In September 2016, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the filing of charges against former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Nur Misuari and regional officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Audit (COA) over a P137.5-million “textbook scam.”
According to COA findings, Misuari’s administration, from 2000 to 2001, procured educational materials costing P137.5 million from five suppliers without competitive bidding.
According to the prosecutors, Misuari and his coaccused misappropriated funds by falsifying requisition and issuing a voucher, purchase order, sales invoice, disbursement voucher, schedule of accounts payable, list of due and demandable accounts payable-external creditors, to make it appear a procurement was made.
Undue advantage, injury
Some educational materials were not delivered, including a multimedia information technology package worth P46 million ordered from CPR Publishing House of Caloocan City, educational materials worth P37 million ordered from White Orchids Printing and Publishing House, and an information technology package worth P31 million from MBJ Learning Tools of Caloocan City.
This caused undue advantage to the contractors and undue injury to government, the prosecutors said.
In May 2017, Misuari, leader of a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) that signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996, was formally charged with three counts of malversation of public funds through falsification and three counts of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in the Sandiganbayan.
Also charged were former ARMM-DepEd Director Leovigilda Cinches, supply officer Sittie Aisa Usman, accountant Alladin Usi, chief accountant Pangalian Maniri, and COA auditor Nader Macagaan, and suppliers Lolita Sambeli of White Orchids and Cristeta Ramirez of CPR Publishing.
Charges against former Undersecretary Abdurajul Alpha and Regional Secretary Mahid Mutilan were dismissed by the Ombudsman because they had died before complaint was filed.
Misuari has a standing warrant of arrest for rebellion and violation of Republic Act No. 9851, or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity, for leading the MNLF siege of Zamboanga City in 2013 that left 200 dead.
The Department of Justice, however, has expressed interest in lifting the arrest warrant in a bid to restart stalled peace talks with the MNLF.
In November 2016, the Pasig Regional Trial Court suspended the warrant for six months after President Duterte extended a hand of peace to Misuari. In May, it extended the suspension for another six months. —INQUIRER RESEARCH
Source: Inquirer Archives