Sandiganbayan Convicts Muntinlupa Mayor for PDAF Graft
The Sandiganbayan has found re-elected Muntinlupa City Mayor Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon guilty of graft linked to the misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) amounting to P2.7 million during his time as a legislator in 2007. Alongside Biazon, businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and three others were convicted for their roles in the scandal.
The court ruled that Biazon, Napoles, former Technology Resource Center (TRC) officials Dennis L. Cunanan and Maria Rosalinda M. Lacsamana, as well as private individual Evelyn D. De Leon violated Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. They received prison sentences ranging from six to eight years and were permanently barred from holding public office.
Legal Consequences and Restitution Orders
In addition to their prison terms, Napoles and De Leon were ordered to jointly and severally return the full P2.7 million to the national treasury and compensate the government for the losses incurred. Although convicted, the accused still have the option to file motions for reconsideration, and if those are denied, they may appeal their cases to the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, other co-accused individuals such as former Department of Budget and Management undersecretary Mario L. Relampagos and several TRC officials were acquitted. The court also cleared Biazon and Napoles of malversation charges under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code, which deals with the misappropriation of public funds.
Details of the PDAF Misuse Case
The graft case arose from the wrongful release of Biazon’s PDAF to a fake non-government organization, the Philippine Social Development Foundation (PSDFI), controlled by Napoles. The court emphasized that Biazon’s endorsement of PSDFI as the lead agency to manage his PDAF was more than a mere recommendation—it was effectively a directive that compelled the implementing agency to follow his instructions.
“Clearly, Biazon’s endorsement letter cannot be considered as a mere recommendation, but an indispensable instruction to TRC on how to utilize his PDAF allocation. For this reason, accused Biazon should have been more circumspect about identifying PSDFI as the NGO he was endorsing,” the court stated.
The judgment also noted that although TRC had the responsibility to verify PSDFI’s qualifications, Biazon’s failure to scrutinize the NGO he endorsed enabled an unqualified group to access his PDAF funds.
Court Decision and Next Steps
The 191-page decision, dated May 30, was authored by Associate Justice Zaldy V. Trespeses with concurrence from Special Seventh Division Chairperson and Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Dolores C. Gomez-Estoesta and Associate Justice Georgina D. Hidalgo. The court has ordered the case against co-accused Antonio Y. Ortiz to be archived pending his arrest.
This ruling underscores the judiciary’s firm stance against corruption involving lawmakers’ PDAF allocations and reinforces the need for strict oversight in public fund disbursements.
For more news and updates on PDAF graft cases, visit Filipinokami.com.