DOF employee flunks lifestyle check

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recently turned the tables on an intelligence officer of the Department of Finance (DOF) who has been conducting lifestyle checks on government officials and employees.

The NBI allegedly found evidence indicating that Ruben Anthony Frogoso, 45, had not been submitting truthful statements of his assets and liabilities.

Charges of violating provisions of Republic Act 3019 otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act were lodged against Frogoso, intelligence officer 11 of the DOF-Central Management Information Office (CMIO) and a resident of Block 6, Lot 16, Soldiers Hills Village, Phase III, Muntinlupa City.

The NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) also recommended the filing of cases of violating provisions of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, RA 1379 and articles 171 and 183 of the Revised Penal Code.

The NBI conducted the investigation after they received a request from the DOF-Revenue Integrity Protection Service (DOF-RIPS) to conduct an independent probe into allegations that Frogoso failed to submit any statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALN) for the years 2001, 2003 and 2004 and passed an inaccurate account of his SALN for some other years.

The bureau told the Office of the Ombudsman that the DOF intelligence officer allegedly committed multiple violations of RA 3019 and RA 6713 and recommended that administrative cases – including dishonesty and misconduct – be filed against him.

Frogoso should also be placed under a six-month preventive suspension, the NBI recommended.

In a 10-page complaint affidavit, the NBI-NCR said, Frogoso "had accumulated wealth in just a span of seven years in the government – consisting mostly of luxury/expensive vehicles.... grossly disproportionate to his income, which cannot be justified by any other legitimate source of income of his own or that of his wife."

Frogoso reportedly acquired a P1.2 million Mitsubishi Pajero in 1998; a P650,000 Mercedez Benz MB100 in 1999; a P250,000 Mitsubishi Lancer with plate number ULY-922 and a P350,000 Mercedez Benz MB100 2.9D in 2000; an P842,000 Toyota Altis in 2002; a P1.7 million Pajero with plate number XER-246 in 2003; and a P1.1 million Suzuki Vitara in 2005.

In his 1999 SALN, he reportedly mentioned that he acquired in 1990 a P1.4 million house and lot in Sta. Mesa, Manila. But in year 2002, he raised the cost of the acquisition to P1.65 million, then did not declare it in year 2005.

Also, in Frogoso’s 1999 SALN, he allegedly purchased a P96,000 house and lot in Muntinlupa City and in 2000, he increased the price of the property to P1.5 million, but failed to mention the property’s existence in his 2002 and 2005 SALN.

There was also a mention of a P3.5 house and lot in Tuguegarao that he reportedly claimed was part of his inheritance, "but the records at the City Assessor of Tuguegarao revealed that he ‘has no real property declared in his name’ in that area," the NBI said. "No other conclusion can be derived other than that he (or even the members of his family) is not the owner of the aforestated real property."

Frogoso’s wife is named Sandra, a government employee in Naga City and they have five unmarried children.

Frogoso was previously an employee of the defunct Economic Intelligence and Investigation Bureau (EIIB) under the DOF from September 1998 until April 30, 2000 before he was transferred to the DOF-CMIO where he received an annual salary of P154,004. – Evelyn Macairan