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Friday, March 3, 2017
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ILOILO City – Former congresswoman Judy Syjuco of Iloilo’s 2nd District will be tried before the Sandiganbayan over the purchase of 1,582 units of mobile phones worth P6.25 million.
The cellular phones “never existed” as these were never delivered, according to the Office of the Ombudsman that investigated the purchase and filed the complaint.
The anti-graft court found probable cause to hear the graft and malversation charges filed against Syjuco and several officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
The arraignment has been set on April 19.
Syjuco served as congresswoman of the 2nd District for two consecutive terms – 2004 to 2007 and 2007 to 2010. She was specifically charged with malversation through falsification and violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
There was sufficient evidence establishing probable cause against Syjuco, according to the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division in a 24-page resolution promulgated just this Feb. 27, 2017.
“(T)he confluence of facts and evidence will show that respondents conspired with each other through seemingly separate but collaborative acts to defraud the government of P6,248,900,” according to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
The other respondents were DOTC Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chairman Domingo Reyes Jr., vice chairman Elmer Soneja and members Director Rebecca Cacatian, Director Ildefonso Patdu Jr., Legal Officer Geronimo Quintos, and Director Venancio Santidad; DOTC Inspector Marcelo Desiderio Jr., Technical Inspector Danilo Dela Rosa, and Domingo Samuel Jonathan Ng, owner of West Island Beverages Distributor.
On Dec. 20, 2004, then DOTC secretary Leandro Mendoza received a letter from Syjuco that the Budget department had issued Special Allotment Release Orders amounting to P6,249,528 to purchase communications equipment for Region 6, the Ombudsman’s investigation showed.
The following day, Mendoza approved BAC Resolution No. 2004-84. It recommended the purchase of communications equipment through direct contracting.
According to the Ombudsman, the contract was given to Ng on Dec. 28, 2004 or five days after he submitted his quotation of P6,248,900 for 1,852 units of Nokia 1100.
Even though there was no need for direct contracting, the accused released the funds to Ng, stated the Ombudsman.
But the phones were never delivered, according to the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman also found that West Island Beverages Distributor was not authorized to supply cellphones, only a distributor of Smart value credits of Smartload per marketing distributor agreement.
“The Court finds substantial basis to support the finding of probable cause in these cases and the consequent issuance of warrants of arrest against the accused-movants and their co-accused and to hold them for trial,” read part of the Sandiganbayan resolution./PN
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