MABALACAT CITY – The Save Mabalacat Movement (SMM) urged the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Office of the Ombudsman to elevate the plunder cases against incumbent Mayor Cris Garbo and former mayor Marino “Boking” Morales to the Sandiganbayan for failing to account millions of pesos in public funds.
The SMM said the non-compliance of Mayor Garbo, Morales and other former city officials to the recommendations of the Commission on Audit (COA) had deprived residents of millions of pesos in public funds that could had been used to improve basic services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
SMM president Estrella De Guzman said the group will urge the COA and Ombudsman to elevate the plunder case against Garbo and Morales to the Sandiganbayan since the two failed to account for the missing government funds. De Guzman said she will also seek the legal assistance of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) so that both Garbo and Morales will be prevented from holding public office. A plunder case is non-bailable and both Garbo and Morales may face perpetual disqualification from seeking public office.
The COA findings revealed the administration of former mayor Morales had funded “ghost projects” particularly the Quitangil Creek slope protection project amounting to P92 million. The Quitangil Creek project was collected from the city coffers in 2016 during the last term of former mayor Morales. The case is still pending in the COA Anti-Fraud Department and COA has recommended the said total amount be refunded by Morales.
Former Mabalacat City Administrator Emmanuel Ignacio confirmed that they lodged a plunder case against Morales which is pending at the Ombudsman. Meanwhile, the COA furthered there were series of disallowances, deficiencies and illegal realignment of funds amounting to almost P200 million amid the COVID-19 pandemic which remained unanswered despite the audit agency’s letter to incumbent Mayor Garbo since June 2021. The SMM is a newly-formed civil society group that seeks to eliminate the reported corruption in the city government.
