THE Ombudsman filed new charges against former officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for allegedly accepting an all-expense paid trip to Australia in exchange for approving a joint venture to build a thermal paper and printing plant.
The Ombudsman indicted former PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte, who is still facing corruption charges over the alleged misuse of PCSO intelligence funds, along with board directors Jose Taruc V and Fatima Valdez.
The Ombudsman accused the respondents of accepting a gift in the form of an all-expense paid trip to Australia from TMA Group of Companies in February 2010.
The Ombudsman noted that Republic Act 3019 prohibits public officials from “directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, share, percentage, or benefit, for himself or for any other person, in connection with any contract or transaction between the Government and any other part, wherein the public officer in his official capacity has to intervene under the law.”
Republic Act 6713, or the ethics code for government officials, also prohibits officials from soliciting or accepting any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties.”
The Ombudsman agreed to bail and recommended a total of P60,000 bail for each of the respondents.
Uriarte, Taruc and Valdez were also charged in the P366-million plunder case over the alleged misuse of PCSO’s intelligence funds, which included former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but the three disappeared until some of the accused, including Arroyo, were exonerated.
In a resolution dated April 7, 2015, the Sandiganbayan declared that Uriarte was the principal beneficiary of the P366 million in PCSO funds, saying Arroyo was only one of her co-conspirators. Uriarte surrendered last November.
Shortly after her surrender, Uriarte asked the Sandiganbayan for leave to undergo a medical examination of a lump in her breast that she feared may be a tumor.
