Indict ex-Bacolod solon over SEA Games fund mess – Ombudsman
The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of graft and malversation charges against former Bacolod Representative Monico Puentevella before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the multi-million-peso funds spent for the 2005 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games hosted by Bacolod City.
Ombudsman inves-
tigators discovered that Puentevella failed to account for the money spent by the local government for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.
Back in August 2005, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issued a Special Allotment Release Order amounting to 1 50 million for the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the hosting of the 23rd SEA Games.
The PSC then transferred the fund to the Bacolod Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (BASOC) through checks payable to the BASOC itself or Puentevella.
However, after the funds were liquidated and audited by the Commission on Audit (COA), investigators discovered that the liquidation documents of BASOC were returned by COA without action.
Several letters from 2008 to 2009 were sent to BASOC and Puentevella requiring the settlement of the fund. But as of 2011, P21,565,832.50 still remains unsettled. To make matters worse, investigators learned that the SEA Games fund was deposited straight to the account of Puentevella.
The Office of the Ombudsman said in its resolution that “by depositing the funds in [Puentevella’s] personal account, he had absolute custody and control of and responsibility for the funds.”
“The documents for the unliquidated amount were not approved by COA-PSC since these consisted of personal vouchers of respondent Puentevella and mere photocopies of invoices or contracts,” the resolution further stated. “The COA-PSC had already made demands on respondent to settle or liquidate the financial assistance through two letters dated 16 January 2009 and 24 March 2009. However, the respondent failed to comply.”
Puentevella’s failure to liquidate the 121 million, despite repeated demands by the COA over the last few years, only meant that “he had used the funds for his personal benefit,” the Ombudsman resolution declared.