Ex-Bukidnon solon, 2 others get over 100 years for graft, malversation

The Sandiganbayan on Friday found former Bukidnon lawmaker Candido Pancrudo Jr. and two others guilty of multiple counts of graft, malversation of public funds, and malversation of public funds via falsification of public documents.

The case involved the disbursement of P36.9 million worth of pork barrel funds for  training and livelihood seminars that turned out to be ghost projects.

Aside from Pancrudo, also found guilty by the court were former Technology and Resource Center (TRC) legislative liaison officer Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana and Farmerbusiness Development Corp. (FDC) representative Johanne Edward Labay.

Voting 3-2, the court's Special Second Division ruled that the three are guilty of eight counts of graft, four counts of malversation of public funds, and four counts of malversation of public funds via falsification of public documents.

The three were charged for the release of Pancrudo's P36.9 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) — the official name of pork barrel — in 2007 to 2008 supposedly to finance training and livelihood seminars, as well as to purchase training kits for Pancrudo's constituents. Both, however, turned out to be ghost projects.

Based on the charges filed by state prosecutors, the P36.9 million PDAF were channeled through the state-run TRC and the National AgriBusiness Corporation (NABCOR) as implementing agencies, with Farmerbusiness Development Corporation (FDC) and Uswag Pilipinas Foundation Incorporated (UPFI) as non-government organization (NGO) partners.

Government prosecutors also alleged that such transactions lacked public bidding in the NGO-selection process, were not liquidated, and were subjected to unusual accommodation in the examination, processing and approval of PDAF releases.

The Sandiganbayan sentenced Pancrudo, Lacsamana and Labay to six to eight years in prison and perpetual disqualification from public office for each of the convictions on eight counts of graft charges. This jail time is on top of the P36.9 million civil liability that the court imposed on Pancrudo, Lacsamana and Labay, 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 fines are equivalent to the amount that was illegally disbursed, while the civil liability is payable to the Bureau of Treasury.

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.

Likewise, the anti-graft court 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

Appeal sought

The three refused to be interviewed regarding their conviction, but their lawyers told the court that they will appeal the decision.

They also asked the court to allow their clients to continue availing their provisional liberty pending the final decision on the case and with the current bail amounts they already filed before the Sandiganbayan.

Pancrudo, according to his legal counsel Atty. Raymundo Puno, Jr., already posted bail worth at least P300,000 for the said cases.

Labay, on the other hand, has already posted at least P240,000 in bail, according to his legal counsel, Atty. Rolly Francis Peoro.

Asked for her bail amount by GMA News Online, Lacsamana said she cannot recall the exact amount anymore since it has been too burdensome for her.

The Sandiganbayan Second Division eventually allowed the provisional liberty for Pancrudo, Lacsamana and Labay on their current posted bail amount. —KBK, GMA Integrated News