MANILA, Philippines — Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the filing of four counts each of graft and three counts of falsification against former Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Jr., for allegedly rigging the procurement processes for the P1.3-billion Makati Science High School building.
The spokesman of the elder Binay, Joey Salgado, swiftly reacted, accusing Morales of having “committed the unforgivable act of denying him his right to answer the allegations against him” in her alleged “haste to indict” him.
He also said the former Vice President “will definitely ask for a reinvestigation” and claimed Morales’ resolutions “did not find any evidence of alleged overpricing in the construction of Makati Science High School.”
Also accused with the Binays are Bids and Awards Committee chairpersons Marjorie De Veyra and Eleno Mendoza, Jr.; BAC members Pio Kenneth Dasal, Lorenza Amores, Ulysess Orienza, Gerardo San Gabriel and Mario Badillo; BAC secretariat members Giovanni Condes, Manolito Uyaco, Norman Flores and Ralph Liberato; Rodel Nayve of the BAC technical working group; city accountants Leonila Querijero, Cecilio Lim III and Raydes Pestaño; and city cashier Nelia Barlis.
Aside from indicting Binay Jr., Morales also found him guilty of Serious Dishonesty, Grave Misconduct and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service and ordered him dismissed from the service with the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from public office, cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and bar from taking the civil service examination.
Also found administratively liable were Dasal, Amores, Badillo, Querijero, Barlis, Lim, Condes, Flores, Orienza, Uyaco, San Gabriel, Mendoza, Jr., Liberato and Pestaño.
Criminal raps were also ordered filed against contractors Virginia Garcia of Infiniti Architectural Works and Efren Canlas and Julius Ramos of Hilmarc’s Construction.
In the case of Infiniti, which was awarded the P17.37-million architectural and engineering consultancy, the nodding was allegedly rigged, with the names of firms that did not submit proposals included and the BAC recommending the contract be awarded to the firm after meeting the bidders for only an hour, among others.
The bidding for the construction was also allegedly rigged in favor of Hilmarc’s through the “falsification of bidding documents, suppression of information to prospective bidders, and undue haste in the award of the contracts.”
