Villanueva ordered dismissed over PDAF

THE OFFICE of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal from service of Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva after he was found liable for the misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) amounting to P10 million when he was still a party-list representative in 2008.

Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales said in a statement that Mr. Villanueva — a former representative of the Cibac party-list group — is found guilty of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the interest of the service.

Mr. Villanueva is also set to be tried before the Sandiganbayan for two counts of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti- Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and one count each of Malversation of Public Funds and Malversation thru Falsification of Public Documents.

Also included in the charge sheet are former Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, Mr. Villanueva’s staff member Ronald Samonte, DA employee Delia Ladera, National Agri-Business Corp. ( NABCOR) representatives Alan Javellana, Romulo Relevo, Ma. Julie Villaralvo-Johnson, Rhodora Mendoza, and Maria Ninez Guanizo; and Aaron Foundation Philippines, Inc. (AFPI) President Alfredo Ronquillo. The Ombudsman said that on June 8, 2008, the Budget department released P10 million as part of Mr. Villanueva’s PDAF intended for agri-based livelihood projects in Region 11, adding that two days later, Mr. Villanueva requested Mr. Yap to release the fund to the NABCOR as the implementing agency, with AFPI as the NGO-partner. — with