NINETEEN local government employees, including from Davao Region, were dismissed from the service over Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, in the official website of the Office of the Ombudsman, imposed such penalty against the 19 officers from state-owned National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC), Technology Resource Center (TRC), including the now defunct National Agribusiness Corporation (Nabcor), for their participation in the anomalous utilization of the PDAF.
Dismissed from the service are chief-of-staff Jennifer Karen Lagbas and chief public affairs Danilo Jamito; Nabcor Rep. Alan Javellana, Encarnita Cristina Munsod, Romulo Relevo, Rhodora Mendoza; and NLDC representatives, Gondelina Amata, Emmanuel Alexis Sevidal, Ofelia Ordoñez and Sofia Cruz.
Also dismissed from the service are the TRC representatives Marivic Jover; Dennis Cunanan, Marivic Jover, Belina Concepcion, Maurine Dimaranan, Filipina Rodriguez, Chita Jalandoni, Gregoria Buenaventura, and Elsie Walican.
The 19 accused were found liable for various administrative offenses, such as Grave Misconduct, Serious Dishonesty, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service.
They are also facing trial before the Sandiganbayan for multiple counts of violation of the Republic Act 9184 or The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices, and Malversation.
In case the penalty can no longer be implemented due to separation from service, the Ombudsman said, the penalty is convertible to a fine equivalent to respondent’s one year salary.
Ombudsman investigators found that the accused conspired with lawmakers in the anomalous utilization of the PDAF of the former representatives Salacnib Baterina, of Ilocos Sur; Prospero Nograles, of Davao City; Marc Douglas Cagas IV of Davao del Sur; and Thomas Dumpit Jr., of La Union town.
In their modus operandi, multi-million peso PDAF projects were found to be “ghost projects.”
Ombudsman’s Field Investigation discovered that many of the livelihood project beneficiaries denied receipt of the livelihood technology kits/materials, grafted seedlings, hand tractors and water pumps.
The reported projects implemented through the non-government organizations (NGOs) were supported by questionable and spurious documents.
Suppliers also denied providing farm implements or issuing any invoices and receipts, the Ombudsman said.