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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sandiganbayan denies plea of ex-water district manager to dismiss P1.5-M malversation case

Sandiganbayan denies plea of ex-water district manager to dismiss P1.5-M malversation case

Published Mar 17, 2026 02:15 pm
The Sandiganbayan has denied the motion filed by former general manager Dante G. Fornesa Jr. of the San Francisco Water District (SFWD) in Agusan del Sur to dismiss the P1.5 million malversation of public funds case filed against him.
Fornesa was charged with violation of Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code on malversation of public funds together with cashiering assistant Digi Anna Allarey-Fernandez for allegedly misappropriating P1,599,051.72 representing undeposited collections of SFWD.
He claimed that the charges against him do not constitute an offense and he was denied procedural due process when the case was filed by Deputy Ombudsman Dante F. Vargas prior to the resolution of his motion for reconsideration.
The Sandiganbayan’s second division did not agree. It said: "In the present case, it may be gleaned from the allegations in the above-quoted Information that all the elements of the crime of malversation of public funds are present."
The court also said that the case against Fornesa was filed before the Sandiganbayan on Dec. 17, 2025 or more than two months after Vargas issued the Oct. 7, 2025 order which denied his motion for reconsideration.
"There was thus sufficient appreciable time to consider accused-movant's motion for reconsideration by the Office of the Ombudsman before the Information was filed with the Court," it added.
At the same time, the court said that Vargas had been given the authority to sign for and on behalf of the Ombudsman on all official matters subject to the approval of the Ombudsman through an Office Order dated June 9, 2025 issued by former Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires.
"This power was revoked by a subsequent office order only on July 27, 2025 or a month after Deputy Ombudsman Vargas green-lit the filing of the Information. Therefore, contrary to the accused-movant's claim, the Deputy Ombudsman had the authority to file the assailed Information," it said.
The six-page resolution dated March 16 was written by Associate Justice Edgardo M. Caldona with the concurrence of Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith A. Econg and Associate Justice Gener M. Gito.
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