By Macon Ramos Araneta

THE Office of the Ombudsman is prosecuting the Las Pi?as City register of deeds and several others over an alleged irregularity in processing a new land title.

Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Navarro Gutierrez approved the filing of charges of graft and falsification of public documents against Corazon Chavez, register of deeds of Las Pi?as, and Delia de la Pe?a, land registration examiner.

In the first information, the two were cited under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act along with Maribel Barba, Bureau of Internal Revenue staff; Nimfa Mina, revenue officer; Beatriz Meneses, revenue officer IV; Ma. Nimfa de Villa, acting revenue district officer; and civilians Adelaida Dolores Villa, Neil Digman and Erma Digman.

The Ombudsman findings said Chavez acted in ?bad faith or manifest partiality or gross inexcusable negligence at the very least, by taking part in the highly irregular processing for the issuance of Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-70109 from TCT No. T-58620.?

Before the issuance of the title, the register of deeds of Las Pi?as gave way to the registration of the deed of absolute sale dated June 28, 2001, executed between Adelaida Villa and spouses Digman, without the proper BIR certificate of authority.

The private respondents merely presented official receipts for the payment of capital gains tax and documentary stamp taxes.

On a falsified TCT and tax declaration, the land sold for P8.5 million to co-accused spouses Digman was 250 square meters against the actual 50,000 sqm fetching P30 million, said the Ombudsman, noting that the government was deprived of tax revenues.

Likewise, the doctored certificate of authority from the BIR was made to match records in Chavez?s office.

A separate case of falsification was filed against Chavez, Cristobal, De la Pe?a, Villa and the Digman spouses which stemmed from the same transaction.