3 TLRC execs get 26 years for ‘pork’ scam

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan yesterday sentenced three ranking officials of the abolished state firm Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) to serve up to 26 years in prison for graft and malversation of public funds in connection with their involvement in the “pork barrel” fund scam.

In a 107-page decision, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division found TLRC deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, chief accountant Marivic Jover and group manager Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana guilty of one count each of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and malversation of public funds under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.

For graft, they were sentenced to six to eight years in prison and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

For malversation, they were sentenced to 12 to 18 years in prison, with the accessory penalties of perpetual special disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of all retirement and gratuity benefits.

They were also ordered to pay a fine of P9.8 million, equivalent to the amount of public funds found to have been malversed.

The Sixth Division said this was on top of another P9.8 million that Cunanan, Jover and Lacsamana must jointly refund the government, through the Bureau of Treasury, as their civil liability.

The court said the civil liability shall incur an interest of six percent per year, to be reckoned from the finality of the decision until the amount is fully paid.

On the other hand, the court acquitted TLRC department manager Francisco Figura “for failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.”

The court had earlier dismissed the cases against private respondent Alfredo Ronquillo, president of AARON Foundation Philippines Inc. (AFPI), due to his death in the course of the trial.

Meanwhile, the cases against TLRC director general Antonio Ortiz were ordered temporarily archived as he remains at large. The court said this is without prejudice to the cases’ revival upon his arrest or voluntary surrender.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2020, the cases stemmed from the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel of former Laguna District 3 representative Danton Bueser in 2007 amounting to P9.8 million.

Bueser was among the original respondents in the complaint filed by the Special PDAF Investigation Team of the ombudsman before the Office of the Ombudsman in 2016.

The Office of the Ombudsman, in its Nov. 29, 2017 resolution, however, granted Bueser’s motion for reconsideration and cleared him of the complaint.

Based on the charge sheets filed before the Sandiganbayan, the TLRC officials conspired with Ronquillo in awarding to the latter’s AFPI the livelihood projects for the residents of the Third District of Laguna to be funded by Bueser’s PDAF.

The ombudsman said the implementation of the projects was awarded to AFPI without conducting any public bidding and despite the foundation’s questionable accreditation and qualification to carry out the projects.

The ombudman also said the TLRC officials processed the disbursement vouchers and released the P9.8 million PDAF of Bueser to AFPI without monitoring the implementation of the projects and despite the foundation’s failure to submit liquidation documents.

In convicting Cunanan, Jover and Lacsamana, the Sixth Division said the three officials were remiss in their duty of ensuring that AFPI was qualified to carry out PDAF projects.

The court said the three officials also released Bueser’s PDAF to AFPI despite the lack of a valid memorandum of agreement.