Ex-lawmaker faces raps over PDAF scam

MANILA, Philippines - Another former lawmaker will be indicted in connection with the pork barrel scam.

In a 38-page resolution signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, former Nueva Ecija congressman Aurelio Umali and five other persons will be charged with four counts of graft and three counts of malversation of public funds.

Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam; Renato Manantan, former regional director of the Department of Agriculture; Narcisa Maningding, former DA regional accountant, and Anita Tansipek and Corazon Bautista of the non-government organization Samahan ng mga Manininda ng Prutas sa Gabi Inc. (Samahan) will be named respondents in the cases.

The ombudsman said Umali and Manantan were also found guilty of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. The former officials were slapped with the accessory penalties of a fine equivalent to their one year salary, perpetual disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of retirement benefits.

The charges stemmed from Umali’s alleged misuse of P15-million of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel when he was congressman in 2005.

The fund was for the supposed implementation of agricultural projects such as the distribution of irrigation pumps and fertilizers to farmers in the towns of Laur, Gabaldon, Bongabon, Santa Rosa, General Natividad and Cabanatuan City.

The ombudsman said Samahan and a Napoles-linked Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc. were named implementers of the projects without public bidding and despite their lack of track record and credentials.

Investigation showed the respondents conspired to make it appear that the funds were used to purchase 7,920 bottles of liquid fertilizers and 15 irrigation pumps. None of the items reached the intended beneficiaries, graft probers said.

The ombudsman also cited the absence of a market survey and identification of product standards for the agricultural implements as well as the use of undated and unnumbered disbursement vouchers.