Brgy officials deny pocketing funds used in project for PWDs

CEBU, Philippines - The officials of Barangay San Roque accused of illegal activities, including malversation of government funds, have strongly denied the charges and said they will present evidence before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to clear their names.

The San Roque officials led by Barangay captain Rogelio Ruizo threatened to file criminal charges against barangay councilmen Lidiore “Boy” Miranda and Alex Sillos for allegedly making untruthful statements in their affidavits filed before the anti-graft body.

But Miranda and Sillos challenged Ruizo and his subordinate officials to make true their threat.

“Sigi, kay walay nagpugong kanila pag-file og kaso kay ila kana nga katungod, sama ra god nako nga mihimo’g awhag sa Ombudsman nga imbistigahon sila kay nagtoo ko nga nakahimo sila og sayop,” said Miranda, the No. 1 councilor of barangay San Roque.

In an interview with The FREEMAN, Ruizo said he and his subordinate officials are planning to file libel charges against Miranda and Sillos because both of them maligned their fellow officials by distributing to residents of San Roque the supporting documents of the cases he had filed before the anti-graft body.

Miranda explained, however, that his constituents in the barangay reportedly kept on asking him about the details of the cases, which prompted him to just provide them copies of the support documents. Anyway, he said, the documents are now considered public.

“Ako sila nga gihatagan og mga dukomento aron ilang matimbang-timbang kun naghimo-himo ra ba ko og pasangil o nagtug-an lang sa tinuod,” Miranda said.

Meanwhile, Ligaya Britania, the Gender and Development (GAD) focal officer of San Roque who was tagged as the one who prepared the document that showed the late barangay captain Telesforo Rabaya was still able to attend the activity for different-abled persons last July 17 to 23, said she will answer the charges before the investigating body.

Rabaya passed away on March 3, 2004.

“Ang akong ra g’yod nga ikasulti nga ang listahan sa mga participant diha ra nako gibutang sa entrance diin kadtong mitambong sila mismo ang misuwat sa ilang ngalan. Wala ko makabantay nga dunay misuwat sa ngalan sa namatay nga kapitan sa barangay,” Britania said.

But Miranda said the anti-graft investigators should look into the case because he strongly believe that some unscrupulous persons had pocketed the budget for the project.

Several persons whose names were listed in the list of participants have already executed affidavits saying that their signatures were forged.

Based on the documents San Roque submitted to the Department of Interior and Local Government, each of the 50 differently-abled persons who participated in the activity were provided with food worth P280.

It was learned that Britania is not receiving a salary directly from the barangay, which is why Miranda strongly believed she might have been tempted to allegedly manipulate the barangay’s finances. — Rene U. Borromeo/JMO (THE FREEMAN)