FILE PHOTO: Office of the Ombudsman (UNTV News)
QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has found probable cause to indict former Eastern Samar Rep. Teodulo Coquilla.
This is in relation to the anomalous spending of his Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF in 2007.
According to the Ombudsman, Coquilla received five million pesos from his PDAF for the procurement of more than 30,000 seedlings and 10,000 instructional materials for the five municipalities in Eastern Samar.
Coquilla selected National Agribusiness Corporation or NABCOR as the implementing agency and the non-government organization GabayMasa as a partner in the project.
The investigation of the anti-graft agency revealed that the suppliers in the project were not duly registered and whose addresses were fake.
Likewise, the Commission on Audit’s report stated that the same suppliers were not accredited to transact.
The said undertaking was found to be a ghost project as the intended beneficiaries did not receive any seedlings or instructional materials.
Coquilla insisted his signatures on the documents were forged, but the ombudsman was not convinced.
Instead, the anti-graft agency said, Coquilla, who has the power and control over his PDAF, is accountable for its spending and allocation.
Aside from the former solon, 4 officials from NABCOR and 3 workers from GabayMasa will also be facing the same charges.
The Ombudsman has given the respondents time to file their respective motion for reconsideration before filing the criminal cases at the Sandiganbayan. (JOYCE BALANCIO / UNTV News)
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