Manila, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has summoned three former Armed Forces chiefs-of-staff and 19 others implicated in the plunder complaint filed by former military budget officer George Rabusa, who blew the whistle on alleged corruption in the military.
In a subpoena issued yesterday afternoon, the DOJ panel chaired by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano has ordered former AFP chiefs Diomedio Villanueva, Roy Cimatu and Efren Abu and the others to submit their answer to Rabusa’s allegations in a hearing set on July 6.
Also summoned were former military comptrollers Jacinto Ligot and Carlos Garcia.
The others are: North Luzon Command head Lt. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, retired Maj. Gen. Ernesto Boac, Col. Cirilo Tomas Donato, Col. Roy Devesa, Maj. Emerson Angulo, retired Maj. Gen. Hilario Atendido, B/Gen. Benito de Leon, retired Lt. Col. Ernesto Paranis, Capt. Kenneth Paglinawan, Col. Gilbert Gapay, Col. Robert Arevalo, and Maj. Gen. Epineto Logico; former Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) resident auditor Divina Cabrera, state auditors Arturo Besana, Crisanto Gabriel and Manuel Warren and accountant Generoso del Castillo.
In his complaint filed last April, Rabusa submitted to the DOJ details and supporting documents on corruption in the military through misappropriation and conversion of millions of public funds, which he had exposed in congressional inquiries some three months ago.
“Respondents took advantage of their official positions, authority, and influence to unjustly enrich themselves at the expense and to the damage and prejudice of the Filipino people and the Republic of the Philippines,” he alleged.