Ex-lawmaker convicted of graft
THE PHILIPPINES’ anti-graft court has convicted a former Cagayan de Oro congressman for misusing P3 million worth of public funds in connection with a P728-million fertilizer fund scam.
The ex-lawmaker was found to have redirected P3 million to buy 3,750 bottles of fertilizers from a nongovernment group that were supposed to cost P502,087, according to a state audit.
In a 77-page decision promulgated on July 8, the Sandiganbayan Second Division found the former congressman guilty of one count of graft, sentencing him to face a maximum jail term of 10 years.
He was also barred from holding public office, while his retirement pay was revoked. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio