Ex-Caloocan rep charged before Sandiganbayan over alleged P10-M PDAF misuse

The Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft and malversation charges against former Caloocan City representative Mary Mitzi Cajayon-Uy over the alleged misuse of P10 million from her Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) share in 2009.

Cajayon-Uy, ex-Social Welfare secretary Esperanza Cabral, and other ranking department officials and the president of a non-government organization stand charged with two counts of graft and one count each of malversation of public funds and of malversation through falsification of public documents.

Cajayon-Uy is now executive director of the Council for the Welfare of Children, an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The case stemmed from the release of P3 million and P7 million in public funds for what were found to be ghost projects under the Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS) program with Kaloocan Assistance Council, Inc. (KACI), an NGO, as project partner.

The Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict Cajayon-Uy, Cabral, DSWD undersecretary Mateo Montaño, assistant secretary Vilma Cabrera, accountant Leonila Hayahay, assistant bureau director Pacita Sarino, and KACI's president Cenon Mayor in September last year.

The cases were shown to be received by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan on July 13.

The former congresswoman is accused of endorsing KACI as project partner in the implementation of the CIDDS, a social assistance program, in disregard of appropriation law, without public bidding, and with KACI being "unaccredited" and "unqualified" to undertake the projects.

The allocation for what Ombudsman investigators later uncovered to be ghost projects included:

• P2 million for funeral assistance;
• P1.93 million for educational assistance;
• P2 million for financial assistance;
• P250,000.00 for tents;
• P250,000.00 for medical and dental assistance;
• P250,000.00 for an anti-rabies program;
• P250,000.00 for fumigation;
• P570,000.00 for de-clogging of drainage;
• P250,000.00 for sports gear, trophies and medals; and
• P250,000.00 for fiesta, sports activities, concerts, dance and singing contests.

The Ombudsman prosecutor handling the cases alleged that the acts of Cajayon-Uy, Cabral and the other DSWD officials—which included entering into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) and failing to thoroughly review liquidation reports and review the project status—allowed KACI's Mayor to "take possession and thus misappropriate" PDAF-drawn public funds, instead of implementing the PDAF-funded projects, which turned out to be non-existent.

Mayor, on the other hand, signed the MOA, participated in the preparation and signing of liquidation documents to "conceal the fictitious nature of the transaction, to the damage and prejudice of the Republic of the Philippines," the Ombudsman prosecutor, Joseph Licudan, said. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/BM, GMA News