Drilon faces plunder complaint over alleged bribery for Corona verdict

(Updated 12:49 p.m.) Senate President Franklin Drilon is facing yet another plunder complaint, this time for allegedly using state funds to bribe lawmakers into voting for a guilty verdict during the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

 

In a 42-page complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco Jr. alleged that Drilon used government funds from the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) to "bribe, induce and corrupt lawmakers whom, by reason of their office, can ensure the guilty verdict in the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona and such other crimes or offenses as may be warranted in the premises."

 

PHOTO: Ika-4 na plunder case isinampa laban kay SP Franklin Drilon http://t.co/xmmQgPVgFc http://t.co/77UU9IzF9v | via @paulogeesantos

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) October 18, 2013

 

He said Drilon used more than P1 billion in public money "to facilitate his devious scheme of bribing and paying-off senator judges."

 

Because of this, he said the senator may have committed the following:

 

These acts warrant Drilon's prosecution, Syjuco said.

Drilon reacts


Debate

 

In his complaint, Syjuco asked the Ombudsman to “immediately order the preventive suspension of respondents and to conduct the necessary action on the matter leading to the immediate filing of criminal and administrative cases as the evidence may so warrant." 

 

Aside from the complaint, Syjuco also challenged Drilon to a "one-on one" or "mano-a-mano" debate about the conception and use of the DAP.

 

"Let a reputable people's organization such as the PHILCONSA and/or the IBP organize this debate at a proximate time, and in a proper venue that national media can cover, so that our people will know. I ask Mr. Drilon to accept this challenge in the interest of truth and the strong sense of righteousness of our people, by our people, and for our people," he said.

 

Drilon is currently in South Korea with President Benigno Aquino III for the latter's state visit there. 

 

President Aquino had earlier insisted that DAP releases made to senators last year cannot be considered as bribes, questioning if there is such a thing as "bribery after the fact."

 

He even dared them to impeach him over the DAP controversy, while standing firm on his authority to use the country's savings for other purposes, as long as they are in the national budget. 

 

Aquino's allies had also maintained that there were no irregularities in the government's release of discretionary funds to senators months after the impeachment. 

 

Not the first time

 

This is not the first time Drilon was slapped with plunder charges.

 

In September, Syjuco filed a plunder complaint against him for alleged irregularities in the construction of the Iloilo Hall of Justice in 1992.

 

Earlier in the month, Syjuco filed another plunder complaint against the senator for an allegedly overpriced walkway near the Iloilo River.

 

Drilon had earlier dismissed Syjuco's complaint as a form of "malicious political harassment."

 

"Malisyoso ito at walang basehan. Nakalulungkot na binibigyan ng publicity. Kitang-kita, on its face, na political harassment by someone who is a discredited politician rejected by the Ilonggos last election," he said in a radio interview.

 

The Senate leader likewise pointed out that Syjuco himself is currently facing a graft case before the Sandiganbayan for alleged irregular disbursement of funds when the former congressman was director-general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in 2007. —KG/RSJ, GMA News