.png){kind=logo}
2 weeks ago
9
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Daphne Galvez - The Philippine Star
March 11, 2026 | 12:00am
The anti-graft court said the pieces of evidence showed that the accused – former DPWH Mimaropa chief Gerald Pacanan, director Gene Ryan Altea, accountant Lerma Cayco, district engineer Ruben Santos and engineers Dennis Abagon, Juliet Calvo, Felisardo Casuno, Dominic Serrano and Montrexis Tamayo – are not entitled to bail.
Businessworld / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has denied the petitions for bail filed by nine former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Mimaropa region in connection with a malversation case involving a P289.5-million substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
In a 41-page resolution, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division ruled that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to deny the request of the defendants.
The anti-graft court said the pieces of evidence showed that the accused – former DPWH Mimaropa chief Gerald Pacanan, director Gene Ryan Altea, accountant Lerma Cayco, district engineer Ruben Santos and engineers Dennis Abagon, Juliet Calvo, Felisardo Casuno, Dominic Serrano and Montrexis Tamayo – are not entitled to bail.
The court issued the ruling after conducting a series of hearings since January.
“It must be emphasized that the ruling is not a prejudgment of the guilt of the accused. The court merely determined the weight of evidence for purposes of bail,” the ruling read.
The Sixth Division noted that the pieces of evidence showed that the accused allowed the release of over P215 million to Sunwest Inc. even as the company failed to accomplish the project within the required specification and timeline.
The court said Altea, Cayco, Pacanan, Santos and Serrano are accountable for the funds.
The Sandiganbayan said there was “clear and convincing” evidence showing the accused allowed Sunwest Inc. to make untruthful statements in order for the funds to be released.
Abagon, Calvo and Tamayo only had “limited” participation as they merely signed the noted portion of the certificate of inspection for the first progress billing of the project, the court said.
The resolution was penned by Sixth Division chairperson Sarah Jane Fernandez and concurred in by Associate Justices Kevin Narce Vivero and Lord Villanueva.
