Graft, malversation raps filed vs. ex-Puerto Princesa Mayor Hagedorn

(Updated 7:16 p.m.) Four residents of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan have filed separate graft and malversation complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against their former mayor, Edward Hagedorn.

 

In a complaint filed on April 28, Puerto Princesa residents Antonio Lagrada and Wilfredo Rama accused Hagedorn of graft for the allegedly anomalous purchase of P2.3 million worth of sports uniforms for local athletes in February 2010.

Citing Commission on Audit (COA) reports, the complainants said Hagedorn's administration bought the sports uniforms from Prudence Garment Manufacturing (PGM) without public bidding.

 

Hagedorn and four members of the city government's bids and awards committee also failed to submit disbursement vouchers of this transaction for pre-audit, the complainants added.

 

"The transaction between the government and PGM can be observed as grossly and manifestly disadvantageous to the government. There is no doubt that the award of contract and purchase of sports uniforms grossly violated certain provisions of laws," the documents submitted to the Ombudsman read.

 

Hagedorn was Puerto Princesa mayor from 1992 to 2001. He was reelected as head of the city from 2002 to 2013.

 

The former mayor ran for senator during the 2013 midterm polls, but lost. 

 

Malversation

 

In a separate complaint, Puerto Princesa residents retired police general Eduardo Matillano and Narciso Pangilinan slapped Hagedorn with a malversation complaint for the supposed misuse of local government support fund (LGSF) amounting to P125 million in 2011.

 

Also facing malversation raps are former city treasurer Armando Abrea, former budget officer Ruben Francisco and city planning coordinator Jovenee Sagun.

 

Also citing COA reports, the complainants said Hagedorn and other former city officials committed "double funding" when they used allocations from the city's annual budget for projects that were supposed to be funded by the LGSF.

 

The respondents also supposedly failed to submit a report on how the LGSF was utilized within the period prescribed by the Department of Interior and Local Government.

 

Matillano and Pangilinan also claimed that the local government failed to place the LGSF in a trust fund as required by the DILG.

 

"The failure of city government officials to report, explain and account where the LGSF money went can be taken to mean that the funds were appropriated for their own personal use and benefit," the complaint read.

Hagedorn blames local politics