THE Office of the Ombudsman has filed multiple criminal charges before the Sandiganbayan against former Capalonga, Camarines Norte municipal mayor Senandro Jalgalado for the alleged mishandling of P2.82 million worth of medicines intended for the municipal residents in 2012.
Ombudsman Samuel Martires approved the filing of charges of graft, malversation of public funds, and falsification of public documents based on the recommendation of Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Sylvester Alcazar.
The prosecution recommended that the defendant’s bail bond be set at P90,000 for the graft case, P120,000 for malversation, and P24,000 for the falsification charge, or a total of P234,000.
Based on three separate case information, the municipal government of Capalonga received P2.82 million worth of various medicines in March 2012 which was part of the P14.5 million medicine procurement undertaken using the 2011 Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocation of the Lone District of Camarines Norte.
Prosecutors said the mayor failed to account for the medicines or explain their whereabouts when required by the Commission on Audit.
Instead, he listed the barangay chairpersons of Barangays Mataque, Macolabo, Bayabas, Pinya, Napaod, Malibago, Baay, San Antonio, Cabatuhan, Bagong Silang III, and Old Camp as the ones who supposedly received the medicines.
However, auditors and graft investigators said all the chairpersons of the identified barangays denied being the recipients of the medicines, saying they had no participation whatsoever in the purchase or distribution.
The prosecution panel listed audit Team Leader Teresita Borile, state auditor Victoria Ramirez, and Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Officer Junelyn Pagunsan as witnesses who will testify against the accused.
In the Sandiganbayan’s first electronic raffle last Friday, Jalgalado’s cases landed with the anti-graft court’s Seventh Division.