CEBU, Philippines - Policemen arrested and detained the former utility worker of Barangay San Roque (Ciudad) who is among those accused of graft and corruption for allegedly manufacturing documents to make it appear that the barangay had conducted a week-long event for senior citizens.
Lucia Sumampong, of legal age and resident of Barangay San Roque, Cebu City, went to the Regional Trial Court (RTC)-Branch 10 last Friday to surrender and to post a bail bond, but unfortunately for her she was not able to find a bonding company that could help her.
Judge Soliver Peras issued a commitment order for Sumampong to be detained until after she can produce the P30,000 bail.
Sumampong and Ligaya Britania, the barangay’s Gender and Development (GAD) focal person, have been implicated in the graft charges that were originally filed against Barangay Captain Rogelio Ruizo and the rest of the barangay councilmen.
Aside from Ruizo, the other accused are barangay councilmen Julius Mendoza, Mario Pamolarco, Florentino Mauring, Julieta Balcon, Leonarda Pepito, Alex Sillos and April Jane Salas.
Both Britania and Sumampong were not included in the original complaint filed by the Ombudsman-Visayas before the court, but they were included because the other accused pointed to them as the ones who prepared the names of participants of the activity that included dead people.
They were accused of misusing the funds for the senior citizens by pretending that they had conducted activities on July 17-23, 2010 but the list of participants includes former barangay captain Telesforo Rabaya who died several years ago.
Britania claimed that they conducted the event and pointed to Sumampong as the one who took charge of the attendance of the participants. But Sumampong said there was never an activity for the senior citizens and persons with disabilities on the said dates and denied accusations that it was she who prepared the attendance sheet that included the name of Rabaya.
Sumampong said that aside from Rabaya, there were two other names of dead persons in the attendance sheet, while the names of her two children who are persons with disabilities were also included, but their names were misspelled.
“To my mind, this is a clear fabrication of those who committed this highly felonious act. Probably, the barangay officials just wanted to cover-up on certain irregularities on barangay disbursements or liquidation on ghost projects,†she said.
Former San Roque Barangay Councilman Lidiore “Boy†Miranda, the complainant, said he is hoping that the court will speed up the hearing of the case and impose the maximum penalty against those who will be found guilty. —JPM (FREEMAN)