1 month ago
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THE complainants in a plunder case filed against Cotabato City Mayor Mohamed Ali Matabalao and four other officials have called on the Office of the Ombudsman to hasten its investigation.
Matabalao and four Cotabato city officials were charged with violation of Republic Act 7080, or the Anti-Plunder Act, on Aug. 30, 2024, at the Ombudsman.
They were also charged with malversation under Article 217 and falsification of public documents under Article 171 of the Re-vised Penal Code.
Named as co-respondents of Matabalao were Primitivo Glimada Jr., city accountant; Teddy Inta, city treasurer; Regina Detalla, city budget officer; and Ma. Adela Fiesta, city planning and development coordinator.
The complainants were Marouf Pasawiran, Abdulrakim Usman, Hunyn Abu, Kusin Taha, Henjie Ali and Datu Noriel Pa-sawiran, city councilors of Cotabato City and city residents Mohamad Abubakar, Tato Esmail, Al-Jehad Tantungm and Zhoher Anggar.
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The case stemmed from the disbursement of a part of P1.104-billion loan application from Land Bank of the Philippines worth P468 million and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) worth P636 million, which was both approved and en-acted under City Ordinance 4609.
The loan from the DBP would fund the purchase of lots for an economic zone, public markets, public terminals, cold storage facilities, ice plants and other projects.
The DBP released the first tranche of the loan amounting to P199.671 million on July 19, 2019, and has since released P566.918 million, or 89.138 percent of the approved loan.
Matabalao acknowledged in a statement of indebtedness declaration in 2022 and 2023 before the city council the receipt of P118,534,198.69 from the city treasury, while also stated that there was a payment of P52,599,083.32 of the loan principal has been made to the DBP.
But according to the DBP statement, the payment made only amounted to P29,118,716.69, while there were unaccounted funds of P89,415,481.
Matabalao declared the remaining amount as cost savings and asked the city council to use the money for other projects, which was approved.
According to the complaint, Matabalao and the other respondents were liable for the P89,415,482 unaccounted funds, which they said is more than the P50 million threshold set for Plunder.
"It is apparent that Respondent Matabalao and his allies have amassed a considerable amount of public funds, to the preju-dice of the residents and taxpayers of Cotabato City," the complaint said.
The complainants also said that Matabalao's lifestyle and means have changed since he assumed office in 2022, renovating his home and acquiring luxurious personal properties.
"Not satisfied with his taste for expensive and lavish wares, vehicles, clothes and real properties, Respondent Matabalao's im-mediate relatives, family members and allies were able to acquire and purchase considerable expensive personal and real proper-ties," the complaint added.
The complaint also noted that Matabalao's family, including his wife, son and brother-in-law, were also alleged to have built houses and enjoyed expensive items.
The complainants allege that there is a conspiracy to defraud the city government, stating that the city accountants prepared a misleading report for the city council, which was subsequently approved by their superiors.
"It is apparent that the participation of the former was done not without his connivance and acquiescence to the scheme with the intention to raid the public funds of Cotabato City," it noted.
The complainants have called on the Ombudsman to determine the respondents' administrative and criminal liabilities, and impose a preventive suspension on Matabalao and Glimada to prevent them from concealing or destroying evidence against them.
In subsequent posts on his social media page, Matabalao said that no amount of misinformation or black propaganda will change the fact that Cotabato City has developed during his time as mayor.
"The city had more lights, the economy got better, and we became first class again. The crime rate decreased, sports became alive, social and medical services are felt, and more infrastructure projects are done and are being completed," Matabalao said.
He also showed a document from the DBP certifying that all term loans of Cotabato City under the bank are all current and up-to-date with no incidence of default or missed payments.
In a press conference on Thursday, Matabalao expressed his readiness to face plunder charges filed against him.
"I am innocent of the charges, and I can defend it in the proper forum for sure, but the timing of the filing is suspicious," said Matabalao, noting that the charges come as he seeks reelection in the May 12 polls.
