Ex-government corporation exec convicted over illegal release of retirement benefits

A former executive of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) has been convicted for graft for illegally releasing the retirement gratuity and terminal benefits of the former chairman who also faces a graft complaint.

In a statement, the Office of the Ombudsman said it secured from the Sandiganbayan the conviction to six years and one month minimum to 10 years maximum of former acting PCIC Senior Vice President Liberty Tiongco. She is also penalized with perpetual disqualification from public office.

Tiongco was also found guilty of usurping official functions under the Revised Penal Code and was sentenced to an additional six months up to two years, 11 months and 10 days imprisonment.

The court said Tiongco signed and approved the release of the leave benefits amounting to P1.522 million for then PCIC President Benito Estacio Jr., who retired April 2006.

The check was issued to Estacio a month after his retirement despite his criminal and administrative cases before the Ombudsman and without the knowledge of then PCIC President Lamberto Barbin. Estacio faces graft, gross negligence and grave misconduct.

The court said Tiongco “put up the façade that she had the discretion to determine the release of the retirement benefits of Benito Estacio, Jr. despite the pendency of his cases before the Office of the Ombudsman” when “the discretion exclusively belongs to the head of the department, office, or agency concerned.”

“(T)he ease and facility with which (Estacio) was able to claim his retirement benefit spelled a converse effect on the government to its utmost prejudice…It is unfortunate that the approval made by Tiongco may have been an extension of her patronizing ways to a former superior,” the decision quoted in the Ombudsman statement read.

Meanwhile, the court acquitted PCIC Acting Department Manager III Elba Combatir due to lack of sufficient evidence while the case against co-accused Acting Manager Jaime Padilla was dismissed following his death in May 2014.

Meanwhile, the court archived the case of Nilo Mordeno, former Acting Senior Vice-President for Support Services Group, who remains at-large.