By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

In a letter penned by Task Force Crusaders (TFC) national deputy commander John Chiong to Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente, he claimed Provincial Engineer Ernie Mapa of acquiring “ill-gotten wealth, citing his multiple vehicles and houses.
Accused of owning eight private vehicles, three houses, and a lot in a “high-end subdivision,” Mapa denied owning the said properties and that his household has three cars, one of which is owned by his wife’s employer.
“We only have two houses,” he stated. “The houses were bought through mine and my wife’s hard work, do we have any right to at least enjoy the fruits of our labor?”
The provincial official explained he is a resident of the Goldcrest Subdivision in Barangay Bata, noting, the recent purchase of a new house was acquired through the PAG-IBIG fund, the government’s housing program.
Mapa described the allegations as “baseless” and accused another engineer working for the provincial government of being behind the accusations.
He also challenged those lodging the complaint to prove their allegations.
“I don’t know what his intentions are, is he really that interested in becoming a provincial engineer, maybe?” asked Mapa. “He should just prove it.”/WDJ