Sonny: Garcias may have framed my son

CEBU, Philippines - Former senator John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña accused the Garcias of framing his son, resulting to his facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan.

Former Cebu vice governor John Henry Gregory “John-John” Osmeña Jr. and eight other persons were charged with graft before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly misusing some P5 million in public funds in 2002. John-John now is out of the country.

“At the time it occurred, he was lovey-dovey with Gwen. He could have been framed by the Garcias,” Sonny said, referring to incumbent Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Garcia was a consultant to her father, former governor Pablo Garcia, when John-john was the vice governor.

But Gwen’s brother, third district Rep. Pablo John Garcia, said the statement of Sonny is illogical.

“If they (Gwen and John-John) were in good terms, why would we frame him? He (Sonny) was not in good terms with his son, so should we look at him instead?” said Pablo John.

Graft Investigation and Prosecution officer Blesilda Ouano, identified the other respondents as former Provincial Board Member Victor Maambong, provincial accountant Marieto Ypil, John-John’s chief of staff Willie Mulla, and private defendants Milagros Herrera, Fe Tan, Nancy Sia, Veronica Caceres and Teodora Limcangco.

The private defendants were the purported incorporators of the Perdido Lex Foundation Inc.

The case against them stemmed from allegedly illegal disbursements to a non-existent foundation on October 21, 2002.

Investigator found that Osmeña and other respondents allegedly manipulated procedures to cause the “hasty accreditation” of the Perdido Lex Foundation Inc. to which P5 million from the provincial government’s coffers was given supposedly for educational programs for the marginalized youth.

Though he is willing to face the charges, Maambong questioned the findings of the anti-graft investigators.

Maambong explained that “in the entire gamut of the case, there is only one document that bears his signature and that is the recommendation of his PB committee to accredit the foundation.”

He was then the chairman of the PB committee on accreditation whose recommendations were still subject to the approval of the entire board.

Maambong said that the committee acted on the request of the office of the vice governor to accredit the said foundation.

He said that should there be participation on the part of the legislative body, it should be collective as the body approved the committee’s recommendation.

“Other than that committee report, no legal or factual nexus connecting me to the lost of government funds,” Maambong said.

Maambong questioned why he was singled out when the body approved the committee’s recommendation.

Besides he said that the memorandum of agreement was entered into between the provincial government and the concerned non-government organization being accredited such as the Perdido Lex in this case.

“We do not have the power to impose on the province on who should be their partner like the Perdido Lex. To safeguard funds definitely not in the legislative,” Maambong added.

Investigators found that the P5 million was released in three tranches to Perdido Lex within 26 days – P2.1 million on Dec. 11, P2 million on Dec. 27, both in 2002; and P900,000 on Jan. 6, 2003. In their decision, they absolved former governor Garcia saying his signing of the vouchers was a ministerial task.

They also cleared incumbent governor Garcia who was then consultant to her father.(FREEMAN)