Former solons indicted for non-Napoles pork scam

The Office of the Ombudsman is set to file a new set of pork barrel scam charges against two former representatives involved in bogus foundations outside the web of Janet Lim-Napoles.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Assistant Ombudsman Asryman Rafanan said the Ombudsman found probable cause to charge former Representatives Alvin Sandoval (lone district of Malabon and Navotas Cities) and Candido Pancrudo Jr.  (1st district of Bukidnon) for graft and malversation.

Rafanan said the nongovernment organizations (NGOs) used for the ghost projects were outside the web of bogus foundations allegedly used by Napoles in her P10-billion pork barrel scam. The cases are now before the Sandiganbayan and have resulted in the detention of Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile, and former Representatives Rizalina Lanete and Edgar Valdez for plunder.

“This is the first set of resolutions affecting non-Napoles NGOs,” Rafanan said.

The Ombudsman indicted Sandoval for the allegedly anomalous use of P30 million from his Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to fictitious projects and ghost beneficiaries from 2007 to 2009.

“The 37-page resolution ruled that the livelihood projects and NGO proponents of Sandoval were fictitious as the list of beneficiaries was found to be forged.  The barangay captains, including city agriculturists of the affected district, denied the conduct of any livelihood skills trainings in their jurisdictions as well as the receipt of any livelihood and agricultural materials/kits.  The documentary requisites for disbursements to NGOs were falsified as the suppliers engaged by the NGOs were nonexistent or had no business permits, and that the NGOs themselves were nonexistent,” the Ombudsman said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman indicted Pancrudo for the alleged illegal disbursement of P8.2 million PDAF in 2008.

“The 47-page resolution concluded that the government suffered undue injury when respondents conspired with one another and diverted the amount of P7,954,000.00 to [Uswag Pilipinas Foundation Inc.] for projects which never came to exist. It also rejected Pancrudo’s defense of forgery as scrutiny of official records by the naked eye shows consistency in his signature,” the Ombudsman said.

Also facing indictment are officials of the implementing agencies endorsed by the congressman to implement the ghost projects—Technology Resource Center (TRC) and National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor)—and NGOs Pangkabuhayan Foundation Inc. (PFI),  Dr. Rodolfo A. Ignacio Sr.  Foundation Inc. (DRAISFI), Jacinto Castel Borja Foundation Inc. (JCBFI) and UPFI.

Indicted with Sandoval are TRC former director general Antonio Ortiz, former group manager Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana, chief accountant Marivic Jover and budget officer IV Consuelo Lilian Espiritu for violation of Section 3(e) of the Antigraft and Corrupt Practices Act and Malversation.

Meanwhile, TRC former deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, PFI president Petronila Balmaceda, PFI secretary Fernando Balmaceda, DRAISFI director Rolleo Ignacio and JCBFI president Roberto Agana face one count each of graft and malversation.

Indicted with Pancrudo for graft, malversation and malversation through falsification are Nabcor ex-president Alan Javellana, director for administrative and finance Rhodora Mendoza, accounting division officer in charge Maria Ninez Guañizo, paralegal Victor Roman Cacal and UPFI president Mark Espinosa.