Ombudsman affirms ex-BFAR exec's dismissal

The Office of the Ombudsman has junked the bid of former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) national director Demosthenes Escoto to reverse his dismissal from office over alleged irregularities in the awarding of a P2.1-billion contract for vessel monitoring system (VMS) transceivers to a British company in 2018.

- By NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

In an eight-page order, Ombudsman Samuel Martires also dismissed the motions for reconsideration filed by Escoto, former agriculture undersecretary and BFAR national director Eduardo Gongona, and British national Simon Tucker of SRT Marine Systems Solutions, to reverse their graft indictment over the alleged anomalies in the VMS project.

The Ombudsman said Escoto's probable guilt and liability have been established through his involvement in a scheme to favor SRT-France and SRT-UK, despite the former's ineligibility to participate in the bidding process.