Court rejects Tarlac lawmaker Rivera’s bid to consolidate 9 graft cases

ANTI-GRAFT COURT. The Sandiganbayan in Quezon City.

Jansen Romero/Rappler

'Instead of expediting the proceedings, consolidation will merely cause delay,' the anti-graft court says

AT A GLANCE

• The Sandiganbayan court rejected Representative Noel Rivera's request to consolidate his graft cases, citing that they involve different public works projects.
• Rivera is accused of having an unlawful interest in Tarlac 3-G Construction and Development Corporation, which secured significant government contracts during his congressional term.
• The court emphasized that consolidating the cases could lead to confusion and delays, as they involve separate contracts and are spread across multiple divisions.

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MANILA, Philippines – The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has rejected Tarlac 3rd District Representative Noel Rivera’s bid to have his graft cases handled by just one court division, saying these involve different public works projects and that lumping them together could cause confusion and delays.

In two separate resolutions on Thursday, August 27, the Sandiganbayan’s 6th Division denied Rivera’s motion for consolidation. The ruling, made by associate justices Sarah Jane Fernandez, Kevin Narce Vivero and Lord Villanueva, rejected the congressman’s contention that the nine cases were similar and that having only one division handle them would save time and resources.

Rivera is accused of keeping an unlawful interest in the construction firm Tarlac 3-G Construction and Development Corporation, which bagged government projects worth millions of pesos while he was serving as a member of the House of Representatives.

Rivera has been accused by Ombudsman Boying Remulla of being one of the so-called “congtractors,” or members of the House of Representatives who keep stakes in companies that bagged juicy public works contracts.

Prosecutors have also accused him of owning a 54.8% stake in Tarlac 3-G, while his wife, Evelyn, allegedly held another 45%.

An earlier Rappler report cited DPWH data showing that Tarlac 3-G had already been winning a large share of government projects in Tarlac even before Rivera became a congressman.

Since Rivera entered Congress, Tarlac 3-G has secured P671 million worth of DPWH projects. The company reported total assets of P392 million in its 2024 financial statement.

Rivera’s cases were spread across six Sandiganbayan divisions, with the 5th, 6th and 7th divisions handling two cases each, while the 1st, 2nd and 4th divisions each took on one.

The court stressed that there was little chance of conflicting rulings because the cases involved separate contracts.

The cases involve contracts that Tarlac 3-G secured while Rivera was already serving as a congressman, with eight coming from the DPWH, while the Philippine State College of Aeronautics awarded the remaining contract.

“Instead of expediting the proceedings, consolidation will merely cause delay,” read part of the Sandiganbayan ruling. – Rappler.com