Party-list group accuses ex-leader of ‘pork’ scam

MANILA, Philippines - Accusing their own man of stealing public funds through a notoriously familiar pork barrel fund scheme, a party-list group yesterday filed charges of graft and malversation against former Ating Koop party-list representative Isidro Lico before the Office of the Ombudsman.

The group, represented by its political affairs committee chairman Federico Pineda Jr., said their own lawmaker who served in the 15th Congress pocketed kickbacks or commissions from various reforestation, road construction, flood control and other projects funded by his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations from 2010 to 2012.

Ating Koop said Lico’s questionable activities started on March 9, 2011 when he bought a brand new Toyota Fortuner which he paid for through a monthly amortization of P96,643, from a net salary of only P52,096.58 a month.

The complaint said the balance of P44,546.42 was illegally taken from the monthly P376,074.67 congressional allocation for the party-list, supposedly exclusively for office expenses.

On April 29, 2011, Lico allegedly purchased another vehicle, a brand new Isuzu Sportivo, and paid for the vehicle from “his ‘kickbacks’ or ‘SOPs’ for a P10-million project out of the Road Users Tax last 2011 and 2012.”

The complaint said money was given in advance by contractors endorsed or referred to by his alleged bagmen Rey Golo and Alex Nunag, who were also named respondents to the case, along with Charlene Lizen and David Serrano, the municipal assessor and municipal budget officer, respectively, of Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte.

In 2012, Ating Koop said Lico bought a third vehicle, a brand new Toyota Innova, which he paid for using kickbacks and commissions from the bogus non-government organization Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation Inc. of the so-called Godofredo Roque group.

Lico allegedly endorsed his PDAF funds of P4.5 million to Philippine Forest Inc. and P5.5 million to the National Commission on Muslim Foundation.