DAVAO CITY — The Sandiganbayan Friday, April 15, convicted former Bukidnon First District Representative Candido Pancrudo and two others for multiple counts of graft, malversation of public funds, and malversation of public funds via falsification of public documents.
The decision was promulgated on October 21, 2022, but was just released on the Sandibayan website last April 15.
Pancrudo was a member of the 14th Congress (2007-2010) and the conviction involved the disbursement of P36.9 million pork barrel funds for training and livelihood seminars that turned out a ghost project.
The antigraft court Second Special Division also convicted Technology and Resource Center (TRC) legislative liaison officer Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana and Farmerbusiness Development Corp. (FDC) representative Johanne Edward Labay.
The court’s Special Second Division ruled that the three were guilty of eight graft counts, four malversations of public funds, and four malversations of public funds via falsification of public documents.
The three were accused of releasing P36.9 million from Pancrudo’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or “pork barrel,” between 2007 and 2008 in order to purportedly pay for training and livelihood seminars and buy training materials for Pancrudo’s constituents. However, it turned out it was a ghost project.
Based on charges filed by state prosecutors, the P36.9 million PDAF went out through the state-run TRC as implementing agency, the National AgriBusiness Corporation (NABCOR) and, with a non-governmental organization (NGO) partners Farmerbusiness Development Corporation (FDC) and Uswag Pilipinas Foundation Incorporated (UPFI).
Prosecutors alleged that the transactions lacked public bidding, were not liquidated, and were subjected to unusual accommodation in the examination, processing, and approval of PDAF releases.
For their corresponding convictions on eight counts of graft charges, the Sandiganbayan sentenced Pancrudo, Lacsamana, and Labay to six to eight years in prison as well as lifetime bans from holding public office.
They were also ordered to pay P36.9 million civil payable to the Bureau of Treasury.
The court also imposed the following varying jail time and penalties in the conviction of each individual on four counts of malversation of public funds:
- 10 to 18 years jail time, P16 million fine and P16 million civil liability for case number SB-17-CRM-2104
- 14 to 18 years jail time, P4.8 million fine and P4.8 million civil liability for case number SB-17-CRM-2105
- 14 to 18 years jail time, P8 million fine and P8 million civil liability for SB-17-CRM-2106
- 10 to 16 years jail time, P4 million fine and P4 million civil liability for SB-17-CRM-2107
The Sandiganbayan also set the following different amounts of civil liability for their conviction on four counts of malversation of public funds via falsification of public documents:
- P600,000 per individual for SB-17-CRM-2108
- P1 million per individual for SB-17-CRM-2109
- P500,000 per individual for SB-17-CRM-2110
- P2 million per individual for SB-17-CRM-2111
The anti-graft court also sentenced Pancrudo, Lacsamana, and Labay to two to eight years in prison and perpetual special disqualification from public office for their conviction in four counts of malversation of public funds via falsification of public documents.
Pancrudo, Labay, and Lacsamana were able to post bail for their temporary liberty.
Associate Justice Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega said in the decision that following the exposé on the multi-billion “Pork Barrel Scam of 2013”, then Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales created a panel to look into the alleged “ghost projects” reportedly funded by the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of certain lawmakers.
“Interestingly, the cases before us do not involve the infamous Janet Lim Napoles and her allegedly bogus non-government organizations (NGOs), but nevertheless, these cases appear to feature the same crafty scheme in the alleged funneling of “Pork Barrel” funds or PDAF from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), to various implementing agencies, and eventually to NGOs,” Mendoza-Arcega said.
“As a result, these cases before us were filed owing to the Office of the Ombudsman’s government-wide investigation,” Mendoza-Arcega added.
