The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office has approved the indictment of a former executive of JacintoColor Steel, Inc. (JCSI) and her husband for allegedly stealing millions of pesos worth of raw materials from 2020 to 2022 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a resolution dated May 9, City Prosecutor Vimar M. Barcellano ruled that probable cause has been found to indict former JCSI vice president Sissie Elamparo Bongat and her husband, Christopher Foronda Bongat, for four counts of qualified theft before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) with no bail recommended.
Barcellano also found probable cause to indict Sissie alone before the Quezon City RTC for the complex crime of qualified theft through falsification of commercial document with no bail recommended and before the Quezon City RTC Commercial Court for violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 with bail recommended at P40,000.
On the other hand, Barcellano dismissed the complaint against the son of the couple, Charles Elamparo Bongat.
The city prosecutor explained “being a minor on the alleged date of the incident, the charges against respondent Charles Elamparo Bongat who is 16 years of age having been born on April 18, 2016 is dismissible outright.”
In its resolution, the Barcellano said the elements of the crime were “properly alleged and supported by the documentary evidence of the complainant.…”
“She was able to obtain raw materials from foreign and local suppliers in the total amount of P648,266.818. However, some of these raw materials never reached the plant or warehouse of JSCI but were instead immediately and directly diverted by her for sale to the local steel traders who purchased the same at prices well below their landed or acquisition cost and for which no Official Receipts were issued,” the city prosecutor said.
“After a thorough investigation, of the P648266,818, only P568,178,366 had been accounted for leaving a balance of P80,000,000. Further, out of the P568,178,366 only P148,043,914 were used to manufacture and produce the products of JSCI. The P420,134,452 and additional of P80,088,452 were sold to local steel traders personally by Respondent Sissie,” the prosecuton also said in the resolution.