Yap clarifies: No graft raps from Ombuds over PDAF

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines – Bohol 3rd district Representative Arthur Yap clarified to the public that the Ombudsman has never charged him with graft and malversation in connection with the alleged misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund.

Yap issued the statement after a news item in broadsheets said that the Ombudsman had filed graft cases against him and other former congressmen Boy Nograles, Tomas Dumpit and Candido Pancrudo.

"I have not received a complaint from the Ombudsman. As much as I would like to answer the charges, I cannot. Even so, let me state that I did not malverse any PDAF funds of legislators," Yap told The Freeman.

Supporters found it odd that Yap only knew this matter through the media and not through a complaint delivered to him where he will be given a chance to defend himself.

The information about the Ombudsman complaint has been fed to the public through a press release and not through a legal proceeding. Yap said this case is supposed to undergo a preliminary investigation with the Ombudsman, as what due process should be.

Yap said he was not even given a chance to confront the allegations against him and yet, it has been announced already that he is going to be charged for malversation by the Ombudsman.

It was also unclear if the press release of the Ombudsman stated that  Yap transferred the PDAF money to questionable Napoles-type foundations and if he took active participation in defrauding the government.

Yap said his record in the third district of dividing projects to each and every barangay shows he always downloaded projects directly to the people and not through foundations.

Beneficiaries of the projects he distributed to the barangays in his district believed that the allegations against Yap seemed to be politically motivated, as a preview to the 2016 elections.