Former COA chief nabbed for plunder

MANILA, Philippines - A former chief of the Commission on Audit (COA) was arrested yesterday in connection with the alleged misuse of P366 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds.

Police arrested former PCSO chairman Reynaldo Villar, who is facing plunder charges along with former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Members of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested Villar at around 4 p.m. at his home at 5 Washington Square, Merville Park, Parañaque City.

Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, director of the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Public Information Office, said the Sandiganbayan First Division ordered Villar’s arrest along with Arroyo and several others for plunder, a non-bailable offense.

He remains at the CIDG National Capital Region.

CIDG-NCR chief Senior Superintendent Roberto Fajardo said they had been conducting surveillance of Villar and got a good timing yesterday for the arrest.

“We have been monitoring his movement even before Holy Week. He had been in hiding and only returned after Holy Week,” Fajardo told The STAR.

In July 2011, Jaime Regalario, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and former Army general Danilo Lim filed plunder charges against Arroyo and several others before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly performing “various acts” to “surreptitiously divert” public funds, amounting to P366 million, from the PCSO’s operating budget “for personal gain.”

Still being hunted are former PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte and former board member Ma. Fatima Valdes.

The CIDG has intensified its manhunt operations after Jose Taruc V, another former PCSO official, surrendered to police after his co-accused – Manuel Morato and Rey Roquero – managed to post bail.

Co-accused former PCSO board chairman Sergio Valencia and former PCSO assistant general manager for finance Benigno Aguas both surrendered in October 2012, while Roquero surrendered on Jan. 18, 2013.

In June 2013, the court allowed Valencia, Morato and Roquero to post bail.

Valencia and Morato were each ordered to post a P500,000 bail for their temporary release, while Roquero was ordered to post a higher bond, P700,000, for turning himself in four months after the issuance of the arrest warrant against him.