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[av_heading heading=’‘Fund misuse’: Coast Guard execs face graft raps ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – The Office of the Ombudsman ordered the filing of criminal charges against 25 Philippine Coast Guard officials for their alleged involvement in the irregular disbursement of P68 million in state funds.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales indicted the Coast Guard officials on Thursday, accusing them of violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
They should be dismissed from the service and perpetually disqualified from holding public office, and their retirement benefits forfeited, the Ombudsman said.
Among the accused were former Coast Guard commandant Rodolfo Isorena (25 counts); commodores William Melad and Aaron Reconquista; RAdmn. Cecil Chen; Cdrs. John Esplana (16 counts), William Arquero (two counts), Jude Thaddeus Besinga (two counts), Roben De Guzman (two counts), Enrico Efren Evangelista Jr., Ferdinand Panganiban, Joselito Quintas, Ivan Roldan (two counts), Rommel Supangan, George Ursabia Jr., Ferdinand Velasco, Wilfred Burgos, and Allen Dalangin;
Capts. Joeven Fabul (25 counts), Angelito Gil (two counts), Angel Lobaton IV, Christopher Villacorte, and Ramon Lopez; Lt. Mark Larsen Mariano, Ens. Mark Franklin Lim II and Accounting Head Rogelio Caguioa (25 counts).
Aside from the abovementioned charge, Isorena, Esplana, Fabul, Caguioa, Arquero, Lopez, and Quintas were also facing multiple counts of violation of Section 65 of the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Based on its 83-page consolidated resolution, the Ombudsman’s investigating panel found that fraud was evident from the canvassing to the delivery of various items to the Coast Guard.
Among the irregularities noted were transactions pertaining to cellular cards, in which Arquero was allowed a total budget of P930,300; Lopez and Quintas, P4,239,710; and Supangan, P899,700.
“The respondents resorted to the nefarious practice of splitting the purchases into several transactions to avoid public bidding,” Morales said in a statement.
“The same practice of splitting was also found present with respect to the disbursement of the P4-million allotment for troops and organizational support, and Command and staff support,” she added.
The Ombudsman found that the respondents “acted in their individual official capacities with manifest partiality, evident bad faith, and gross inexcusable negligence in using public funds to purchase cell cards, hardware, office, construction, and IT supplies, such as Moleskine journals, Artline fabric markers, Pilot ball pens, Epson styluses, colored printer ink, wireless optical mouses, energizers, paints, screwdrivers, wireless routers, among other things, without public bidding.”
The deficiencies “should have prevented the disbursements or, at the very least, inspired caution, considering the amounts involved and the frequency in which they were being requested,” the Ombudsman said. “Still, the SCAs (Special Command Aides) were approved and a total of P68,041,832 in public funds released.”
Morales likewise found the respondents liable for serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service./PN
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