Chair Erineo “Ayong” S. Maliksi Screengrab from www.lpp.gov.ph
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chairman Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi and Cavite 3rd District Rep. Alex Advincula have been charged with graft and malversation of public funds before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the use of P700,000 in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to pay for the hospital bill of the former’s driver-confidential agent.
The Filipino Alliance for Transparency and Empowerment (Fate) headed by its president, Jennifer Castro, filed the case with the Ombudsman on Monday against the two for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, or RA 3019, and Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code for Malversation of Public Funds.
Castro said they acquired a letter dated December 9, 2015 and signed by Maliksi and Advincula addressed to Manuel Chua Chiaco Jr., executive director of the Philippine Heart Center (PHC), where Maliksi’s driver, Celistino Aman, was confined.
In the letter, Maliksi told Chiaco that when he was still the congressman of the third district of Cavite he allocated funds a the PHC which was turned over to Advincula, who now occupies the position.
Maliksi asked Chiaco to use the PDAF fund amounting to P700,000 to pay for the hospital bill of Aman, who died in August 2015 and left unpaid bills at the PHC.
In the complaint, Fate said that Aman was “endorsed/granted by the said chairman to benefit from the PCSO by giving the relatives the full amount to pay the driver’s hospital bill in the Philippine Heart Center after months of being deceased.”
Fate charged that “Maliksi used his position so that a certain individual would benefit from a valid transaction with the government.”
Cavite 3rd District Alex Advincula. Photo from www.congress.gov.ph
Advincula is included in the graft complaint as he signed the request letter to PHC.
“The anomaly here is that respondent Maliksi insisted to use such funds even when he is no longer a member of Congress, not even the current representative of the 3rd District of Cavite, when such letter request has been sent to the Philippine Center,” the complaint read.
It added, “To makes things a little more complicated is that respondent Advincula acceded to the whims of respondent Maliksi by signing the conforme portion of the letter. Such act would mean that consenting on the act of respondent Maliksi,”
FATE said Maliksi has no more authority over the PDAF funds since he is no longer a congressman.
It noted that the Supreme Court declared PDAF unconstitutional in 2013.
FATE, in its complaint, said “What is more surprising in the present complaint is that the Philippine Heart Center has considered the obligation of Mr. Aman full paid and complied with, which should be a startling event, since what public funds were used to compensate the obligation as requested by the respondents Chairman and Congressman, if there is no more PDAF or its alike at the time of the request due to the Highest Tribunal’s pronouncement.”