THE Office of the Ombudsman ordered on Tuesday that former-congressman Monico Puentevella of Bacolod City be tried for malversation of public funds and graft raps before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the Southeast Asian Games fund mess.
According to the Ombudsman investigators, Puentevella failed to account for the multimillion peso fund spent for the 2005 SEA Games hosted by Bacolod City.
In August 2005, the Department of Budget and Management issued a special allotment release order of P50 million for the Philippine Sports Commission for hosting the 23rd SEA Games.
PSC then transferred the fund to the Bacolod SEA Games organizing committee through checks payable to the committee and/or Puentevella.
After liquidation of the funds and upon audit by the Commission on Audit, the liquidation documents of organizing committee were returned by CoA without action.
Several letters from 2008 to 2009 were sent to Basoc and/or Puentevella requiring the settlement of the fund.
As of 2011, P21,565,832.50 remained unsettled.
Ombudsman investigators also discovered that the SEA Games fund was deposited to the personal account of the congressman.
“By depositing the funds in [Puentevella’s] personal account, he had absolute custody and control of and responsibility for the funds,” the resolution read.
“The documents for the unliquidated amount were not approved by CoA-PSC since these consisted of personal vouchers of respondent Puentevella and mere photocopies of invoices or contracts. The CoA-PSC had already made demands on respondent to settle or liquidate the financial assistance through two letters dated 16 January 2009 and 24 March 2009. However, respondent failed to comply.”
According to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, “respondent’s failure to liquidate or account for the amount of P21,565,832.50 which was under his custody and control, despite demands and the lapse of several years from the time the liquidation was due, would necessarily lead to the conclusion that he had used the funds for his personal benefit.”