Ombudsman probes into PCSO fund mess

MANILA, Philippines—The Office of the Ombudsman launched its own investigation Friday into alleged irregularities in the use of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds, following suggestions at Senate hearings that the crime of plunder may have been committed.

Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro formed a special panel that would conduct a fact-finding investigation into allegations that the PCSO misused its intelligence funds.

In a statement, Casimiro said the probe would focus on how PCSO money was disbursed.

He also said an investigation would be conducted on the complaints filed by two advertising agencies against former PCSO public relations chief Manuel Garcia.

The advertisers had accused Garcia of demanding a cut from their payments from the PCSO for a number of years. The payments they had allegedly made to Garcia amounted to over P28 million.

The new management of the PCSO has been exposing alleged anomalies in the agency during the Arroyo administration.

The Senate had taken up the matter and launched its own public inquiries, during which a former PCSO official disclosed that former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo approved the allocation of hundreds of millions of pesos for intelligence operations of the charity agency.

PCSO funds were also used to buy vehicles for Catholic bishops, a move that the Commission on Audit said was unconstitutional.