The Sandiganbayan has convicted former Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Constantino Jaraula and four others of graft in connection with the irregularities in the disbursement of P3 million in fertilizer funds 20 years ago.

In a ruling handed down on 8 July, the anti-graft court Second Division sentenced Jaraula to up to 10 years in prison for violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or (RA 3019) on top of the penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office and civil liability of P3 million to the government. 

The same penalties were applied to former Department of Agriculture (DA) regional officials Ma. Reina Lumantas, Claudia Artazo, and Joel Rudinas as well as Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc. (PSDFI) president Evelyn de Leon, who were all found guilty of the same raps.

Graft investigators said Jaraula and the DA officials acted in concert in giving unwarranted benefits to the PSDFI by entering into a memorandum of agreement (MoA) for the implementation of the DA’s Farm Inputs and Farm Implements Project (FIFIP) to Cagayan de Oro City in 2003 and 2004.

Jaraula allegedly endorsed the PSDFI as the implementing agency of the said project notwithstanding the NGO’s lack of credentials and its distant location in Taguig.

The Ombudsman flagged such irregularities as a violation of CoA Circular No. 96-003, mandating that the NGO shall be accredited by the government office and must be based in the community where the project is to be implemented.

Court records also showed that Jaraula and the DA officials released the P3 million payment to the PSDFI for the distribution of the fertilizers despite no proof of delivery nor receipt by the farmer-beneficiaries.

The erstwhile lawmaker vehemently denied the allegations against him, asserting he had no part in the preparation of the MoA that was signed by the late DA Regional Field Unit X director Rufo Chan.

The Sandiganbayan, however, did not buy Jaraula's reasoning.

"Undeniably, Jaraula heavily relied on the representations made by RD Chan and negligently did nothing to verify the accuracy of the statements given to him," it said.

"Now that his acts were called into question, he consistently placed blame on the late RD Chan who cannot testify for himself."

Moreover, the Sandiganbayan stated that the prosecution established sufficient proof that Jaraula and the three DA officials acted in a common design to defraud the government in the amount of P3 million.

The court also discovered that the PSDFI was not registered or licensed with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority and cannot be therefore engaged in any business involving fertilizers.