DINALUNGAN, Aurora – Governor Gerardo Noveras was charged again with graft before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly allowing the use of his own dump trucks in a government project being undertaken by a private contractor in this town almost two years ago.
Aside from Noveras, also charged with violations of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, abuse of authority, grave misconduct and irregularity in the performance of duties was the Benguet-based Remnant Builders (RB) represented by its proprietor Julio Liis.
The graft complaint was filed by engineers Rodante Tolentino and Amado Elson Egargue, former provincial engineer and head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), respectively.
Noveras, along with 10 other provincial capitol officials, is also facing charges for the questionable purchase of a Php8.5-million pay loader by the provincial government three years ago. The charges were also filed by Egargue and Tolentino.
In their five-page joint complaint-affidavit filed with the Ombudsman for Luzon, Tolentino and Egargue cited that Noveras owned a trucking business known as RG & Triple C’s Trucking Services, including four 10-wheeler dump trucks.
They said that on Oct. 28, 2014, Noveras awarded RB with a government project for barangay site development worth Php232,441.50 at Sitio Tambalungan, Barangay Nipoo in this town. The project involves the hauling of gravel and sand in the project site.
During the bidding process, RB submitted a list of heavy equipment to be used in the project, including service vehicle, dump truck, elf, pay loader, concrete vibrator, concrete mixer, road grader and water truck.
However, Tolentino and Egargue said during the implementation of the project, RB utilized equipment other than those in the list.
“Worse, the dump trucks used by RB in transporting the needed materials are owned by Noveras himself,” they said in their complaint.
The complainant showed as evidence the hauling report which indicated that on December 1, 2014, four dump trucks bearing license plates FJG-853, FJG-863, FJG-864 and FJG-865 were all used for the hauling, all of which are owned by Noveras.
Certifications issued by Luz Dela Cruz, chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO)’Diliman district office, showed that the four trucks’ registered owners were Noveras and his wife Rowena. <>Copies of two hauling sheets dated Dec. 1 and 3 showed that the four trucks hauled gravel and sand at the Bungo river in Nipoo and Barangay Paleg 32 times using the four dump trucks owned by the Noveras couple.
The hauling sheets were signed by RB foreman Edwin Gaspar, checker Alfredo Clemente of the provincial engineering office and barangay chairman Arnel Borce of Nipoo and Fidel Garcia of Paleg.
The complaint added that in their attempt to cover up for their illegal acts, the respondents attached to one of the dump trucks – FJG-853 the words Efrobon to make it appear it belongs to Efrobon corporation, a private firm which the provincial government often deals with.
The complaint stated that by allowing the use of trucks owned by Noveras and his wife, he committed illegal, illegitimate and dishonest acts in violation of RA 3019.
The complaint noted that Noveras is liable “for directly or indirectly having financial or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity, or in which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest.”/PNA/RMA/zst/JDA