The Court of Appeals has affirmed with finality the dismissal from service of former North Cotabato vice governor and Second District Rep. Gregorio Ipong, in connection with a pork barrel anomaly case in 2007.
In a two-page resolution promulgated last week, the former special 9th division of the appellate court affirmed its decision in Nov. last year that upheld the 2016 dismissal order of the Office of the Ombudsman against Ipong in connection with the misuse of his P4.9-million pork barrel funds during his term.
The appellate court denied for lack of merit the motion for reconsideration filed by the former lawmaker, saying the MR raised the same issues and arguments already addressed and resolved in its earlier decision.
“There being no new matters raised that would warrant a reversal or modification of the said Decision, the said motion is hereby denied for lack of merit,” stated the resolution penned by Associate Justice Ramon Cruz.
The CA sustained the ruling of the Ombudsman in finding petitioner guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
It turned down Ipong’s defense that the Ombudsman had no jurisdiction over the case involving acts when he was still a congressman and beyond the anti-corruption office’s disciplinary authority.
The CA ruled that the administrative complaint was filed against Ipong when he was already the vice-governor of Cotabato province, placing him under the Ombudsman’s investigative power.
This administrative case stemmed from the diversion of Ipong’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations to the fictitious livelihood projects of Aaron Foundation Philippines Inc. (AFPI).
The former solon was found to have endorsed AFPI as the partner non-government organization (NGO) for his PDAF projects implemented through the now-defunct Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC).
The NGO turned out to be a dubious NGO as its office address was located in a vacant lot, and it failed to submit liquidation documents to the Commission on Audit (COA).
Ipong is also facing graft and malversation before the Sandiganbayan for the criminal aspect of the multimillion-peso PDAF cases against him, involving one involving P9.4 million that went to NGO Economic and Social Cooperation for Local Development Foundation Inc. (Ecosoc).
Ipong was officially removed from office when the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) implemented the Ombudsman order in November 2016.
He ran for a seat in the House of Representatives during the May 2019 elections, but lost in a four-way race.