Ampatuans committed plunder through 'spurious' fund use – Drilon

Maguindanao’s Ampatuan clan committed plunder through billions of pesos in “spurious" payments as well as withdrawals that were unaccounted for, Senator Franklin Drilon claimed Monday. Drilon, who chairs the Senate finance committee, said this was based on the Commission on Audit (COA) findings that were “indeed mind-boggling in terms of corruption." The COA report depicted as “spurious" a total of P1.486 billion in public works projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), according to the senator. Hundreds of millions of pesos in cash advances could not be accounted for as well, Drilon told reporters at a press briefing. GMA News Online is still trying to get the side of the Ampatuans as of this posting. Payments amounting to P1.123 billion, which were given to 112 suppliers and contractors, “were either not supported with documents, and/or supported with documents which may be considered as spurious," Drilon revealed. “Also, they were withdrawing cash as if there was no tomorrow. Cash advances amounting to the hundreds of millions of pesos were being done in one day," Drilon said. The Ampatuans deserve to be punished for plunder, for crimes like these, aside from their alleged involvement in the Maguindanao massacre in 2009, according to the senator who chairs the Senate committee on finance. “Talagang nakakalula ang katiwalian na nakita natin sa nakaraang administrasyon ng mga Ampatuan at ito ay pinabayaan ng dating administrasyon," Drilon said. — VS, GMA News