Ombud to probe ‘pork’ anomaly; Cuenco relieved

The Visayas Ombudsman Office yesterday said it would start a fact-finding inquiry into the misuse of P3.38 million in pork barrel funds channeled to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in 2001.

Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol said he would check the report of the Commission on Audit, whose decision finding four hospital officials liable, was recently upheld by the Supreme Court.

Two of the four hospital officials have already retired. Filomena delos Santos, the hospital chief, retired in December 2006 while Josefa Bacaltos, the chief administrative officer, retired in 2004.

Two other staffers, Nelanie Antoni and Maureen Bien are still connected with VSMMC, said Nonoy Mongaya, hospital spokesman.

“We’re waiting for proper authorities to implement the order of the Supreme Court but haven’t received a copy yet. We’re willing to cooperate with the investigation,” he said.

Deputy Ombudsman Apostol said his office can only conduct an administrative probe of active government personnel. However, a criminal case can still be pursued even if a person is no longer connected with the government.

Cebu City Councilor James Cuenco said he’s glad the audit findings cleared the name of his father, former Rep. Antonio Cuenco, in the misuse of his pork barrel funds which were used for a medical assistance program.

“We saw that it wasn’t being handled properly so we stopped the program,” said James, who was his father’s chief of staff at the time.

He said his father even sought help from the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the anomaly.

Cuenco said they stopped their partnership with VSMMC in 2004 when monitoring report of their medical program implementation showed discrepancies, referring to the falsification of documents for anti-rabies medicine.

Learning from the incident, Cuenco said “The medical assistance fund was transferred to DSWD for proper monitoring. It’s a more circuitous process but mas na safeguard ang kwarta,” he said.

Cuenco said, it may already be difficult for government to also go after Sisinio Villacin, who is already abroad.

Cuenco said that as far as he knows, Villacin sold Dell Pharmacy to a sibling when his family migrated to the US in 2008.

“It’s just unfortunate that the Supreme Court ruling was timed with the pork barrel controversy. But we are willing to face the music and if there is any more investigation, we will cooperate,” he told Cebu Daily News.

James said his father’s medical aid program in 2001 channeled P5 million directly to the VSMMC through the Dept. of Budget Management.

James said he would sign referral letters to vouch for beneficiaries in the south district needing medical aid and send them to VSMMC, whose social worker would evaluate each case.

Medicines for patients were drawn from the hospital pharmacy or from the Dell Pharmacy which was chosen as a partner.

Dell Pharmacy, he said, was then owned by Sisinio Villacin Jr., a neighbor in barangay Banawa where the Cuenco family also lives. /Chief of Reporters Doris c. Bogcac and Ador Vincent S. Mayol and Doris C. Bongcac