DPWH 4B exec pleads not guilty in Oriental Mindoro flood control case

Department of Public Works and Highways-4B maintenance division chief Juliet Calvo on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in the graft charge leveled against her in connection with the P289 million substandard flood control project, specifically road dike, in Oriental Mindoro.

Calvo faced the court in handcuffs before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division chairperson Associate Justice Zaldy Trespeses asked the authorities to remove them for a moment as Calvo made the not guilty plea. 

Calvo was represented by lawyer Juanito Lim Jr., who is also representing six other DPWH officials in the same case.

These six include: 

• Gene Ryan Altea, DPWH assistant regional director
• Ruben D.S. Santos, DPWH assistant regional director
• Montrexis Tamayo, DPWH OIC-chief, Planning and Design Division
• Dominic Serrano, DPWH construction division chief and Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chairperson
• Dennis Abagon, DPWH OIC-chief, Quality Assurance and Hydrology Division, BAC regular member and 
• Lerma Cayco, DPWH accountant IV

Attorney Lim also disclosed on Tuesday that his seven clients who are DPWH officials have all been ordered suspended by the Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla due to pending administrative charges against them involving the same flood control case. 

Aside from graft, these seven are also facing malversation charge alongside former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, the alleged beneficial owner of Sunwest Corporation and builder of the substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. 

Calvo initially posted bail worth P90,000 to secure a temporary liberty but was later detained because Ombudsman prosecutors amended the information to include her in the malversation case involving the same flood control project. —AOL/RSJ, GMA Integrated News