CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — In few minutes, contractor Sarah Discaya, owner of St. Timothy Construction; company president Maria Roma Rimando; and eight officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Davao Occidental District Engineering Office will face their pre-trial hearing before the Regional Trial Court Branch 27 in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu today, February 27.
The accused DPWH officials are Rodrigo Larete, Michael Awa, Joel Lumogdang, Harold John Villaver, Jafael Faunillian, Josephine Valdez, Ranulfo Flores, and Czar Ryan Ubungen.
The accused are facing charges for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and malversation of public funds through falsification of commercial documents, in connection with the alleged ₱96.5-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental.
They will appear via online conferencing from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility in Lapu-Lapu City, while their respective legal counsels personally appear before RTC Branch 27.
| Written by Kristin de Dios
