmen in Barangay Bulac, Sta. Maria town Wednesday afternoon.
Rufino Gravador, 55, was driving his blue Montero Sport when the suspects, on board a motorcycle, shot at him.
He sustained gunshot wounds on his left shoulder and nape but is now in stable condition at the St. Mary’s Hospital.
Gravador had exposed purported anomalies in the construction of the new city hall, refusing to certify a document he believed was overpriced.
The city government relieved him of his post after this refusal but the Civil Service Commission’s regional office ordered his reinstatement in July.
The suspects immediately fled the scene of the crime.
Bulacan police director Sr. Supt. Ferdinand Divina said a tracker team from the SJDM City police station is now pursuing leads to identify the suspects.
In a prior interview, Gravador claimed that sometime before the 2013 elections, he was asked by Mayor Reynaldo San Pedro to approve and sign several documents pertaining to the proposed construction of the new city hall amounting to P300 million.
He had studied the plans and concluded that the project was overpriced by as much as P100 million.
“I [could not] stomach the grossly overpriced estimates and I feared losing my license. Secondly, I did not want to go to jail and tarnish my family’s reputation and forever be condemned by my ancestors, “ Gravador had told The Standard.
San Pedro had allegedly offered him a one-percent commission if he would just sign but he declined.
Gravador added that his troubles began when San Pedro got re-elected.
The Standard tried to reach the mayor through his two cellphone numbers but could not contact him as of press time.