P100T peace offering bared
A peace offering of P100,000 was made to complaining barangay captains of Iloilo City in exchange for the withdrawal of a graft case against top national officials of the Liga ng mga Barangay.
The offer, The News Today (TNT) gathered, was reportedly made by no less than Liga ng mga Barangay President James Marty Lim. Additional perks were also offered, including the assurance that Cuartero, Jaro Barangay Captain Marietta Orleans will be removed from her post as ex-officio member of the Iloilo City Council. Orleans was to be replaced "immediately" in what was dangled as seemingly a "take it or leave it" offer. The city barangay captains decided to "leave it" and the consensus reached to pursue the case.
A highly-placed TNT source said Lim even told the group, "lahat kaya nating gawin sa Liga. (We can do anything in the Liga.)
The "peace offering" happened inside a government building with the meeting purposely set to negotiate with the complainants, all of whom refused to budge and accept such.
Come July 12, forty of the complaining village chiefs will appear before the Department of Justice (DOJ) following a subpoena sent that will finally hear preliminary investigation. Same TNT source said it is expected that the "peace offering" will be disclosed before government prosecutors.
Respondents are Liga national officers Lim (President), Mario Eduardo Ortega (Vice President for Luzon), Natalio Beltran III (Treasurer), Angel Briones (Secretary), Abdurahman Nuno (Vice President for Mindanao), Jonah Pedro Pimentel (Secretary General), Leonides Fausto (Auditor) and Rufino Panagan (Director).
Orleans, president of the Iloilo City chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay was also included as one of the respondents for her alleged refusal to act on the complaint of the barangay captains.
The graft case stemmed from the city liga's share of the Local Government Service Equalization Fund (LGSEF). The check intended for each barangay was P10,744 however the national Liga in a Resolution decided to only release P10,000 as it withheld P744. The resolution directed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to deposit the balance to the Liga ng Barangay National through Barangay Dos in Gasan town, Marinduque as local government conduit. Barangay Dos is Lim's barangay.
In their complaint, the barangay captains said withholding the amount of P744 from each barangay and refusal to release it despite their demands "clearly constitutes misappropriation of the said amount."
"P744 is a small amount for a barangay but 31 million is certainly a big amount which should be accounted," said Lorenzo "Boy" Castellano in an earlier TNT interview.
The complaint was first filed before the Iloilo City Prosecutor's Office in December 2005 however faced delays following the inhibition of two city prosecutors assigned. In the six-page complaint, the barangay captains accused the Liga officers of malversation of public funds, usurpation of authority and violation of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act).
The balance of P744 for each barangay was explained by Lim as funds to be used for programs and projects of the barangays as initiated by the National Liga ng mga Barangay.
For San Agustin Iloilo City Proper Barangay Captain Roberto "Bobby D" Divinagracia, the bigger issue is not the amount involved but the alleged unlawful act committed by the national Liga. As such, he called for an internal audit and extensive check on the financial transactions and dealings of the national Liga.
"Now we are concerned that there might be even bigger decisions they did that affected the entire Liga and one that they just decided amongst themselves. This certainly calls for a thorough review and in-house check," he ended.
Sentiments shared by National Liga Secretary General Angelo Briones, provincial federation president and ex-officio member of the Iloilo Provincial Board.
Briones in a phone interview told TNT that he is willing to appear before the DOJ as among the respondents at the same time is all thumbs-up for an audit to be made on the Liga's financial coffers.
"If and when I do get my summons, definitely I am willing to cooperate and give my side on the story," Briones said.
Briones appears to be one of the signatories of the controversial Liga Resolution.