PAMPANGA -- The Ombudsman has found the plunder complaint filed by Governor Eddie Panlilio against five former provincial officials, including two former governors, to be “sufficient in form and substance.”

Key respondents in the case are former governors Manuel “Lito” Lapid and his son, Mark.

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The Lapids, along with their co-accused -- former provincial administrator Fidel Arcenas, and former provincial treasurers Jovito Sabado and Vergel Yabut, were given 10 days to answer Panlilio’s complaint.

The older Lapid who is seeking reelection for senator reportedly received the order last week.

Panlilio filed the case against the Lapids over allegations that they pocketed quarry tax collections during their respective terms as governor of the province.

According to Panlilio’s complaint, the Lapid administrations collected only P121 million in sand and gravel taxes from 2002 to June 2007, based on reports of the Provincial Treasurer's Office when the actual collection should have amounted to at least P689 million.

The Lapids earlier dismissed the complaints as a rehashed of the old complaints coming from its political nemesis.

A similar case has been filed against Senator Lapid during his term as Pampanga governor, but this was dismissed by the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan.

Senator Lapid served as governor of the province from 1995 to 2004. His son, Mark, became the youngest governor of the province from 2004 to 2007.

The younger Lapid was defeated by Panlilio, a Catholic priest on leave, in May 2007 elections. Mark now heads the government-run Philippine Tourism Authority.

Meanwhile, Panlilio's Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu welcomed the Ombudsman’s latest action on the complaint.

She said the Provincial Government should pursue the case against the former provincial officials “since there was strong evidence that would support the petition.”

The Ombudsman order said "failure of the respondent/s to file any counter-affidavit and/or to submit all the requirements of this office shall be construed as waiver of the right to adduce evidence on his behalf." (Jovi T. De Leon of Sun.Star Pampanga/Sunnex)