Ex-QC councilor gets 32 years for ‘ghost’ handouts

MANILA, Philippines — A former Quezon City councilor was sentenced to up to 32 years in prison for projects that, on paper, supposedly provided free raincoats, tents, sports equipment and other items for his constituents 16 years ago.

In a decision promulgated on Tuesday, the Sixth Division of the Sandiganbayan found Dante De Guzman guilty of violating the antigraft law on four counts.

Aside from serving a prison term of 24 to 32 years, De Guzman must pay P6.41 million in damages to the city government, with interest of 6 percent per annum until the amount is fully paid.

According to the decision, the ex-councilor’s office made it appear, through falsified documents, that it had handed over P6.4 million worth of custom-made tents, children’s rain gear, food items and sports supplies to their intended beneficiaries in the barangays comprising QC’s District III.

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‘Ghost’ staff, projects

De Guzman served as councilor from 2007 to 2010. The supplies that were supposedly purchased between 2008 and 2009 included 141 tents, 1,177 raincoats, 1,177 pairs of rainboots, and an unspecified volume of food and sports items.

The charge against De Guzman stemmed from a complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman about “anomalous transactions involving the hiring of ghost employees and implementation of ghost projects by certain councilors” in Quezon City.

In convicting De Guzman, the court said “it was made to appear that the items were received by (his) area coordinator for distribution to the different barangays” despite the turnover of the procured goods to the councilor’s office.

A “distribution list,” which was signed by De Guzman, bore the names of the supposed recipients and of the “area coordinators” who facilitated the distribution.

Goods are gone

However, two of the coordinators stood as prosecution witnesses and denied signing any distribution list or receiving any of the supplies.

“But even without the testimonies of [the] witnesses… by merely examining the said documents, it can be concluded that the signatures therein are forgeries and the said documents were falsified,” the court decision read.

While the identified area coordinators were the same, the signatures for each distribution list were different, pointing to a forgery.

“[This] indicat[es] that someone just wrote signatures above the names to make it appear that the area coordinators received the pertinent items,” the court said.

The goods “could no longer be located and accounted for,” causing injury to the local government, it added.

Cleared of other raps

The court, however, acquitted De Guzman of falsification and malversation, saying the prosecution failed to prove that he was directly involved in the forgery and manipulation of the documents or that he personally benefited from the procurement.

“The only indication as to accused De Guzman’s participation in the said documents is his act of signing the same to note them,” it said.

But he exhibited “gross inexcusable negligence” for failing to ensure the distribution to the constituents, as he was “duty-bound” to hand them out, the court said.

The 104-page decision was penned by the Sixth Division chair, Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez, with the concurrence of Associate Justices Karl Miranda and Kevin Vivero.