The Philippine Online Chronicles

A third plunder charge has been slapped on former president and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the supposed misuse of P1.7 billion public funds in 2010.

Former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez said yesterday he would file a plunder case against Arroyo before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday. Chavez had recently withdrawn his nomination for the Ombudsman post.

“[Respondent Arroyo] caused the release of no less than P728 million and P1.59 billion, or an aggregate amount of P2.318 billion of public funds of the Department of Agriculture to specific members of the House of Representatives, provincial governors, and city and municipal mayors," he said in his 31-page complaint.

"Tinulugan ito ni Merceditas Gutierrez. P728 million lang ang fertilizer funds but the people forgot the larger amount, which is something like P1.5 billion or P1.6 billion in state funds," Chavez said.

He also included in the complaint former Department of Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr.; former Agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante; former Agriculture assistant secretary Ibarra Poliquit; Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos; Budget director Nora Oliveros; and “runners” Jaime Paule, Rose Lingan- Florendo, Leni Aquin, and Jane Fabian.

"This is a story of how our country's leaders have schemingly and systematically earmarked billions in pubic funds, on the pretext of funding 'farm inputs' ostensibly to help ameliorate the economic plight of our farmers, but which were shamelessly utilized to fund the selfish political ambitions of respondent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo," his complaint reads.

This is the second set of charges he has pushed against Arroyo and her former subordinates, with the first being for the alleged misuse of Overseas Workers Welfare Administration funds to finance her presidential bid in the 2004 elections.

Furthermore, anti-corruption advocate Danilo Lihaylihay also filed a plunder case against Arroyo and three other former Cabinet officials in August 2010 over the proceeds on the sale of the old Iloilo Airport.

Aside from the plunder charges, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines recently filed a legal suit against Arroyo for unresolved political and extra-judicial killings during her presidency.