Another lawmaker faces ‘pork’ plunder raps

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman ordered yesterday the filing of plunder and graft charges against another lawmaker for his alleged involvement in the pork barrel fund scam.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said the anti-graft agency has found probable cause to indict Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) party-list Rep. Edgar Valdez for misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations amounting to P95 million from 2007 to 2009.

His co-accused will include businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and John Raymund de Asis who are already respondents to a number of plunder, graft and malversation of public funds cases before the Sandiganbayan.

Valdez is the fifth congressman to be ordered charged by Morales after former representatives Rizalina Seachon-Lanete (Masbate), Samuel Dangwa (Benguet), Rodolfo Plaza (Agusan del Sur) and Constantino Jaraula (Cagayan de Oro), who stand accused of collectively misusing P244.29 million in pork barrel funds.

The Office of the Ombudsman said the P95-million PDAF of Valdez was released through 16 special allotment release orders coursed through the National Agribusiness Corp., Zamboanga del Norte Agricultural College Rubber Estate Corp., National Livelihood Development Corp.  and the Technology Resource Center as implementing agencies.