A contractor who has been tagged in the flood control “anomalies” turned over P15 million in cash to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, Dec. 22.
DOJ Spokesperson Raphael Niccolo L. Martinez told journalists the money was turned over by Sally Santos of Syms Construction.
Martinez said the money was “part of the partial restitution by Sally Santos pursuant to the terms of her MOA (memorandum of agreement).”
Santos is currently facing five cases before the DOJ over her alleged involvement in “ghost” government flood control projects in Bulacan, particularly in the towns of Pandi and Balagtas.
The charges in the five cases were malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents under Article 217 in relation to Article 171 Paragraph 4 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC); perjury under Article 183 of the RPC; and violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Also, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed before the DOJ tax evasion charges involving P14 million against Santos. Included in the charges were Syms Construction and IM Construction Corporation as well as their responsible officers.
Last Dec. 19, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara turned over to the DOJ a total of P71,379,000,500, on top of the P110 million in cash last Nov. 28.
Last Dec. 16, DWPH Regional Director Gerard P. Opulencio, the former head of the DPWH National Capital Region (NCR), surrendered P40 million to the DOJ.