Going by the two plunder cases and no less than 10 graft cases filed against Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte before the Office of the Ombudsman, the obvious conclusion is that the provincial government is so steeped in corruption that sooner or later its coffers would be bled dry.

It’s up to the Ombudsman, of course, to determine whether there is probable cause to pursue these cases. And Governor Villafuerte is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But to the public, a raft of corruption cases simply means a stink that can no longer be contained.

In other words, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Former CamSur vice governor Mariano Trinidad, in his capacity as a registered voter and taxpayer, has filed the second plunder charge against Villafuerte, his wife Lara Maria, and two sons, Miguel Luis and Julio Mari, for allegedly using his position to amass ill-gotten wealth.

Also charged as co-conspirators in the plunder cases, as well as for dishonesty, grave misconduct, and conduct grossly prejudicial to the best interest of the service are the current and former Provincial Treasurer and the OIC provincial accountant, along with three others.

In his complaint Trinidad alleged that Villafuerte and the other provincial officials,  over a period of six years, repeatedly violated Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code, RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Act, and Commission on Audit rules.

Trinidad said the respondents allegedly entered into “anomalous, irregular, and highly disadvantageous contracts, extended undue and unwarranted advantage to third parties in exchange for pecuniary benefit, and fraudulently conveyed government funds in a number of tourism-related activities”.

These activities included the 2006 Kaogma Festival, where the respondents allegedly unlawfully disbursed public funds amounting to P28 million; the acquisition of two vessels in 2006-2007 where P24 million was allegedly paid to suppliers, and the 2009 World Wake Park Championship where consultants were allegedly paid P13 million under highly anomalous circumstances.

In seven transactions alone, the complaint alleged, the provincial government lost a total of P104.5 million.

The complaint also alleged that Villafuerte was able to amass more than P50 million in ill-gotten wealth which he, in connivance with his wife and two sons, along with three provincial government officials, funneled to Republic Wake Parks, Inc. The corporation, Trinidad charged, used the money to build the multi-million-peso Republic Nuvali Wakepark in Sta. Rosa, Laguna which now directly competes with the CamSur Watersports Complex run by the provincial government.

The ex-vice governor said Villafuerte’s acts, “all done in the name of tourism, will establish a pattern of how he, his family, and his cohorts siphoned government funds and funneled the same to their pockets”.

The complaint also said that Villafuerte’s “abuse of power and tendency to follow his impulses led to the detriment of his constituents”.

Trinidad wants the Ombudsman to order the preventive suspension of Villafuerte and the others accused for six months “to ensure that the integrity of the documents relevant to the complaint will be maintained and to prevent them from unduly influencing the investigation of the case”.

Plunder is a serious charge that Villafuerte should answer in the proper judicial forum if he wants to clear his name.

As things now stand, with the provincial administration tainted with corruption charges, the people of Camarines Sur deserve to know where their hard-earned money paid in the form of taxes has gone.