MANILA – A group of concerned citizens filed plunder complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against former Narvacan, Ilocos Sur mayor Luis “Chavit” Singson over alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property in the municipality.

Also named as respondents were Mayor Edna Sanidad, Vice Mayor Pablito Sanidad Sr., members of the Sangguniang Bayan of Narvacan, Municipal Assessor Arlene Debina, and Raymond Ang of Western Textile Mills, Inc.

The complainants, who are members of the Warriors Ti Narvacan Inc., accused Singson and the other officials of conspiring to defraud the local government through an allegedly overpriced purchase of a 99,974-square-meter property from Western Textile for ₱149.96 million.

According to the group, the property’s actual value was only around ₱49.98 million based on zonal valuation — indicating a possible overpricing of nearly ₱100 million, which they said constitutes ill-gotten wealth under Republic Act 7080 or the Plunder Law.

The complainants explained that the land was originally donated by private individuals to the National Development Company (NDC) for industrial and economic development. However, its subsequent sale by the NDC to Western Textile, a Chinese-owned firm, allegedly went against the original conditions of the donation, which required that the property’s use benefit the local community.

They added that while Singson had been authorized under a municipal resolution to initiate expropriation proceedings—a move that could have been more advantageous to the town—he instead opted to pursue a direct sale, allegedly depriving the original donors of their right to recover the land.

The group urged the Ombudsman to investigate the transaction, saying it involved misuse of public funds and violations of public trust.