Solons file plunder raps vs Arroyo over PCSO fund mess

UPDATED 4:50 p.m. - Former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo faces new graft and plunder cases, this time for the alleged misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) during her term as president. Two of Arroyo’s colleagues from the House of Representatives — Bayan Muna party-list Reps. Teodoro Casiño and Neri Colmenares — filed the case before the Office of the Ombudsman at past 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. After filing the case, Casiño said, “This does not just involve stealing money. This involves stealing money from the poor." In a text message to GMA News Online, Elena Bautista-Horn, Arroyo's spokesperson, said their camp cannot comment on the issue until they receive a copy of the complaint. Former PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte, who admitted to requesting a total of P325 million in intelligence funds for the agency from 2008 to 2010, was also charged along with Arroyo. Uriarte said in a Senate probe last Wednesday that Arroyo personally allowed the release of the funds, which she claimed to have been used for the agency’s nationwide small town lottery project and as blood money for Filipinos who are in death row in Saudi Arabia. Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro personally received the congressmen’s complaints— the first plunder case against Arroyo filed before the office. The Ombudsman has launched a separate investigation on the alleged misuse of PCSO funds. Malversation, graft The party-list lawmakers accused Arroyo and Uriarte of violating Articles 217 and 220 of the Revised Penal Code for allegedly diverting and malversing PCSO funds to “phantom" intelligence funds not subject to regular auditing. The Bayan Muna representatives likewise filed graft and corruption charges or violation of Republic Act 3019 against Arroyo and Uriarte for supposedly causing “undue injury to the Filipino people" by “taking away" from poor Filipinos money allotted for charity. The lawmakers specifically cited the P150-million PCSO public relations fund last year, which was realigned as intelligence funds without an appropriate board resolution authorizing the change in the budget. “Diverting funds from the operational expense, which is subject to regular auditing, to intelligence fund which is not subject to regular auditing, clearly exposes the intention of both Arroyo and Uriarte to disburse said funds without the benefit of regular auditing scrutiny, in violation of our laws," the complaint read. Casino and Colmenares also said the amount “most likely used for partisan electoral purposes" because 2010 was an election year. 4th plunder case The lawmakers likewise asked the Ombudsman to prosecute both Arroyo and Uriarte for plunder for allegedly using PCSO funds “for their personal gain." “Part of these funds may have been used for political largesse, part to retain the loyalty of public officers to the President... Some were amassed as ill-gotten wealth," they said in the complaint. Casino and Colmenares also called for a lifestyle check on Arroyo and Uriarte, including the monitoring of their assets and bank accounts. The plunder case filed by the Bayan Muna representatives is the fourth one lodged against the former President since she stepped down of office last year. The first three were filed before the Department of Justice. The cases involve accusations of:

anomalous sale of an airport property in Iloilo;

misuse of funds for overseas Filipino workers, and

diversion of fertilizer funds to her campaign kitty in 2004. Casimiro vowed to give priority to the case filed by the lawmakers. Under Republic Act 7080, a public official can be charged with plunder if he or she “accumulates or acquires ill-gotten wealth through a combination or series of overt or criminal acts" amounting to at least P75 million. - VVP, GMA News