NBI Pushes Graft Charges Over Land Sales Leased to POGOs in Porac

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has recommended graft and falsification charges against 14 public officials and six private individuals, including a landowner who sold properties that were subsequently leased to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga.

These properties, leased to the gaming company Lucky South 99, were part of a controversial shutdown by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) in June due to allegations of illegal activities such as torture, prostitution, and fraud.

The NBI’s findings were detailed in a 10-page document dated October 3 that was cited in an Inquirer report. It indicated that a land reform beneficiary, Ronnie de Guzman Dungca, alleged that public officials and private entities engaged in graft, document falsification, and abuse of authority.

Ten officials from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), including Ma. Celestina Tam, now an Assistant Secretary, as well as employees from the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Register of Deeds were charged due to the incident.

Dungca claimed his rightful land title was concealed, preventing him from accessing his property, while a scheme reportedly orchestrated by these officials transferred it to Victoria Tourism Park Corp., owned by Ruperto Cruz.

In 2018, Dungca and others faced eviction from their land in Pulong Manga, Porac, as the property was allegedly owned by Cruz’s corporation, which sold portions to Whirlwind Corp. and leased it to Lucky South.

Dungca and other claimants rejected Cruz’s 2019 “settlement” offer and won an illegal conversion case with the DAR central office, stating the 46 hectares were unlawfully changed from agricultural to commercial use without proper clearance.

Further investigation revealed that DAR officials allegedly withheld land titles for over a decade before transferring them with forged deeds of sale.

An NBI analysis confirmed that Dungca’s signatures were falsified. The agency has recommended an investigation into the administrative liabilities of those involved, citing grave misconduct, abuse of authority, and disregard for lawful protocols that harmed land beneficiaries.

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