Escudero faces graft complaint over P352 million Sorsogon funds

MANILA, Philippines — A lawyer has filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Sen. Francis Escudero and several officials of Sorsogon over the alleged misuse of the provincial government’s funds in 2021 amounting to P352 million, during Escudero’s term as governor.

In a 51-page complaint filed yesterday, lawyer Eldridge Marvin Aceron urged the ombudsman to investigate Escudero and several Sorsogon provincial officials for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, technical malversation under Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), falsification of public documents under Article 171 of the RPC and fraud against public treasury under Article 213 of the RPC.

Aceron said Escudero and the other respondents must also be held liable for administrative offenses of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and dishonesty.

Apart from Escudero, also included as respondents in the complaint were Sorsogon provincial accountant Rena Garcia, provincial general services officer Rosalina Hainto and unnamed provincial treasurer, members of the Bids and Awards Committee and other accountable officers.

Aceron said his complaint was based on the Commission on Audit (COA)’s Annual Audit Report on Sorsogon for 2021, wherein several irregularities were supposedly noted in the provincial government’s implementation of infrastructure projects and several procurement contracts.

“This complaint exposes systematic financial irregularities and potential malversation amounting to P352,679,063.46 in public funds during the administration of Respondent former governor, as documented in the Commission on Audit Annual Audit Report for the Province of Sorsogon for Calendar Year 2021,” Aceron said in his complaint.

Among the subjects of Aceron’s complaint were 40 infrastructure projects with a total contract cost of P125.7 million, supposedly with overlapping implementation.

He said the audit records showed that the projects were awarded to the same contractors with the same personnel and equipment, thus making it physically impossible to properly implement them.

Aceron said there was also misappropriation of P15.47 million that Sorsogon received from the national government, of which P10.17 million was intended for typhoon relief but remained undisbursed for six years.

He said the audit report also flagged P8.44 million worth of janitorial and laundry service contracts that the provincial government entered into due to submission of falsified documents.

Aceron also alleged irregularities in the provincial government’s implementation of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program, involving P1.65 million, citing “defective signatures, missing authorizations and improper implementation by board members.”

He said there were also P5.65 million worth of development projects “improperly charged to the (provincial government’s) 20 percent Development Fund, outside the approved procurement plan.”

Lastly, Aceron said the COA also flagged P195.74 million worth of supposed assets recorded in the provincial government’s Property, Plant and Equipment accounts, as they supposedly included “ghost assets and demolished structures.”