Negros Occidental village chief, social welfare exec face raps for irregular SAP distribution

MANILA, Philippines — The Western Visayas police have filed charges against a barangay (village) chief and an officer of the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office in Isabela, Negros Occidental for alleged irregularities in the distribution of cash assistance under the government’s social amelioration program (SAP).

Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, director of the Western Visayas regional police, said Friday that cases for violation of the Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and for violation of Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) for falsification of documents by a public official were filed against Maria Luz Leal Ferrer, chief of Barangay 8.

Meanwhile, Mae Fajardo, MSWD officer in Isabela town, was also charged for violation of Article 171 of the RPC for allegedly falsifying the official list of recipients of cash aid under the SAP.

“In this time of pandemic, corruption has no place in Western Visayas” Pamuspusan said in a statement.

According to the police official, the investigation stemmed from a text message sent by a concerned citizen citing irregularities allegedly committed by the village chief and the MSWD officer.

He said the complainant revealed that Ferrer released cash aid to her 13-year-old grandchild and to her well-off relative.

The complainant also alleged that the village chief has “bias” in selecting the beneficiaries for the cash aid in his locality, added Pamuspusan.

“After a thorough investigation conducted by the local police on the list of beneficiaries and on the testimonies of credible witnesses, a probable cause was established that there was indeed irregularity on the part of the barangay executive and the MSWD officer,” read a report from the Western Visayas police.

The investigation also led to the filing of charges against local residents  Wizza Leal and Emmanuel Orsolon for allegedly falsifying entries in the SAP form.

In a command conference on Thursday, Pamuspusan ordered all provincial and city directors in the region to establish hotlines and complaint centers that will cater to complaints about irregularities in the distribution of cash aid under SAP. He also appealed to the public to report corruption in the distribution.

Police earlier arrested a village councilor in Hagonoy, Bulacan for graft allegations after reportedly collecting more than half of the P6,500 cash aid from local SAP beneficiaries.

President Rodrigo Duterte also earlier expressed his anger over the corruption in SAP distribution, citing the case in Bulacan. He later offered P30,000 for any information that could lead to the discovery of an anomaly in the SAP cash aid distribution.

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/MUF