Napoles, Biazon, Ducut indicted for malversation, graft

Former Customs chief Ruffy Biazon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

THE Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to file malversation and graft cases against resigned Customs commissioner Ruffy Biazon, a former Muntinlupa Representative, and four former representatives over the alleged pork barrel scam.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Assistant Ombudsman Asryman Rafanan said it also found probable cause to indict Energy Regulatory Commissioner chair Zenaida Ducut and accused pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

Ducut, a former Pampanga representative, is said to the contact of Napoles to lawmakers in the House of Representatives for the alleged scheme of pilfering lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to ghost projects for kickbacks.

“This is another argument against the criticisms lodged against the Ombudsman that there is selective justice,” Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said in the press conference Biazon is an ally of President Benigno Aquino III in the Liberal Party.

Also indicted for malversation, graft for the scam are former representatives  Rodolfo Valencia of Oriental Mindoro, Marc Douglas Cagas of Davao Del Sur, Arrel Olaño of Davao Del Norte and Arthur Pingoy Jr of South Cotabato.

Also indicted are Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos, and other officials of the implementing agencies National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) and Technology Resource Center (TRC).

The indicted lawmakers were also accused of direct bribery, while Napoles was indicted for corruption of public officials.

They form part of the second batch of PDAF scam complaint lodged before the Ombudsman.

In its indictment, the Ombudsman said Biazon in 2007 endorsed P3 million of his PDAF to the Napoles foundation Philippine Social Foundation through TRC.

Biazon also allegedly received P1.95 million kickbacks from his alleged agent Ducut, according to the financial records of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy.

Valencia meanwhile allegedly coursed through his P7 million PDAF from 2007 to 2009 to Napoles’ Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation (Mamfi) through TRC and Nabcor. He allegedly got P2.4-million kickbacks from his PDAF project in 2008.

Cagas allegedly coursed through his P11 million PDAF to Napoles’ Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation (SDPFFI) and People’s Organization for Progress and Development Foundation (POPDFI) through TRC and Nabcor. He got P5.5 million kickbacks from 2007 to 2009.

Olaño, meanwhile, is alleged to have received P3.175 million kickbacks from Napoles in his alleged misuse of P7.97 million PDAF.

Pingoy allegedly coursed his P20.91 million PDAF to Napoles’ Philippine Social Development Foundation, Inc. (PSDFI) and SDPFFI through Nabcor and TRC to rake in kickbacks worth P7.055 million from 2007 to 2008.