Ex-captain, pal indicted for malversation

CEBU, Philippines - A former barangay captain of Duljo-Fatima and his alleged cohort were indicted for malversation of public property after they allegedly misappropriated the construction materials given by the city government.

The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas found sufficient evidence to charge former barangay captain Miguel Cabatino and Gerardo Ilustrisimo in court.  They were found to have used for personal purposes the construction materials given by the city government in 2004.

Graft investigation and prosecution officer Carla Narvios-Tanco said the evidence is sufficient to hold the accused for trial.

 â€œFinding probable cause against respondents of the crime of malversation of public property, let the appropriate information of  the said crime be filed before the proper court,” the resolution reads.

The anti-graft office recommended P40,000 bail for each of the accused.

The complainant, Elmer Abella, discovered that the construction materials given by the city government for the self-help project were sold by the accused. 

Abella said that Ilustrisimo, who was designated as project coordinator, made an admission before the barangay council that he sold the materials to pay for the labor of the workers. The construction materials were stored in the residence of Ilustrisimo upon the approval of Cabatino.

The complainant said that the materials were disposed without conforming to the program of works and estimates. The materials valued at P101,240.26.

Both accused denied the charges. In their counter-affidavit, they claimed to have “directly implemented” in different sitios  all the construction materials from the city government.

Cabatino admitted giving authority to Ilustrisimo to withdraw the construction materials being the  project coordinator. Ilustrisimo denied selling and using for his personal consumption some of the construction materials.

But the anti-graft body ruled that Ilustrisimo’s admission that some of the construction materials were temporarily stored in his house, while the rest were stored in other places since the barangay hall was under renovation is already “irregular.”

It is the considered opinion of this office that there was already an irregularity committed by respondent Ilustrisimo in storing the materials in his house, the anti-graft office said.

“These materials ought to be immediately released to the sitios concerned as found in the POWE,” the resolution added.— (FREEMAN)