The Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft and malversation cases before the Sandiganbayan against six personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region XII over their alleged involvement in a ₱491.9-million road right-of-way scam in General Santos City.
In a press release dated October 25, the Ombudsman said it found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction against former DPWH Region XII Regional Director Subair Saro Diron, former Assistant Regional Director Laureano B. Suan Jr., and four other personnel.
The agency filed 18 counts of malversation of public funds or property through falsification of public documents under Articles 217 and 171 of the Revised Penal Code, along with another 18 counts of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Seven private individuals allegedly involved in the scheme were also included in the cases.
The charges stemmed from National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reports submitted in 2018 and 2019 concerning payments for the right of way involving 18 parcels of land allegedly affected by the construction of the Digos-Makar National Road in Barangay Lagao, General Santos City.
According to the Ombudsman, the DPWH Region XII technical working group approved the disbursement of ₱491,931,120.20 to claimants who were later found to have allegedly submitted falsified documents.
In an affidavit executed in 2017, witness Roberto S. Catapang Jr. admitted his involvement in the alleged syndicate, stating that the group, in collusion with public officers, collected government funds by fabricating and submitting fake documents purportedly supporting land acquisitions.
Investigators also found that a 2009 property appraisal value of ₱3,500 per square meter was allegedly used to determine compensation for properties acquired by the government in the early 1990s, resulting in inflated right-of-way claims.
In a separate administrative decision, the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal from government service of former DPWH Region XII Legal Officer Ansare Mariga Busran.
