Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate along with members of various groups filed a technical malversation case against former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and former Finance Secretary Florencio Abad on Friday, July 8.
(Photo from Bayan facebook page)
DAVAO CITY – A partylist lawmaker along with members of various groups filed a technical malversation case against former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and former Finance Secretary Florencio Abad on Friday, July 8.
The groups trooped to the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City to file a 26-page complaint against the two officials for approving and implementing the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) which was declared unconstitutional and illegal by the Supreme Court.
One of the complainants, Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said aside from technical malversation, Aquino and Abad “are also charged with usurpation of legislative powers as well as graft and corruption.”
“The DAP was nothing more than presidential pork taken from forced savings then realigned for pet projects of the President,” said Zarate.
He added that the fund “was not a stimulus program as many of the projects approved by Aquino had nothing to do with stimulating the economy.”
“It was presidential pork used to entice lawmakers to impeach then convict former Chief Justice Renato Corona,” he said.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes, who is among the complainants, said their complaints “were originally aired via the impeachment complaint filed before the House of Representatives in 2014.”
“However, the Liberal Party-dominated chamber did not give the impeachment complainants a chance to present evidence on the culpability of Aquino. It is only now that Aquino is no longer in power that we are able to revive our push for accountability,” he said.
The complainants include Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) National Chairperson Benjamin Valbuena,Confederation For Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) President Ferdinand Gaite,Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) Founding Chairman/President Dante LA. Jimenez, Mae P. Paner of the Juana Change Movement, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Philipinas (KMP) Secretary General Antonio Flores, GABRIELA Secretary General Joan Mae Salvador, Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) National Chairperson Gloria G. Arellano and Philippine Heart Center Employees Association-Alliance of Health Workers President Bonifacio S. Carmona, Jr.
Atty. Edre Olalia of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, a lawyers group which assisted the complainants, said both officials “”masterminded the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) under which billions of pesos of public funds were diverted across government agencies and used as “savings” to fund projects, activities and programs not existing under the appropriations law.”
The Supreme Court has ruled that acts and practices under the DAP as unconstitutional, however, “nobody was punished for these crooked acts and practices,” said Olalia.
“Today they are reminded that no power is ever so vast and unbridled and perpetual. Because no, their crimes are not forgotten and not forgiven,” he said. (davaotoday.com)
