Prov’l social welfare exec, village head in SAP anomaly post bail

The Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) chief and a barangay captain of Isabela, Negros Occidental have posted bail for cases involving the alleged falsification of documents in the release of cash grants under the social amelioration program (SAP).

The arrest warrants were served last week to MSWDO head Mae Fajardo and Barangay 8 chairperson Maria Luz Ferrer, who are facing charges before the Regional Trial Court Branch 63 in La Carlota City under Presiding Judge Cyclamen Jison Fernandez.

Capt. Joseph Partidas, chief of Isabela Municipal Police Station, today said Fajardo was able to post bail last Thursday while Ferrer followed yesterday.

The Philippine National Police charged both Fajardo and Ferrer for violation of Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code for falsification of document by a public officer while Ferrer had a separate case for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The bail for the falsification case was set at P72,000 each while for the case related to RA 3019, the amount was fixed at P90,000.

During an interview in May, Ferrer, whose 13-year-old granddaughter was listed as a beneficiary, said that she gave back the released amount of P6,000 to the Department of Social Welfare and Development through the MSWDO.

“It was merely politics,” she added.

Ferrer also said that it was the DSWD that approved the inclusion of the girl as a beneficiary of the social amelioration grant since her late mother was also in the roster of “Listahanan” or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) program.

SUSPENDED
Meanwhile, in the list of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, six barangay captains in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental have been suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman for six months for alleged anomalies involving the implementation of the first tranche of SAP grant.

They are Tezardo Tejada of Barangay To-oy, Himamaylan City; Romeo Sultan of Barangay Salamanca, Toboso; Ruel Sabequil of Barangay Cabungahan, Calatrava; Evelyn Ta-asan of Barangay 11, Noli Villarosa of Barangay Tangub, and Kim Piramo of Barangay 19, all in Bacolod City.*