Maceda, 2 others face graft raps over funds

Former Ambassador to Washington Ernesto Maceda and Consul General to San Francisco Amado Cortez are facing criminal and administrative charges with 10 other people for the alleged malversation of around $100,000 in government funds.

The funds were sourced from the Philippine Center Management Board Inc. (PCMBI) which, without legal authority, allegedly paid its US-based members honoraria amounting to $75,150.

Records from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Commission on Audit (COA) said payment was made from 1997 to 1999.

Aside from the honoraria, the 12 officials and employees likewise availed themselves of 100 percent coverage of medical, dental and vision insurance when only 75 percent coverage was allowed by law.

Thus, the PCMBI board and staff should have shouldered the $22,737.11 insurance premiums they derived from public funds, which totaled $97,887.11 including honoraria.

The PCMBI is composed of the Philippine ambassador to Washington as chairman, the consul general to San Francisco as vice chairman, and representatives from the departments of tourism, trade and industry and the consulate in San Francisco as members.

Owing to the period covered by the COA report, Maceda and Cortez were included in the charges along with former and present officials and employees in Washington and San Francisco.

The others were Raul Rabe, Teresita Marzan, Roberto Mascardo, Mary Ann Austria, Ethel Grace Torre, Maria Roseni Alvero, Maria Villanueva, Rene de los Santos, Tesie de Leoz and Renato Santiago.

The COA report indicated the honoraria and insurance benefits accorded the PCMBI officials and employees, as well as the creation of the executive committee, were not in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 487 dated June 19, 1974.

It turned out that an executive committee composed of the consul general to San Francisco as chairman, the tourism representative as treasurer, and consulate representative as secretary was created only through a board resolution.

The COA report stated PD 487 did not authorize the payment of honoraria since these should be given to government officials "on detail" or "on special assignment" in another office, and board resolutions would not suffice to justify a $300 per meeting allowance.

Later on, COA said the honoraria was increased to $500 with the board meeting up to four times a month, when the decree limits meetings to "at least once a year." Even with an increased workload, a monthly meeting would have sufficed, COA said.

The COA report further noted the DFA was supposed to oversee the operations of the PCMBI on the basis of Executive Order No. 149 issued Dec. 23, 1993, but the department had not yet assumed supervision of the board.