Malacañang has dismissed two officials of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for graft and endorsed their case to the Ombudsman for possible criminal investigation.
The Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) said President Arroyo ordered last Dec. 4 the dismissal of Magdalena Jasmin and Fely-Ann Balusdan, regional director and accountant, respectively, of the CHED Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) office, for allegedly conspiring with a certain Juliet Flores on illegal fund releases.
In its decision, the President upheld the recommendation of PAGC that Jasmin and Balusdan “be dismissed from government service and be imposed corresponding accessory penalties, such as cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of leave credits and retirement benefits, and disqualification from re-employment in government service.”
PAGC said Jasmin and Balusdan violated Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Section 22 Rule 14 of the Revised Administrative Code.
“PAGC and the Office of the President are convinced that there was sufficient evidence to support the finding of guilt against Jasmin and Balusdan in their act of conspiring with a private person, Flores, in order to facilitate the disbursement of public funds,” a PAGC statement said.
The PAGC said Jasmin and Balusdan staged a “First Higher Education Academic and Cultural Festival” in 2005 but “resorted to illegal and deceitful acts of securing a sales invoice from Flores and issuing the corresponding disbursement voucher, fully knowing that government money would be disbursed for a service that would not be rendered.”
Flores was found to have issued a sales voucher for catering for the supposed festival. The PAGC said there was no such catering service based on documentary evidence. The PAGC did not reveal the amount involved in the questionable transaction.
The Office of the President affirmed PAGC’s jurisdiction over Jasmin even if the latter had retired from government service on Nov. 1 last year, because the case was docketed with the PAGC back in September 2006.
The OP agreed with PAGC that while Jasmin and Balusdan may have been moved by the desire to succeed in their projects, “they still violated the law and committed illegal use of public funds and dishonesty.”