Nabcor execs convicted of PDAF charges face 18 years in jail

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FORMER National Agribusiness Corp (Nabcor) Administrative and Finance Division director Rhodora Mendoza and General Services Unit head Romulo Relevo are facing 18 to 34 years imprisonment after being convicted by the Sandiganbayan of multiple criminal charges in relation to the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.

In an 84-page decision issued last November 6, the anti-graft court’s First Division pronounced both defendants guilty of one count of graft and two counts of malversation of public funds for allowing the transfer of P4.85 million public funds from the PDAF allocation of Iligan City Rep. Vicente Belmonte Jr. in 2008.

They were sentenced to six to ten years for the graft case with perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

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On the other hand, the court imposed 10 to 18 years imprisonment for the first malversation case and two to eight years for the second one.

Private defendant Elizabeth Balbacal, an accountant, was acquitted in all three cases but was held jointly liable with her two co-accused to pay the government a P4.85 million indemnity representing the amounts illegally disbursed.

Associate Justice and First Division chairperson Efren N. de la Cruz penned the decision with concurrences from Associate Justices Geraldine Faith A. Econg and Arthur O. Malabaguio.

According to separate criminal information filed by the Office of the Ombudsman last year, the defendants were accused of conspiracy to defraud the government by processing and allowing the transfer of Belmonte’s P4.85 million PDAF allocations to Kasangga sa Magandang Bukas Foundation Inc. (KMBFI).

Prosecutors said the defendants disregarded provisions of RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Law and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) by making it appear the sum went to the implementation of livelihood programs in the lawmaker’s congressional district but the projects turned out to be non-existent.

They noted that under the General Appropriations Act of 2007, NGOs like KMBFI were not even mentioned as possible implementing arms for PDAF projects as that job was supposed to be the function of the Department of Agriculture.

Former Nabcor president Alan Javellana, department accountant Ma. Julie Villaralvo-Johnson and KMBFI chief finance officer Marilou Antonio were also named defendants in all three charges but remain at large.

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