A plunder complaint has been filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against former Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson, along with several local officials, over the alleged overpriced purchase of a nearly P150-million property in the municipality in 2019.
The complaint was lodged by Warriors Ti Narvacan, Inc.-an organization advocating good governance and public accountability-before the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday. The group was represented by Atty. Estelita Cordero.
Aside from Singson, 11 individuals, including a former member of the Sangguniang Bayan, a former municipal assessor, and a representative of Western Textile Mills Inc., were also named as respondents in the complaint.
Singson, who served as Narvacan mayor from 2019 to 2022, was identified by the group as the ‘main plunderer’ for allegedly initiating and negotiating the property’s purchase, while members of the Sangguniang Bayan, the municipal assessor, and the representative of Western Textile Mills Inc. were tagged as ‘co-conspirators.’
In its complaint, Warriors Ti Narvacan, Inc. alleged that Singson and the other respondents conspired to defraud the local government by approving an overpriced purchase of a 99,974-square-meter property from Western Textile Mills Inc. worth P149.96 million.
The group claimed that the property’s actual value was only around P49.98 million based on zonal valuation-making the nearly P100-million difference a violation of Republic Act No. 7080, or the Plunder Law.
Aside from filing the plunder complaint against the respondents, Warriors Ti Narvacan, Inc. sought the following:
Issuance of a subpoena duces tecum to compel the production of relevant documents
Preventive suspension of current mayor of Narvacan
A lifestyle check of the respondents, and restitution or payment of P99,974,000.00 representing the overprice
Administrative penalties and perpetual disqualification from public office
Additionally, the group likewise lodged a graft complaint against Singson and three other individuals over the alleged irregularities in the use of public funds, particularly those linked to tobacco excise tax allocations intended for the development of Narvacan.
In the graft complaint, the group alleged that Singson and the three other respondents ‘illegally occupied and privatized the foreshore area in Sulvec, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, known as Santorini, by constructing resort structures without permits or environmental clearance.’
Singson, for his part, categorically denied what he called a ‘baseless and malicious’ complaint against him, describing it as ‘a desperate diversionary tactic and a renewed smear campaign orchestrated by political detractors.’
‘The complaint alleges that I profited P100 million from the sale of a 10-hectare property to the Municipality of Narvacan. The facts clearly show the opposite is true,’ the former mayor said in a video statement sent to the media on Monday afternoon.
Singson claimed that the market value of the property at the time was actually P8,000 per square meter, bringing the total value to P800 million since the 10-hectare parcel covers 100,000 square meters.
‘This transaction resulted in a personal loss of approximately P680 million on my part, demonstrating a substantial act of assistance, not an attempt to profit or plunder. My sole intent was to sincerely help our municipality,’ he said.
‘Furthermore, to underscore this intent, I arranged the entire transaction and opted not to immediately transfer the title to prevent any future issues like double-selling, treating it purely as aid,’ he added.