SC junks petition vs. President Aquino, Soliman, Abad

President Benigno S. Aquino III (Photo by Robert Viñas/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)

MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) en banc on Tuesday dismissed the petition seeking to determine the liability of President Benigno S. Aquino III, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky Soliman and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio Abad on the issue of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, misuse of Malampaya Fund and distribution of pork barrel fund.

In a press conference, SC Public Information Office (PIO) Chief and Spokesman Atty. Theodore O. Te, said that the Court dismissed for “lack of form and substance” the one-page petition filed by Romeo C. Bayogos, who is a taxpayer.

Te added that the petition was also dismissed because the “Court has no jurisdiction to determine the liability of the respondents without a prior appropriate proceeding.”

In his petition, Bayogos asked the SC to determine the liability of respondents for the crime of plunder based on the following allegations:

— The CCT funds has no evidence of cash transfer receipts or concrete proof of expenditures of funds;

— The CCT funds were diverted to non-government agencies;

— Misuse of the Malampaya funds for political purposes; and

— Distribution of pork barrel funds despite the SC’s ruling that such funds are illegal.