Senator Raffy Tulfo has ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to investigate and file charges against a former mayor of Davao del Sur and their staff for alleged graft and corrupt practices.
During a Senate Committee on Public Services hearing, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed that up to 1,200 Chinese nationals were granted Filipino birth certificates through late registration during the tenure of the former local chief executive.
However, the NBI admitted to Tulfo that no charges have been filed against any individuals from the Local Civil Registrar’s Office (LCR) or the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), despite their involvement in issuing the birth certificates to foreign nationals.
Frustrated, Tulfo criticized the NBI for the decades-long issue, pointing out that no one involved has been charged or imprisoned.
Sen. Tulfo also called for the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to file charges against former officials, particularly two former Assistant Secretaries and members of the Bids and Awards Committee, for anomalies in the procurement of alcohol breathalyzers.
He highlighted that the procurement, which cost ₱10.2 million in 2015 and ₱23.512 million in 2017, was marred by overpricing, with many of the breathalyzers found to be defective.
Furthermore, Tulfo instructed the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to file charges against former Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya for a questionable contract involving the purchase of defective Dalian trains worth ₱3.759 billion.