Ombudsman files 14 graft charges vs lawmaker for securing DPWH contracts while in office

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman filed 14 counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan against USWAG Ilonggo Party-list Rep. James Ang Jr. on Saturday for allegedly maintaining a financial interest in a construction firm that secured Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contracts while he was in Congress.Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the firm, in which Ang allegedly holds a stake, won DPWH contracts worth P214 million and received nearly P199 million in government payments. He said the Constitution prohibited members of Congress from being directly or indirectly financially interested in any government contract during their term of office."Conflict of interest is not a gray area. It does not require proof that a deal was rigged or that cash changed hands - only that a public official profited, or stood to profit, from a government contract while in office," Clavano said.Clavano said the constitutional prohibition was a "clear and thick" line that has been "constantly and blatantly being crossed," stressing that lawmakers are barred from benefiting financially from government contracts while serving their terms.