A lawyer has urged the Office of the Ombudsman to launch a full investigation into Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero over alleged multimillion-peso irregularities uncovered in the Commission on Audit’s 2021 report on the Province of Sorsogon.
The complaint, filed Friday morning, centers on P352,079,063.46 in questioned transactions during Escudero’s stint as Sorsogon governor. The lawyer said the case stemmed entirely from COA’s official findings. “This case is purely the result of and originated entirely from the COA findings of 2021 regarding the provincial government of Sorsogon,” he noted, adding that his review led him to believe the former governor “seems to have a pattern of corruption.”
Among the flagged items were P127.7 million in infrastructure contracts allegedly awarded to the same set of contractors using identical personnel and equipment. The filing also cited more than P15.4 million in national government allocations — including P10 million intended for typhoon relief — that reportedly remained unused for years.
The complaint further pointed to P8.44 million in janitorial and laundry service contracts supposedly backed by falsified documents and irregularly implemented by provincial Board members. It also listed P1.65 million in TUPAD disbursements with defective signatures, missing authorization, and other compliance gaps.
The lawyer questioned an additional P5.65 million in development projects allegedly charged to the province’s 20 percent development fund despite not being part of the approved procurement plan. Another P197.7 million in Property, Plant, and Equipment accounts was described as “unreliable,” noting ghost assets and demolished structures still reflected in government records.
He urged the Ombudsman to “investigate thoroughly and prosecute vigorously,” recommending charges under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, along with possible counts of malversation, fraud against public treasury, and falsification of documents.
The same lawyer previously filed an ethics complaint in October accusing Escudero of receiving illegal campaign donations. The senator dismissed that case as “political retribution.” In his new submission, however, the complainant insisted that “the complainant does not file cases for political vendetta or for personal gain but because Filipinos deserve an honest government — one that truly serves people.”
