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| Rep. Francisco Matugas |
By Jun Lira
SURIGAO CITY -- Instead of creating a fuss, the
much ballyhooed plunder charges filed against Rep. Francisco Matugas was met
with laughter by the first district solon during a recent press conference held
at the Philippine Gateway Hotel, this city.
“There’s
nothing to worry for this is just another harassment case. I’m always the
favorite target of harassment cases by some of these people who have been
filing cases against me since the time I was a governor. But as it turned out,
the said cases just fell or were dismissed one by one,” Matugas said.
The
lawmaker was reacting to published reports that a plunder case was filed
against him before the Office of the Ombudsman on January 30, 2013 by some of
his opponents identified as Victor Bernal, Rene Medina, Fernando Almeda, Jr.
and Jose Begil together with private citizens Lolito Golo and Edgardo Canda.
Matugas
was allegedly accused of illegally allocating at least P63.5 million from his
Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) which was used as intelligence
funds for fifteen recipient-towns of Surigao del Norte in 2010.
The
plunder complaint was anchored on a previous COA ruling that the PDAF could not
be used as intelligence fund specifically for anti-insurgency activities as it
noted that PDAF was “intended for specific services like education, health,
livelihood, rural electrification, water supply, financial assistance, public
works, irrigation, peace and order, housing, forest management, and historical,
arts and culture.”
For
his part, Rep. Matugas said there was nothing irregular in the release of his
PDAF which was being used as intelligence fund by some local government units
for the same was officially covered and authorized through a DILG legal opinion
earlier sought by some municipal mayors.
“The
DILG legal opinion said that congressmen can release their PDAF as financial
assistance which can be used as intelligence fund to support the campaign of
LGUs against insurgency. The DILG said that intelligence fund is a trust fund.
Based on that DILG opinion, I endorsed to DBM the release of my PDAF as
intelligence fund for the concerned LGUs. The DBM, in turn, had released
directly to the LGUs some of my PDAF as intelligence fund on the basis of the
said DILG opinion,” Matugas clarified.
According
to Matugas, the fund releases were made overboard and were all direct
transparent transactions between the DBM and the LGUs concerned.
“These
fund releases never passed through my hands. The role of congressmen was only
to identify the projects and made the endorsement to the DBM which, in turn,
would release the funds directly to the recipients or beneficiaries," the solon
added.
Matugas
also brushed aside the alleged plundered amount of P63.5-million as ridiculous
and even challenged his critics to make a thorough review of the same. He said
some of the questioned funds were donated by other congressmen and some were
his releases for Philhealth coverage of thousands of indigent families.
“As
a lawyer, I know very well the elements of plunder. I’m not afraid of this new
case. I know very well that what I have done was all for the good of our
constituents and the same were transparent, aboveboard and in good faith. As to
the COA ruling which was the basis of the alleged plunder case, we have already
filed a motion for reconsideration on it,” Matugas disclosed.
As
of press time, the lawmaker is still awaiting an official copy of the alleged
plunder charge from the Office of the Ombudsman. (FEA/Surigao Today)
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