Former Abra solon faces plunder rap

A former lawmaker of Abra was sued for plunder Tuesday for allegedly raiding the coffers of a town in the province for nearly 10 years.

In a complaint filed by Bernadine Joson, former municipal planning and development officer of Lagayan, Abra, former Rep. Cecilia Seares Luna, who is also former mayor of the town, was charged with plunder, graft and corruption, technical malversation, unethical conduct, violation of the government procurement law and forfeiture.

Along with the former lawmaker, also named respondents in the complaint were Cecilia’s son Jendricks, a barangay captain and also former Lagayan town mayor; her daughter Lara, the town’s incumbent vice mayor; Lagayan Mayor Purificacion Paingan; municipal treasurer Marissa Donato; municipal accountant Meno Dickenson; and municipal engineer Osborne Dolaoen.

According to Joson’s complaint, she had prepared ghost payrolls for the Lunas and saw how town employees were being deprived of their benefits and allowances.

She said she decided to come out after Jendricks publicly accused her of fabricating a resolution calling for the replacement of the municipal treasurer.

She said the plunder of Lagayan’s funds took place from 2003-2010 and amounted to at least P133.9 million.

Cecilia was mayor from 2003-2006 during which at least P56 million was unaccounted for, including funds for employees’ benefits and salaries, savings from vacant positions, calamity funds and funds for projects.

Jendricks, who was mayor from 2007-2010, allegedly squandered P77.7 million in the same funds, said Joson.

The alleged plunder, she said, could not have taken place without the help of Donato, Dickenson and Dolaoen.

‘Systematic raid’

Dolaoen, said Joson, prepared the annual program of work for public works projects in the bogus annual budget, while Dickenson certified the availability of funds for projects and ghost payrolls and allowed the disbursement of funds for nonexistent items. Donato, she added, disbursed the money.

“The raid of Lagayan town’s coffers over the years could only be systematic and without compunction,” she said.

Over the years, she said, the officials deliberately failed to properly document projects, disbursements, loans and expenditures. This could be seen in Commission on Audit reports, she added.

Cecilia’s daughter and Vice Mayor Lara, on the other hand, should be held liable for graft, grave misconduct, dereliction of duty and gross negligence for her chronic absenteeism, Joson said. Lara, also a nursing student, should be dismissed from the service, she added.

She said incumbent Mayor Paingan should be held liable for graft, grave misconduct, dereliction of duty and gross negligence for allowing Jendricks to take over the municipality, as a barangay captain and chair of the barangay captains’ association.

Joson, in her complaint, said Lagayan’s employees did not receive their benefits, such as clothing allowances. There were also attempts to deduct unnecessary expenses from their meager salaries, she added.