Benguet Vice Governor Ericson Felipe is facing graft and corruption charges over more than a billion pesos in government contracts for public infrastructure.
Task Force Kasanag International (TFKi) filed the charges against Felipe before the Office of the Ombudsman. The group alleges that the vice governor used his position to secure approximately P1.6 billion worth of government infrastructure contracts in Apayao for a construction firm in which he holds a majority stake.
TFKi Chairman John Chiong claims that since Felipe’s election in 2022, Tagel Corporation, where the vice governor owns a 60% share, received contracts for 30 flood mitigation projects in Apayao. The contracts, awarded through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) offices in Benguet and Apayao, total ₱1.6 billion.
Although Felipe is not the sole owner of Tagel Corporation, he was its incorporating president and chief executive officer (CEO) at the time the contracts were awarded.
Felipe has dismissed the charges as mere “politicking” ahead of the upcoming elections but stated he will face the allegations head-on. “I will not hide,” he said.
