Ex-NCotabato lawmaker seeks dismissal of cases

Ipong asked the Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division to dismiss the graft him and four others over the alleged Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in 2007 when he was the congressional representative of the

The Office of the Ombuds that Ipong chose the “unac government organization (NGO) Aaron Foundation Philippines in implementing PDAF- funded livelihood projects which turned

His counsel claimed Ipong was not

According to the defense, a perusal of the charge sheet which accused him of graft “shows mere conclusions of law, without any clear averment of the facts showing how accused Ipong acted with evident bad faith, manifest partiality or gross inexcusable neg part of his duties as legislator and

His task, it said, was merely to earmark and/or allocate part of his PDAF and to recommend an NGO to the implementing government - hood Resource Center (TLRC) “was clearly not duty-bound to accept his

Ipong had “at most recommendatory powers as to which NGO or otherwise, will actually implement his priority project and it will thereafter be at TLRC’s exclusive control and supervision of the project’s implementation and to its complete conclusion, and everything in between that,” the

It added that the appropriation law or ordinance requirement under Government Procurement Policy at the time the AFPI was selected and

Further, the defense argued that the alleged conspiracy was not clearly

Also, the counsel pointed out that years after the offense charged was

Named respondents along with Ipong were former TLRC Director General Antonio Ortiz, former TLRC Deputy Director General Dennis Cunanan, former TLRC Chief Accountant Marivic Jover and Alfredo