Author Topic: Ombudsman files plunder raps vs. GMA, PCSO officials  (Read 881 times)

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Ombudsman files plunder raps vs. GMA, PCSO officials
« on: November 24, 2017, 07:04:31 PM »
Ombudsman files plunder raps vs. GMA, PCSO officials
16 July 2012

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales directed the filing of a criminal Information for Plunder against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and officials from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Commission on Audit (COA), in connection with the PCSO’s Confidential/ Intelligence Funds (CIF).

The Information was filed today before the Sandiganbayan.

In a 43-page Review Joint Resolution signed on July 12, 2012, Ombudsman Morales found probable cause to indict Arroyo, former PCSO Chairman Sergio Valencia, former PCSO Vice Chairman/General Manager Rosario Uriarte, members of the PCSO Board of Directors Manuel Morato, Jose Taruc V, Raymundo Roquero, and Ma. Fatima Valdes, former PCSO Budgets and Accounts Manager Benigno Aguas, former COA Chairman Reynaldo Villar, and former head of COA’s Intelligence/Confidential Fund Audit Unit Nilda Plaras, for the crime of plunder.

The case stemmed from two separate complaints – one complaint dated July 25, 2011 filed by Jaime Regalario, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Danilo Lim, for plunder, malversation and violation of Republic Act (RA) No. 3019; and another complaint dated November 29, 2011 by the PCSO itself represented by Eduardo Araullo, for plunder and violation of RA 3019 – for the respondents’ acts of purportedly amassing millions of pesos by diverting funds sourced from the PCSO’s CIF during the latter years of the Arroyo administration.

The Review Joint Resolution concluded that respondents’ series or combination of acts “form a pattern, not only of misuse and raid of PCSO’s CIF from 2008-2010, but also of illegal conveyance or disposition of cash advances disbursed therefrom, all while taking advantage of their respective official functions.”  It found that from January 2008 to June 2010, the aggregate amount of P365,997,915 representing cash advances were disbursed from PCSO’s CIF in the names of Uriarte (P352,681,646) and Valencia (P13,316,269).

The Review Joint Resolution observed that for a government instrumentality primarily tasked to fund health programs, medical assistance and services and charities of national character, PCSO’s CIF surprisingly grew from P10M in 2000 to P103M in 2008.  It found perplexing that the additional CIF of P75M, P90M and P150M for 2008, 2009 and 2010 (1st semester) were more than double the original CIF allocated in PCSO’s corporate operating budget of P25M, P60M and P60M for the same periods, respectively.

It stated that the repeated identically-worded one-page requests for additional CIF did not have a specific plan, project, program or undertaking of intelligence activity, and that moreover, the requests made for 2008 and 2010 even preceded the approval of PCSO’s corporate operating budget.   

The Review Joint Resolution also pointed out certain irregularities and deficiencies in the facilitation of the cash advances, such as disbursement vouchers with no supporting documents, false certifications or credit advices that previous advances were liquidated, lack of authorization to approve CIF disbursements for 2008, non-compliance with the form prescribed for liquidation certifications, and lack of supporting documents/receipts to prove that the amounts were used allegedly to fund relief operations or pay “blood money” to the victims of convicted OFWs.

The alleged acts constituting the charges of malversation and violations of RA 3019 were absorbed or included in the crime of plunder.

With regard to the criminal charges against former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, the Review Joint Resolution dismisses the same for insufficiency of evidence, as he simply performed a duty to implement a presidential directive when he wrote the letter and even added the notation “subject to pertinent budgetary, accounting and auditing rules and regulations.”

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