6 more lawmakers in ‘pork’ scam face preliminary probe

MANILA, Philippines - Six more former lawmakers are now facing preliminary investigation for their supposed involvement in the pork barrel scam allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

The Office of the Ombudsman announced yesterday that it has completed its fact-finding investigation into the anomalous disbursement of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations of former representatives Alvin Sandoval of Navotas-Malabon, Marina Clarete of the 1st District of Misamis Occidental, Reno Lim of the 3rd District of Albay, Rodolfo Antonino of the 4th District of Nueva Ecija, Teodulo Coquilla of the lone district of Eastern Samar, and Anthony Miranda of the 4th District of Isabela. 

Field Investigation Office (FIO) probers have filed malversation of public funds and graft charges against the lawmakers along with Napoles, former agriculture secretary Arthur Yap, and several other public and private individuals before the anti-graft agency’s preliminary investigation bureau.

The ombudsman said the filing of the latest set of complaints is the result of the field investigation conducted on the PDAF scam as early as July 2013 when Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales motu proprio initiated a fact-finding probe in response to news reports on the pork barrel scam. 

Several investigation teams were created to expedite the probe by gathering numerous documents and interviewing hundreds of witnesses nationwide based on a Commission on Audit (COA) special audit report which involved a total of P6.156 billion worth of PDAF released from 2007 to 2009 by various Implementing Agencies (IAs) to 82 non-government organizations (NGOs).

The ombudsman said field investigators formally filed criminal complaints against the six former congressmen together with officials of the IAs and NGOs linked to Napoles.

Sandoval is under preliminary probe for the misuse of his PDAF amounting to P30 million coursed through three NGOs that ended up being used for ghost projects and programs.

Clarete allegedly released some P65 million in pork barrel funds from 2007 to 2009 to various NGOs and IAs for distribution of livelihood kits, grafted seedlings and financial assistance. 

Initially, the PDAF was released through the office of then Department of Agriculture secretary Yap but during actual implementation, the funds were released to the three Napoles foundations.

Again, investigation revealed that the money was never used for intended programs or projects, which is how the PDAF scam works.

The charges against Miranda stem from the funneling to an NGO of which he is the founding chairman the amount of P21 million in 2007.

“Up to this date, AMFI (Aksyon Makamasa Foundation, Inc.) have not liquidated the P20 million funds it received,” the ombudsman said.

Coquilla allegedly received P5 million as PDAF in 2007 for the benefit of the municipalities of Dolores, Maslog, Jipapad, Lawa-an and Guian for the procurement of assorted instructional materials, calamansi, rambutan, chico, and mango seedlings, with the Gabaymasa Foundation as project implementor.  

Ombudsman investigators who conducted field validation however verified that supplier Marinduqueno does not supply tree seedlings while KP Enterprises was registered with the Department of Trade and Industry only in 2011 and is a vendor of car batteries and wheel interiors in Marikina Heights. 

Antonio’s case stems from his request that his PDAF of P15 million worth of livelihood projects be coursed through the DA and endorsed to an NGO as project implementor to benefit the seven municipalities of the 4th District of Nueva Ecija. 

Some 7,275 sets of Livelihood Technology Kits (LTK) that were allegedly bought from C.C. Barredo Enterprise, at P2,000 per kit, were not received by the intended beneficiaries.

As for Lim, the Office of the Ombudsman said he initiated the release of his P30 million PDAF in 2007 for livelihood projects. 

The NGO he chose to implement the project allegedly made it appear that it procured 8,000 sets of LTKs from C.C. Barredo.