DILG: 42 barangay execs face criminal raps over SAP irregularities

MANILA, Philippines — Some 42 barangay (village) officials will face criminal charges for supposed anomalies in the distribution of the government’s cash aid under the first tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Saturday.

“Meron na po tayong 42 na barangay officials sa buong bansa ang nahaharap ng ngayon sa kasong criminal (We have 42 barangay officials in the whole country who face criminal charges),” DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said during the “Laging Handa” online press briefing.

These charges, Malaya added, were filed before different prosecutor’s offices in other parts of the country.

Malaya added that according to the report of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), 400 individuals in different barangays have filed complaints against their local officials over alleged discrepancies in the distribution of the SAP cash aid.

Meanwhile, the DILG spokesperson also bared that the PNP-CIDG is also preparing 15 charges to be filed against other local officials, while 93 officials are now under investigation for supposed irregularities.

“So antayin niyo lang yung announcement ng DILG sa mga susunod na araw, dahil sa tingin ko po ay lolobo pa yung mga numero ng mga barangay officials na sasampahan ng kaso ng ating pamahalaan,” Malaya said.

(So let us wait for the announcement of the DILG  in the upcoming days because I think the number of barangay officials that will be sanctioned by the government will double.)

Previously, the DILG ordered the PNP to investigate and arrest local officials allegedly involved in corrupt practices in the distribution of government cash aid.

/MUF