Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Dong Gonzales has posted a total ₱270,000 bail for three graft charges over his alleged financial interest in a construction company that secured more than ₱611 million in government flood control contracts.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division confirmed Tuesday, Oct. 20, that Gonzales posted ₱90,000 bail for his case.
Gonzales posted bail for his two other graft cases before the anti-graft court’s Second and Seventh Divisions last week.
Gonzales denied interfering in government infrastructure projects and said he stopped contracting work when he entered Congress in 2007.
“Hindi na po ako nagkontrata kasi po takot po ko sa sinasabi nilang conflict of interest,” he said.
[Translation: I no longer took on contracts because I was afraid of allegations of conflict of interest.]
He said he had worked as a contractor since 1987, before entering politics, and returned to the business after losing his congressional seat in 2013.
Gonzales also claimed he had divested from the construction firm and questioned the allegations against him, calling them a product of local politics.
The Office of the Ombudsman charged Gonzales with three violations of Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits public officials from having a financial interest in transactions in which they intervene in their official capacity.
The cases stem from allegations that Gonzales retained a financial interest in A.D. Gonzales Jr. Construction and Trading Company while serving in Congress.
