Philippine Congressman Pleads Not Guilty in Graft Cases Over DPWH Contracts

USWAG Ilonggo Party List Representative James "Jojo" Ang, Jr. on Tuesday entered a plea of not guilty to two charges of graft in cases allegedly involving multi-million contracts with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The Sandiganbayan ordered Ang’s arrest in July in connection to 14 graft cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman. The lawmaker is accused of holding a stake in a company that won P214 million worth of contracts from the Department of Public Works and Highways while he was in office. The firm was awarded P199 million of the total amount. While his arraignment and pre-trial were initially set on August 3, Ang's camp filed a Motion for Consolidation and Motion to Quash Information, which pushed back the date to September 8, according to the Sandiganbayan’s court calendar. Acting on the Motion for Consolidation, the anti-graft court has allowed the consolidation of at least two cases, with the remaining still pending. However, the Sandiganbayan denied the motion to quash due to lack of merit. “The Motion to Quash Information dated July 31, 2026 filed by accused James Ang, Jr. is hereby denied for lack of merit. The Court finds that it has jurisdiction over the offenses charged,” the Sandiganbayan said. —with a report from Llanesca Panti/RF, GMA News