Military exec in 'Balik Baril' scam urged to face charges

MANILA, Philippines - The Army on Thursday appealed to the former military officer accused of stealing funds for the Balik Baril program to surface and to face the charges against him.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said Maj. Christopher Lee Patindol would be unable to clear himself of the charges if he refuses to come out.

“We are hoping that he (Patindol) will face the charges so he can clear his name. As long as he does not surface, the case will be attributed to him and people will think that he is guilty,” Cabangbang said.

Earlier, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 85 ordered the arrest of Patindol for allegedly pocketing P1.4-million worth of funds for the military’s Balik-Baril program.

The program seeks to provide financial assistance to former rebels who surrender their firearms.

Patindol is facing three counts of malversation of public funds for supposedly falsifying the signature of his superior to encash three checks on July 4, 5 and 8, 2011.

Patindol used to be the disbursing officer of then Commodore and now Rear Adm. Miguel Jose Rodriguez, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations (J7).

Military sources, however, vouched for Patindol’s character, saying he is not capable of performing such anomalies.

“He has a clean record,” a military officer said.

In 2011, Rodriguez filed a leave of absence after his office was probed for questionable transactions. Rodriguez was eventually cleared of the mess and was even promoted to two-star general.

Patindol, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy class ’97, has been dropped from the rolls since he has not reported for duty since August 1, 2011.

A soldier who goes AWOL or absence without leave would be dropped from the roster after 10 days. – Alexis Romero and Bjorn Beltran