PHNO-HL: SANDIGANBAYAN 1st DIVISION WILL TRY GLORIA'S PCSO PLUNDER CASE

SANDIGANBAYAN 1st DIVISION WILL TRY GLORIA'S
PCSO PLUNDER CASE

[PHOTO -Former
President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo]
MANILA, JULY
21, 2012 (INQUIRER) By TJ Burgonio - The
Sandiganbayan First Division will be trying the plunder case against former
President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and other
officials stemming from alleged misuse of P366 million in Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Office funds.
The case was raffled to the anti-graft court's First Division, chaired by
Associate Justice Efren dela Cruz, following a draw inside the courtroom of the
Third Division at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
"It will just be an ordinary case," a smiling Dela Cruz curtly told reporters
after the brief draw.
The Office of the Ombudsman last Monday filed the case against Arroyo, who
has been detained at the Veterans Memorial Hospital in Quezon City on charges of
electoral sabotage since November 2011.
It was the first plunder case against Arroyo, who is also facing two counts
of graft and one count of breach of ethics in the Sandiganbayan in connection
with her approval of the overpriced $329-million National Broadband Network deal
with China's ZTE Corp.
Her co-accused in the plunder case, former PCSO chairman Sergio Valencia and
former general manager Rosario Uriarte, filed separate motions with the
Sandiganbayan seeking to defer the proceedings against them to allow them to
pursue their motions for reconsideration with the Ombudsman.
Also charged with plunder were former PCSO board members Manuel Morato, Jose
Taruc V, Raymundo Roquero and Ma. Fatima Valdes; and former budget and accounts
manager Benigno Aguas; former Commission on Audit Chair Reynaldo Villar and
Nilda Plaras, erstwhile intelligence and confidential fund audit unit head.
Arroyo and the former PCSO and COA officials were accused of conspiring to
directly or indirectly accumulate P365.99 million in ill-gotten wealth from the
PCSO, an agency tasked with providing aid to the poor.
The Ombudsman said that from January 2008 to June 2010, the accused diverted
funds from the PCSO's operating budget to the confidential or intelligence fund,
which could be withdrawn or accessed any time and with few restrictions.
The accused then allegedly converted, misused and illegally transferred the
funds for their own use "in the guise of fictitious expenditures."
Also on Friday, the graft case against Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and seven
Cebu officials over the purchase of P99 million worth of land that was mostly
under water was raffled off to the Second Division, chaired by Associate Justice
Oscar Herrera.
On the other hand, the graft case against Zamboanga del Sur Representative
Aurora Cerilles and six others over the questionable purchase of P6.8 million
medical supplies in 2001was raffled off to the Third Division, chaired by
Associate Justice Francisco Villaruz Jr.
BLOG WATCH: FROM RAPPLER ONLINE

[PHOTO OF NOW REP. GLORIA ARROYO SHOWING HER OPERATED NECK]
MANILA, Philippines - The plunder trial of former President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo will be an ordinary case. The Sandiganbayan will not hold marathon
hearings.
"It will just be an ordinary case," said Justice Efren dela Cruz, chairman of
the Sandiganbayan first division.
The Ombudsman-prepared plunder case against Arroyo and 9 others was raffled
on Friday morning, July 20, to Cruz's division.
The plunder case against Arroyo and 9 others was filed on July 16 in
connection with the alleged misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office
(PCSO) intelligence funds during the latter years of her administration.
Former PCSO chairman of the board Sergio Valencia and former PCSO general
manager Rosario Uriarte have joined Arroyo's motion to stop court proceedings on
the plunder case, including their possible arrest.
According to court rules, the graft case against Cebu Gov Gwendolyn Garcia
goes to the Sandiganbayan second division.
The graft case against Zamboaga del Sur Rep. Aurora Cerilles will go to the
third division. - Rappler.com
ABOUT RAPPLER: http://www.rappler.com/about-us/6677-the-people-behind-rappler
FLASHBACK DECEMBER 2011:
PANAYAM (INTERVIEW) VIDEO OF GLORIA ARROYO WITH GMA
NEWStv
VIDEO: GLORIA ARROYO AFTER HER SURGERY IN HER NECK, THE DAY BEFORE SHE WAS
TRANSFERRED TO VMMH

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhK8teiM1pA


Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved




PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet

This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.

To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/

(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
phno-digest@yahoogroups.com
phno-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/