Fertilizer case ruling: Syjuco is dishonest

ILOILO CITY—The Ombudsman has found former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco Jr. guilty of dishonesty for irregularities in a P3.2-million fertilizer project for which he had been indicted in the antigraft court Sandiganbayan.

In a 28-page decision approved on June 10 by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, the graft investigating body said Syjuco should have been dismissed from service and all his benefits forfeited.

The decision also said Syjuco should be perpetually disqualified from holding public office and barred from taking exams to qualify for government service.

But since Syjuco is no longer in government service, the Ombudsman meted a fine equivalent to his salary for a year as a legislator.

The fine is payable to the Ombudsman or deductible from Syjuco’s retirement benefits, leave credits or any other benefit due him as former congressman.

The Ombudsman also ordered the dismissal of Roberto Alcudia, municipal agriculturist of Alimodian, Iloilo, who was found guilty of grave misconduct.

The case stemmed from a 2004 project involving the purchase of Nitropert Organic Foliar fertilizer and their distribution to farmers in the second congressional district of Iloilo, which Syjuco used to represent in the House.

The Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas entered into a memorandum of agreement with the municipality of Alimodian to implement the project.

But the local government unit entered into a separate agreement with the Tawo Kag Duta sa Kauswagan Cooperative (TKDKC) as the implementing nongovernment organization. The cooperative facilitated the canvass and award of a purchase contract worth P3,241,533 for Nitropert Organic Foliar fertilizer to the Carlos Lim Enterprises, one of the bidders.

TKDKC was later discovered to be linked to Syjuco and shared the address of the then congressman’s residence in Sta. Barbara town in Iloilo.

The cooperative’s incorporators and officers were Syjuco’s staff members including Manuel Mejorada, his former chief of staff who filed the complaint against him.

Syjuco denied any ill motive, saying he had no duty to monitor the project implementation.