THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed graft and corruption charges against three barangay officials of Hagonoy in Bulacan, who have been found involved in irregularities in the distribution of the government’s cash subsidy for poor households under the Special Amelioration Program (SAP).
NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor said barangay councilman Danilo Flores, executive assistant Richard Bautista and barangay chairman Jason Mendoza, all of barangay San Agustin in Hagonoy town, have been proven to have pocketed portions of the financial assistance intended for their constituents.
Also included in the charge sheet filed last May 11 before the Department of Justice were private individuals Levi Cosay and Regina Bautista, wife of the barangay executive assistant.
Flores was earlier chastised by President Duterte during one of his public addresses for supposedly stealing money from the cash assistance program for poor families.
The NBI said three residents of barangay San Agustin complained that after they received their P6,500 assistance from the local social welfare officer on April 27, Flores demanded P4,000 from each of them.
Flores supposedly told the complainants that P3,500 of the amount will be given to Hagonoy mayor Raulito Manlapaz Sr., while the remaining P500 will be given to the medical front liners who live in the municipality.
“Against their will, complainants gave back to subject Flores the said amount. Further investigation likewise showed that subject Flores threatened the complainants that if they refuse to give back the P4,000 (that) they will be blacklisted and eventually delisted as beneficiaries of all subsequent relief or amelioration grants of the government,” the NBI complaint sheet read.
Flores managed to collect P117, 000 from the three complainants and other SAP beneficiaries, which he turned over to the Bautista couple.
“Witnesses further averred that it is common knowledge in their barangay that being the executive assistant, which position requires the barangay chairman’s trust and confidence, subject Bautista has indeed gained the confidence of chairman Mendoza, thus, they believed that subject Bautista could not have acted on his own without the imprimatur of his boss, incumbent chairman Mendoza,” the NBI added.
Following the case of Flores, the President offered a P30,000 reward money to anyone who could provide information on corrupt local officials involved in the aid distribution program.
DILG
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said 188 barangay officials have been investigated by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and 44 of them have already been charged with criminal and administrative cases.
DILG undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said they are now expediting the awarding and release of the reward money.
Malaya said the DILG will no longer issue show-cause orders against errant barangay officials since it has already turned over the investigation into the SAP distribution anomalies to the PNP — Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
