‘Plunder’ at ‘Graft’ vs Lipa City Mayor Africa, 7 empleyado

SINAMPAHAN sa Office of the Ombudsman ng kasong kriminal at administratibo si re-elected Lipa City Mayor, Eric B. Africa, at pitong tauhan ng lungsod dahil sa umano’y pagkakasangkot sa P107.2 milyong cash advances bago ang May 9 elections.

Ang kaso ay isinampa ni Lipa City resident at taxpayer Levi Lopez noong Hunyo 29. Kabilang sa mga kinasuhan sina Africa, City Accountant Ma. Belen M. Villanueva, Chief of Staff Wilfredo S. Rivera, Rochelle L. Catindig at Melany O. Aguila ng City Community Affairs Office, at Executive Assistants Dexter M. Recio, Philip Maurice C. Ulep at Mary Ann D. Gutierrez.

Ang mga nabanggit ay nahaharap sa mga kasong: Plunder sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 7080, the Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder), paglabag sa Article 217 ng Revised Penal Code (malversation), Section 89 in relation to Section 128 ng Presidential Decree No. 1445 (Government Auditing Code), Section 3 (e) ng Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, at 2017 Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.

Sa isinumiteng affidavit, sinabi ni Lopez na ang P107.2 milyon na inirelis sa pagitan ng Marso 3-14, 2022 ay sinasabing laan para sa educational financial assistance, pensyon para sa senior citizens, extended beneficial assistance para sa transport sector, at allowance para sa barangay functionaries.

Aniya pa, ang mga nabanggit na employee-respondents ay may “coterminous positions” pero itinalaga sila bilang disbursing officers at nakatanggap ng cash advances na malinaw umanong paglabag sa Commission on Audit Circular No. 97-002 na may petsang February 10, 1997 kungsaan nakasaad na:

“Only permanently appointed officials shall be designated as disbursing officers. Elected officials may be granted a cash advance only for their official traveling expenses.”

Bukod dito, mali rin umano na ang Office of the City Mayor at hindi ang City Treasurer’s Office ang nangasiwa sa naturang cash advances.

“Granting cash advances with a cumulative amount of more than a hundred million to the above-named personnel to whom the law did not grant the authority to handle the City’s funds is a clear violation of the Local Government Code and is not in keeping with sound fiscal management,” nakasaad pa sa affidavit ni Lopez.

Ipinunto pa ni Lopez sa Office of the Ombudsman na ang kuwestyunableng cash advances ay ginawa dalawa o tatlong linggo bago ang pormal na pagsisimula ng campaign period noong Marso 25, 2022 kung saan tumakbong muli si Africa.