11 linked to Quedancor scam charged

MANILA, Philippines – Eleven people linked to the P3.214-million Quedancor scam were charged before the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday.

Charged were Ray Joven, Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corp. (Quedancor) operations officer; Analyn Hobayan, district accountant; Joel Gagelonia, district supervisor, Manila District;  Edgardo Abbaro, Clerk IV; and Halevy Cordero, Quedancor operations officer.

Also charged were private individuals Reynaldo Yumol, owner of RDY Moneylink Corp.; members of the Board of Directors of RDY Moneylink Corp.; and Carlo Francisco.

Lawyer Allan Contado, National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Graft Division chief, recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman that charges be filed in court against the 11 for violation of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Practices Act.

Yumol and RDY Moneylink board members also face charges of estafa.

Aside from Yumol, other RDY Moneylink board members are Reynaldo’s sister, Digna Yumol Calison, their parents, Arsenia and Numeriano Yumol, and Garry Constantino.

The other board members have denied knowledge of the transactions made by RDY Moneylink with regard to loans with Quedancor.

The NBI also recommended that administrative charges for grave misconduct be filed against Quedancor personnel and officials.

The case involves anomalous transactions made by the implicated Quedancor officials and Moneylink regarding loan applications amounting to about P3,214,000.

NBI records showed that the Quedancor personnel and officials had recommended the approval of loan applications for 74 checks,

dated April 7, 2006, totaling P3,214,000, or a total amount less taxes

of P3,065,834.60.

The 74 checks, drawn from an account of Quedancor at Landbank, Pasay Masagana Citimall, Taft Avenue, Pasay City Branch, were supposed to go to 74 employees of Westfield Science Oriented School, BF Resort Village, Las Piñas.

However, the NBI said, except for one employee, these are fictitious borrowers.

Albert Abitria, Westfield Science Oriented School president, denied in his affidavit the 74 names of the employees from the school who received the Quedancor checks of more than P3 million.

Out of the 74, 73 names are fictitious, he added.

Abitria said only Ana Mae Moreno’s name, one of the supposed 74 borrowers, is an employee of the school, but that she never received the loan.

“Evidence gathered showed that Quedancor lost P3,214,000 inclusive of service fees and other financial charges in view of the fictitious 74 borrowers allegedly from Westfield Science Oriented School, Las Piñas City,” the NBI said.

The NBI said that the five Quedancor officials and personnel “were grossly remiss in their duties in the proper evaluation, review, and approval of loan applications of the 74 fictitious borrowers from Westfield Science Oriented School.”

The checks of the 74 fictitious borrowers were endorsed by respondent Gagelonia to the Asia Trust, Kamias Branch, in favor of Gagelonia.

Gagelonia is one of the signatories of the 74 checks. All 74 checks were collected by respondent Francisco.

Reports said Yumol forced his relatives, members of the Board of RDY Moneylink, to sign documents pertaining to the loans.

RDY Moneylink Corp. ceased to engage in business in 2007.

There is also no record of payments received by Quedancor from the 74 employees of the school, the NBI said.