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Ombudsman upholds graft raps vs. Yap, Antonino over P15-M pork barrel fund mess


The Ombudsman has affirmed the filing of raps against former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap and former Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino over the alleged anomalous use of the latter's P15-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in 2007.

Facing two counts each of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and malversation were Yap, Antonino, National Agri-Business Corporation (NABCOR) officials Alan Javellana, Rhodora Mendoza, Encarnita Cristina Munsod, Maria Ninez Guañizo, Buhay Mo Mahal Ko Foundation, Inc. (BMMKFI) representative Marilou Antonio, and Carmelita Barredo of C.C. Barredo Publishing House.

According to the Ombudsman, Antonino, in a January 2007 letter, requested and directly endorsed to the Department of Agriculture NABCOR and BMMKFI as implementers of his livelihood training kits project.

On March 22, 2007, the BMMKFI, through Antonino, exclusively procured 7,275 sets of kits from C.C. Barredo Publishing House.

Each kit amounted to P2,000, or P14.55 million as a whole.

The supplier supposedly delivered the kits in Roxas Boulevard the next day and were accepted and acknowledged by Antonino.

However, actual filed verification showed that the projects were non-existent, as several Nueva Ecija local officials denied receiving any of the kits, the Ombudsman said.

It added that there was no proposal supporting the project, physical and audited financial reports, monitoring reports or due diligence conducted in the supplier and NGO-selection process.

No public bidding or any procurement was also conducted for the project.

“[T]he motions for reconsideration are mere rehashes of the issues and claims previously raised by them and already passed upon by the Office," Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said in affirming the charges against the accused.

"[I]n a Congressional Pork Barrel System, including the PDAF, it is the legislator who exercises actual control and custody of the PDAF share allocated to him," she added. —NB, GMA News

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