PDAF scam: 15 GOCC, NGO execs convicted of graft, malversation

THE Sandiganbayan Third Division has convicted 15 former executives of three government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs) and two officers of non-government organizations (NGOs) over 36 criminal charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2017.

All 36 cases involved the alleged fraudulent release of P62 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel allocations of former Misamis Occ. Rep. Marina Clarete from 2007 to 2009.

Associate Justice Ronald B. Moreno penned the 195-page decision, with Presiding Justice Amparo M. Cabotaje-Tang and Associate Justice Bernelito R. Fernandez concurring.

The convicted GOCC officials were from the National Agribusiness Corp (Nabcor), National Livelihood Development Corp (NLDC), and Technology Resource Center (TRC).

Convicted from Nabcor were former vice president Rhodora Mendoza, Human Resource supervisor Encarnita Munsod, General Services supervisor Victor Roman Cacal, Support Services manager Romulo Relevo, and bookkeeper Maria Ninez Guañizo.

Of all the accused, Mendoza had the most convictions with eight counts each of graft and malversation of public funds. She was sentenced to 48 to 80 years imprisonment for the graft cases and 60 to 90 years for malversation.

Munsod is facing jail terms of 56 to 87 years; Cacal 24 to 43 years; Relevo 28 to 43 years; and Guañizo 24 to 43 years.

From NLDC, found guilty of multiple counts of graft and malversation were former president Gondelina Amata (48 to 83 years), Assets Management Group director Emmanuel Alexis Sevidal (48 to 83 years), Finance and Administrative Group director Chita Jalandoni (48 to 83 years), Asset Management Division chief Gregoria Buenaventura (48 to 83 years), chief budget specialist Ofelia Ordoñez (48 to 83 years), and former chief financial analyst Sofia Cruz (32 to 51 years).

Convicted from TRC were former deputy director general Dennis Cunanan (16 to 27 years), Technology and Information Dissemination Group manager Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana (24 to 43 years), chief accountant Marivic Jover (8 to 16 years), budget officer Consuelo Lilian Espiritu (24 to 43 years),

Among the private defendants, Kabuhayan at Kalusugang Alay sa