MANILA – The 40 people charged on Friday with misusing public funds, including nine incumbent and former lawmakers, deserve due process of the law, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. has said.
“Now that the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) has filed charges against incumbent and former members of Congress for alleged misuse of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations, it is the task of the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate and assess the merits of such allegations. Public interest requires that the ends of justice are served, while affording due process to the respondents,” Secretary Coloma said in a statement issued on Friday.
The NBI on Friday filed the third batch of pork barrel scam cases involving 40 people, among them nine incumbent and former lawmakers, at the Office of the Ombudsman, citing them for “malversation, direct bribery, and graft and corrupt practices.”
Those accused of obtaining “kickbacks” from alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles were Senator Gregorio Honasan II (P1.75 million); Manila 5th District Rep.
Amado Bagatsing (P600,000); Abono Party-List Rep. Conrado Estrella III (P45 million); former Abono Party-List Rep. Robert Raymond Estrella (P22.68 million); former La Union 1st District Rep.
Manuel Ortega (P14.35 million); La Union 1st District Rep. Victor Francis Ortega (P9.59 million); former Zamboanga del Sur 1st District Rep.
Isidro Real Jr. (P3.25 million); Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (P2.09 million); and former Cibac Party-List Rep. and currently Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Secretary Joel Villanueva (P2.3 million).
Also charged were officials of the National Agribusiness Corporation, Technology Resource Center, and National Livelihood Development Center.
These are the implementing agencies of the alleged ghost projects funded with the lawmakers’ PDAF.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the principles of good governance and impartial justice,” Coloma said.