NORTH COTABATO, Philippines — Former North Cotabato second district representative Gregorio Ipong has been sentenced to up to 28 years in prison in connection with the pork barrel scam.
In a 40-page decision promulgated yesterday, the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division found Ipong guilty of violating Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and malversation of public funds under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.
Ipong’s co-accused former Technology Resource Center (TRC) deputy director general Dennis Cunanan and chief accountant Marivic Jover were found guilty of the same offense.
The cases filed against former TRC director general Antonio Ortiz were ordered archived as he remains at-large while the cases against private respondent Alfredo Ronquillo, president of Aaron Foundation Philippines Inc. (AFPI), were dismissed due to his death.
Ipong, Cunanan and Jover were sentenced to six to 10 years in prison for graft and up to 18 years for malversation.
The three former officials were perpetually disqualified from holding public office and ordered to pay the court a fine of P9.6 million.
The third division said the three should indemnify the government another P9.6 million, representing the amount of public funds that they malversed. The unpaid indemnity shall incur an interest of six percent per annum reckoned from the finality of the decision until full satisfaction of the obligation, the court said.
Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2017, the cases stemmed from the release of P9.6 million of Ipong’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel to AFPI in April 2007.
The ombudsman said Ipong “unilaterally chose and endorsed” AFPI as “partner” in the implementation of livelihood projects in his district without public bidding.
The anti-graft agency said AFPI was “unaccredited and unqualified” to undertake the projects as it has no business permits from 2004 to 2009.
Graft probers said the projects were “non-existent” and ”never implemented.”
The ombudsman said the TRC officials conspired with Ipong in facilitating the release of payment to AFPI despite lack of liquidation reports and other supporting documents.
Payment will not be released to AFPI without a certification issued by Cunanan and Jover on the availability of funds and supposed completeness of supporting documents, it said.
Ipong is facing another set of graft and malversation charges before the sixth division over alleged misuse of his PDAF amounting to P4.9 million.