By NITZ ARANCON, Correspondent
A LAWYER from Misamis Oriental has filed a graft complaint against Senate President Franklin Drilon, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, and other prominent politicians over the use of pork barrel funds from 2011 to 2013.
Lawyer Jude Josue Sabio filed the complaint for three counts of graft each against Drilon, Belmonte, Senate majority floor leader Vicente Sotto III, Senate minority floor leader Alan Peter Cayetano, senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ramon Revilla Jr., House majority floor leader Neptali Gonzales, House minority floor leader Danny Suarez, and former House minority floor leader Edcel Lagman.
Sabio’s new complaint came at a time when the Commission on Audit (COA) released a report that linked senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Gregorio Honasan, and 47 other former and incumbent congressmen to a newly discovered case involving the pork barrel funds.
The funds, amounting to P670 million, were supposed to aid Muslim Filipinos between 2011 and 2013 but auditors said the money went to dubious nongovernment organizations (NGOs).
At least 18 of 49 former and incumbent lawmakers in the COA list are from Mindanao. One is partylist representative from Cagayan de Oro, and two others are former Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental congressmen. The present Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro congressmen––Reps. Rufus Rodriguez and Rolando Uy of the city, and Peter Unabia and Juliette Uy––are not in the new COA list.
Sabio’s 42-page complaint was filed before the ombudsman’s Cagayan de Oro office.
Sabio has filed a similar complaint against former and present Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental congressmen.
Sabio said his new complaint is based on documents that showed the senators and congressmen received priority development assistance funds (PDAF) from 2011 to 2013.
The senators, he said, received a total of P600 million each during the three-year period while the district representatives received at least P210 million each.
The funds, according to Sabio, were sourced from the general appropriations funds of 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Sabio said he filed the complaint based on a 2013 ruling of the Supreme Court that declared the PDAF unconstitutional. He argued that the SC ruling meant that the legislators illegally received and used the pork barrel funds, in violation of a provision in Republic Act 3019.
“I am confident that just like in the earlier complaint, the Ombudsman will require the respondents to submit their counter-affidavits, and I am fully prepared to meet their respective arguments,” Sabio said.
In Oct. 22, 2014, Sabio filed a graft complaint against former and incumbent congressmen from Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro. The respondents were ordered by the ombudsman to submit their counter-affidavits in March 19.
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