Sacked North Cotabato vice gov Ipong, ex-DSWD sec Cabral to face pork barrel scam raps
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales. TRISTAN TAMAYO/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Dismissed North Cotabato vice governor and former congressman Gregorio Ipong is set to face a second set of graft and malversation charges over the alleged misuse of his P9.4-million pork barrel funds in 2007.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the filing of two counts of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and one count of malversation thru falsification of public funds against Ipong and former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza Cabral.
Cabral is the former DSWD and Department of Health Secretary of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
READ: Ex-Caloocan solon, Arroyo’s ex-DSWD Secretary face malversation, graft raps
Also ordered to be charged before the Sandiganbayan are then DSWD Undersecretary Mateo Montaño, Chief Accountant Leonila Hayahay and Roberto Solon of the Economic and Social Cooperation for Local Development Foundation, Inc. (ECOSOC).
Ipong was indicted over the allegedly anomalous use of his P9.4-million Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) disbursed through a Special Release Allotment Order issued in January 2007.
Ipong’s PDAF was intended to benefit his poorest and marginalized constituents in the 2nd district through medical missions, health materials, various medicines and capacity building or livelihood capital assistance for 75 marginal families.
Ombudsman field investigators said Ipong had the fund downloaded to the DSWD as implementing agency and ECOSOC as NGO partner.
On-site field verification revealed that a majority of beneficiaries denied receiving the assistance from Ipong’s PDAF.
The Ombudsman also obtained certifications and affidavits from city, municipal and barangay (village) officials to prove that Ipong’s PDAF was diverted to “ghost projects.”
Documents also revealed the absence of due diligence in the audit of ECOSOC, which turned out to be financially incapable of implementing multi-million peso projects due to its measly capital of only P56,000.
The Ombudsman investigators also found out that there was no public bidding as required under the Government Procurement Reform Act.
The medicine supplier Ace Pharmaceuticals denied engaging in any business transaction with ECOSOC for the supply of medicines, the Ombudsman investigators said.
The Board of Trustees of ECOSOC likewise denied any knowledge of the transactions entered into by ECOSOC with DSWD.
The NGO sent a letter to the Commission on Audit that “the persons involved must have used their NGO for their own personal and unauthorized purpose.”
The Ombudsman said Cabral was liable because she prepared, reviewed and entered into the Memorandum of Agreement for the implementation of the ghost projects.
“Instead of using the PDAF disbursements received by them to implement the livelihood projects, respondents diverted these sums amounting to P9.4 million to their own pockets,” Morales said in the resolution.
“The role played by each of them was so indispensable to the success of their scheme that, without any of them, the same would have failed,” she added.
The Ombudsman also found Ipong and Montaño guilty of the administrative offenses of grave misconduct and ordered them dismissed from service and perpetually disqualified from holding public office with their retirement benefits forfeited.
In case of separation from the service, the penalty is convertible to a fine equivalent to respondents’ salary for one year.
Ipong’s first set of graft and malversation charges stemmed from his indictment over the alleged misuse of his P10-million PDAF coursed through a dubious NGO Aaron Foundation Philippines, Inc., which the Ombudsman found to be unqualified to implement livelihood projects.
Ipong stepped down from office last November after being served with a dismissal order over his involvement in the pork barrel scam. He has appealed his dismissal from service. RAM
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