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Gringo Honasan ordered arrested over P30-M pork barrel mess


The Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of Senator Gringo Honasan for the alleged irregular procurement of livelihood projects worth P30 million released under his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

"The Court finds that there is sufficient probable cause to hold the accused in this case for trial and issue a warrant of arrest for them," the Sandiganbayan said in the minutes of the proceedings held on August 7, 2017.

Honasan is facing two counts of violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the Sandiganbayan when he allegedly released his PDAF to the National Council of Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) to finance livelihood projects for Muslim communities in the National Capital Region and Zambales.

Four respondents—Aurora Aragon-Mabang, Olga Galido, Mehol Sadain, and Fedelina Aldanese—have posted bail on the case.

Honasan, on the other hand, has yet to post a P60,000 bail bond together with Michael Benjamin, Galay Makalinggan, Salvador Gaerlan, and Giovanni Gaerlan.

Associate Justices Oscar Herrera Jr., Michael Frederick Musngi, and Lorifel Pahimna signed the arrest warrant.

Sought for comment, Honasan denied the allegations raised against him.

"I am completely innocent of the charges against me. All my life, I have fought everything I am accused of, and I will continue to do so," Honasan said.

Sources from the Sandiganbayan said Honasan's staff called the anti-graft court inquiring about the procedures for his bail. He, however, failed to show up until the last minutes before the Sandiganbayan closed at 4:30 p.m.

According to Chief Sheriff Albert Dela Cruz, the arrest warrant has been transmitted to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Dela Cruz said it is now up to the NBI and the CIDG as to when it will serve the warrant against the senator.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed the graft charges against Honasan and his co-accused on August 1. The case was raffled to the Second Division on August 4.

Based on fact-finding investigations, Honasan tapped NCMF as implementing agency and Focus Development Goals Foundation, Inc. as non-government organization (NGO)-partner without the compliance of procurement regulations.

The Ombudsman, in a resolution dated September 21, 2016, said the check dated May 30, 2012 and disbursement voucher approving the payment of the P30 million "were prepared by public respondents in favor of Focus even before the NGO was informed that it was found qualified to undertake the project."

The Ombudsman said the check was also signed before the memorandum of agreement was sealed between Honasan, NCMF, and Focus.

Furthermore, Honasan allegedly approved the release of the funds in two tranches totaling P29.1 in favor of Focus

“The repeated illegal transfers of public funds to the NGO, resulted in the quantifiable, pecuniary losses to the Government, thus constituting undue injury," Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said in the resolution. —NB/KVD/KBK, GMA News

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