Plunder raps filed vs 3 ex-AFP chiefs, 14 others
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) Whistleblower George Rabusa filed Thursday before the Department of Justice (DoJ) a plunder complaint against three former chiefs of staff, two former comptrollers and 10 other former and current military officials and two government auditors over a fund irregularity in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Named main respondents were AFP chiefs Efren Abu, Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu; and comptrollers Jacinto Ligot and Carlos Garcia.
Other respondents include retired Major General Hilario Atendido, Brigadier General Benito de Leon, Colonels Tomas Donato and Roy Devesa, Major Emerson Angulo, retired Lieutenant Col. Ernesto Paranis, Captain Keneth Paglinawan, Col. Gilbert Gapay, Col. Roberto Arevalo, retired Maj. Gen. Epineto Logico; and Commission on Audit (CoA) officers Generoso del Castillo and Divina Cabrera.
“This is a case against 17 people – 15 senior military officers, including three former chiefs of staffs and two comptrollers and two civilians from the CoA,” Rabusa’s lawyer Noel Malaya told reporters.
Rabusa presented to the DoJ over 20 volumes of evidence containing receipts, checks and other documents signed by the respondents.
“We have documents to prove our allegations, and testimony of the persons involved. I think we have a strong case,” Rabusa said.
“Basically it is a series of conversion of funds of the Armed Forces. They received the SARO [Special Allotment Release Order] and then send the allotment advice to the converting units; then the converting units convert it to cash and return it to J6 (Office of the AFP comptroller), and after the cash is received by J6, the Office of the Chief of Staff disburses the money the way they please,” Malaya explained the nature of the complaint.
Rabusa earlier alleged that the late AFP Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes had received a regular P5-million payoff in his 20 months in office and was gifted with some P50 milion as sendoff money on his retirement while Villanueva and Cimatu each received P10 million as startup fund.
