JUST two months after upholding the validity of two criminal charges against former Quezon City Rep. Mari Grace Preciosa Hipolito-Castelo and 11 co-accused, the Sandiganbayan Third Division ordered the same cases dismissed in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling declaring a lack of probable cause.
Castelo was charged by the Office of the Ombudsman with one count each of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019) and estafa through falsification of official/public documents.
Her co-defendants were her political affairs officer Maria Theresa Encallado, and volunteer/coordinators Elizabeth Martinez, Norie Valerio, Leonora Bernardo, Anabelle Ocfemia, Edilbert Valerio, Emma Agraan, Eliseo Hermoso, Jacquelyn Sales, Margie Varon, and Rosalie Buena.
The cases involved allegations that all 12 accused pocketed a “substantial portion” of the P1.09 million Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) released by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) from November 2020 to September 2021.
Prosecutors said the assistance did not reach the intended beneficiaries in Barangays Batasan Hills, Commonwealth, and Holy Spirit in Quezon City because the defendants, “using deceit, false pretense, or fraudulent acts,” defrauded the government by submitting falsified documents to make it appear that the beneficiaries rendered services and were compensated for it.
They said the accused shaved off a big part of the cash assistance from the wages of each beneficiary.
Among the documents found to have been fabricated were letters of intent, TUPAD Work Programs, lists of beneficiaries, and daily time records (DTRs).
Castelo earlier filed a Motion to Quash, arguing that the facts as alleged in the information do not constitute an offense, failed to show bad faith, manifest partiality, or gross inexcusable negligence, and did not establish how she could have conspired with the rest of the accused.
But on June 25, 2025 the anti-graft court received a copy of a Resolution from the Supreme Court’s Second Division ordering it to dismiss the cases on the ground that “from the very beginning, there has been an abject paucity of evidence to establish probable cause.”
The SC said it is “duty-bound to step in and order the dismissal of these cases to protect [the defendants’) rights against unjust prosecution.”
This was followed by an Entry of Judgment dated July 11, 2025 certifying that the April 2, 2025 resolution had become final and executory.
“In view of the Supreme Court Resolution dated April 2, 2025 and the Entry of Judgment dated July 11, 2025, the court dismisses the cases as there being no probable cause for the Ombudsman to file an information in the first place,” the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division said.
