MANILA, Philippines – With new “evidence” from whistleblowers, Malacañang wants new cases to be filed against former transportation officials over the issues hounding  the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Thursday, March 8.

Roque said two “whistleblowers” had reached out to him to hand him “documentary evidence” of plunder allegedly committed by transportation officials and individuals belonging to a so-called “Pangasinan Group.”

“I got my first batch of documents today but I’ve gotten information, I think it’s about 3 weeks ago,” he said during a Palace press conference.

Roque first mentioned the Pangasinan Group during an interview on DWFM on Wednesday, March 7.

“There is a Pangasinan Group. Believe it or not, the whistleblower said one-third of the total that we pay for the contract goes to just the Pangasinan Group. One-third supposedly goes to the political machinery,” said Roque.

He traced the train’s glitches to the alleged diversion of MRT3 maintenance funds.

Roque said Solicitor General Jose Calida has been asked to look into a possible case against former transportation officials, likely including former transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, former interior secretary Manuel Roxas II, and former budget secretary Florencio Abad.

Roque said he would also turn over documents from the whistleblowers to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The possible new cases to be filed will be on top of the plunder complaint  already filed against officials of the previous administration. – Rappler.com