Morales set to decide on GMA appeal

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman is set to decide “anytime soon” on the appeal of former president and now Pampanga congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on a plunder case filed against her with the Sandiganbayan.

“(The motion for reconsideration) is pending. The resolution should be out anytime now,” Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales told House reporters shortly after the chamber’s approval of her office’s budget.

“Before the end of the month, hopefully,” she added.

The plunder case – filed in July – stemmed from her alleged misuse of P366 million in funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from January 2008 to June 2010. Former PCSO officials were also respondents in the case. 

The anti-graft court had to return the complaint to the Ombudsman after the latter failed to let the accused file a motion for reconsideration.

Morales said she is confident that every case that she would file against Arroyo would be strong. “I am not going to file a case just for the heck of filing. When I file a case, I believe that there’s probable cause. Now, I can no longer control the minds of these (Sandiganbayan) justices and, of course, not to mention the fact that we go by the evidence. If the evidence is strong, then that’s it,” she said.

She said she could not say how long the Sandiganbayan would deliberate on the case.

The Ombudsman said her office is doing its best to resolve high-profile cases.

“We’re trying our best to resolve them and see to it that we resolve all aspects of the case that have been considered,” Morales said.

Arroyo’s counsel Christian Diaz declined to comment on Morales’ declaration, saying he preferred to wait for the resolution.

“She says it’s strong but we believe there’s no case at all, so there’s no point debating it. Otherwise, we all will be prejudging the case,” Diaz told The STAR.

Meanwhile, Arroyo spokesperson Ma. Elena Bautista-Horn dismissed allegations of anomalies in the previous administration’s bridge projects.

She said those seeking to investigate the project would just have to scrutinize documents from the different agencies that implemented it.

“We won’t even bother to speculate on the motive and timing of the latest accusations of Sen. Serge Osmeña. The President’s Bridge Program spans four administrations and we must remember that all these went through careful screening, so this allegation is not only hurled against the former presidents but also the present President, and foreign governments like the United Kingdom and France as well as the honest government officials who approved the contract,” Horn said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday recommended charges of plunder, multiple counts of malversation of public funds and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act filed against former Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chairman Efraim Genuino and several other former PAGCOR executives.

In a statement, the DOJ said its prosecutors found probable cause to charge Genuino with violation of the Plunder Law, 175 counts of malversation of public founds, and a total of 174 counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. They said the Ombudsman should investigate the former officials.

The DOJ prosecution panel headed by Assistant State Prosecutor Edna Valenzuela has found sufficient proof that Genuino, along with other Pagcor officials and private individuals, had conspired with one another in amassing ill-gotten wealth “in the form of illegal donations and irregularly approved sponsorships and contract awards” in favor of Batas Iwas Droga (BIDA) Foundation and BIDA Production.

Genuino’s children Erwin and Sheryl were cleared of involvement in the anomalies for lack of evidence. Erwin was an executive assistant at Pagcor, while Sheryl was the first nominee for BIDA party-list organization during the 2010 elections.

The personalities in the BIDA Foundation and various other BIDA entities were found to be questionable, given their “established connection with a number of key personalities in the Pagcor Management under question,” including Genuino, Rafael Francisco (Pagcor president and chief operating officer) and Edward King (vice president for corporate communications services department).

DOJ prosecutors also found suspicious the foundation’s “jump into the political circuit following the years of its massive and consistent funding from Pagcor.”

The DOJ said this “indicates the existence of conflict of interest considering that as Pagcor directors, they exercised control and power over the disbursement of Pagcoor funds.” – Sandy Araneta