Ex - governor faces graft raps over disaster response funds

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has indicted former Surigao del Norte governor Francisco Matugas and another former provincial officer over the alleged illegal use of P60 million in provincial funds originally intended for disaster response.

In a 35-page resolution dated June 24, the ombudsman found probable cause to indict Matugas and former provincial budget officer Ma. Myrla Padayhag for violation of Section 3 of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for illegally transferring P60 million to the Department of Education-Surigao del Norte and Siargao Divisions from the funds of the provincial government.

Citing Section 336 of the Local Government Code of 1991, the Ombudsman said funds should be available exclusively for the specific purpose for which they have been appropriated.

In 2022, the Surigao del Norte provincial government entered into three memoranda of agreement (MOA) with local school division superintendents, transferring P60 million to the DepEd for books and instructional materials for elementary students.

The ombudsman said the MOAs were “unauthorized and bereft of any legal basis.”

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Oscar Pospia Jr. in June 2023, who claimed the funds should have gone to emergency relief and rehabilitation considering that the province was, at the time, still recovering from the aftermath of Super Typhoon Odette in December 2021.