The Sandiganbayan has convicted former North Cotabato 2nd District Rep. Gregorio T. Ipong and two former officials of the now-defunct Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) of graft and malversation involving the misuse of the former legislator’s P4.9 million priority development assistance fund (PDAF) in 2007.
Ipong, then TLRC Deputy Director General Dennis L. Cunanan and former TLRC Chief Accountant Marivic V. Jover were each sentenced to six to 10 years imprisonment for graft.
They were sentenced to 10 to 17 years imprisonment on their conviction for malversation and ordered to pay a fine of P4.9 million.
For civil liability, the anti-graft court ordered them to "jointly and severally indemnify the Republic of the Philippines, through the Bureau of Treasury, the amount of P4,900,000 with legal interest of six percent per annum reckoned from the finality of this Decision until full satisfaction."
The cases against their co-accused -- Aaron Foundation Philippines, Inc. (AFPI) President Alfredo A. Ronquillo and TLRC Director General Antonio Y. Ortiz – have been archived pending their arrest.
The Sandiganbayan’s 52-page decision dated Sept. 13, 2022 stated that Ipong did not comply with the requirements in selecting AFPI to implement his PDAF-funded projects. There was also no evidence showing that AFPI furnished its certificate of registration or its financial statements for the last three years of its operation, the court said.
"As a matter of fact, AFPI also did not submit a list of projects it was involved in to show that it had gained experience and expertise in implementing the livelihood project to be funded by accused Ipong's PDAF," it also said.
In the mind of the court, nothing demonstrated manifest partiality and evident bad faith more than the "unerringly cavalier manner" by which AFPI was chosen by Ipong to implement his PDAF-funded project.
While Cunanan and Jover argued that they acted in good faith and diligence in the conduct of their duties, the court said they are still guilty of gross inexcusable negligence since they did not ask "reasonable questions" that would have exposed the fact that AFPI was not properly accredited and yet was endorsed by Ipong.
They (Cunanan and Jover) "miserably failed" in their respective duties to check the accreditation and qualification requirements of AFPI which resulted in undue injury to the government, the court added.
Associate Justices Kevin Narce B. Vivero wrote the decision with the concurrence of Sixth Division Chairperson Sarah Jane T. Fernandez and Associate Justice Zaldy V. Trespeses.