The Sandiganbayan Centennial Building in Quezon City. (INQUIRER.net file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has convicted two former officials of the now abolished National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) and a private individual for two counts of malversation and two counts of graft involving congressional pork barrel in 2008.
They were sentenced to 24 to 40 years of imprisonment. The congressman earlier implicated in the cases, and whose role was cited in the decision, died in 2018. In an 86-page decision dated Sept. 2, the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division said former Nabcor human resources manager Encarnita-Cristina Munsod, former Nabcor general services head Romulo Relevo and private respondent Margie Tajon-Luz, then president of the GabayMasa Development Foundation Inc., were guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
Aside from the prison sentence, the antigraft court ordered Munsod, Relevo and Luz to reimburse a total of P4.85 million, at 6 percent annual interest.
They were found guilty of conspiring in the embezzlement of funds from the discretionary Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of the late Rep. Teodulo Coquilla of the lone district of Eastern Samar.
Banned for life
The charges filed also against Coquilla were dismissed by the court on account of his death.
Munsod, Relevo and Luz were also banned for life from holding any public office and all their retirement benefits were forfeited.
The antigraft court said the prosecution was able to prove that Munsod, Relevo and Luz had conspired with Coquilla in committing graft and malversation of public funds.
‘Nonexistent project’
“As culled from the records, accused Relevo, Munsod and Luz willingly went along with the ignoble scheme of accused Coquilla by completing the act of embezzling the PDAF-drawn funds through the implementation of a fictitious and nonexistent livelihood project,” said the decision penned by Associate Justice Ronald Moreno.
Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang (the division chair) and Associate Justice Bernelito Fernandez concurred with the decision.
The prosecution was also able to prove “with documentary and testimonial evidence” how the “grand scheme” to embezzle the PDAF allocations was completed.
The Sandiganbayan noted that Coquilla “triggered” the illegal and irregular release of his PDAF funds through a letter to then Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr.
Nabcor would not have been tapped as implementing agency of the projects if not for the letter by Coquilla to De Venecia, it said. A separate letter to Nabcor, meanwhile, stated that GabayMasa was the selected project partner for the bogus projects.
Initially, P4.36 million was released to Nabcor on Jan. 23, 2008, and another P485,000 on July 1 the same year. The funds were then transferred by Nabcor to GabayMasa on Jan. 26 and July 14, respectively.
According to the court, Coquilla gave “unwarranted benefits and advantages” to both the Nabcor and GabayMasa when he “unilaterally” selected both entities for his PDAF-supported projects.
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