THE Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday filed graft charges before the Sandiganbayan against 25 individuals including a former congressman and a former regulator—all linked to the alleged pork barrel scam whose alleged brains, Janet Lim Napoles, was also included in the charge sheets.
The Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor accused Davao del Sur’s former Rep. Marc Douglas Cagas IV and former Energy Regulatory Commission chairperson Zenaida Ducut of violating the anti-graft and corrupt practices act.
The Ombudsman charged Cagas with two counts of violation of the anti-graft law and another two counts of malversation of public funds.
The other respondents were former officials and employees of the Technology Resource Center, Budget department and state-run National AgriBusiness Council.
They were former TRC director general Antonio Ortiz, former deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, former managers Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana and Francisco Figura, former budget officer Consuelo Lilian Espiritu and former chief accountant Marivic Jover.
The charge sheet also included former Budget and Management undersecretary Mario Relampagos, budget specialist Rosario Nuñez, and administrative assistants Marilou Bare and Lalaine Paule; former National Agribusiness Corp. president Alan Javellana and former employees Victor Roman Cacal, Romulo Relevo, Maria Ninez-Guañizo, Ma. Julie Villaralvo-Johnson and Rhodora Mendoza.
Included in the charges were businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, driver and bodyguard John Raymond de Asis, and private individuals Jesus Castillo, Margarita Guadinez, Ireneo Pirater, Jocelyn Deiparine and Noel Macha.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor said Cagas allocated P7.550 million from Priority Development Assistance Fund in 2008 to two Napoles-linked fake foundations.
The first allocation was made in January 2008 involving P2.7 million worth of Cagas’ pork barrel fund for agricultural production packages for the farmers in Davao del Sur.
The fund was supposedly disbursed to the People’s Organization for Progress and Development Foundation Inc.
The second allocation involving P4.850 million of Cagas’ pork barrel fund was released in May 2008 to Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation Inc.
Cagas was accused of personally choosing POPDFI and SDPFFI to implement his PDAF-funded projects without a public bidding.
Ducut was Cagas’ agent, the Ombudsman said.
As for Napoles and the other private respondents are concerned, the Ombudsman said they “participated in the preparation and signing of the acceptance and delivery reports, disbursement reports, project proposals and other liquidation documents to conceal the fictitious nature of the transactions.”