By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
QUEZON CITY – A letter-complaint was filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against former Quezon City (1st District) Rep. Bingbong Crisologo for his alleged self-confessed plunder of PhP114-million in TUPAD money in 2019.
In a press conference at Kamuning Bakery Café on Friday (May 2), Janno Orate, Founder and Chairman of Quezon City Against Corruption (QCAC), said that he filed the letter-complaint, together with his lawyer Atty. Jesus Falcis III, against Crisologo, a Congressional candidate for the District 1 of Quezon City, in connection with his remarks about the TUPAD corruption which was made in an interview with Atty. Karen Jimeno on Bilyonaryo News Channel in her show “At The Forefront” dated Oct. 22, 2024.
Orate said that they filed the complaint because they have not stopped receiving complaints from Quezon City residents about the alleged irregularity.
Atty. Falcis said that Crisologo was interviewed by Atty. Karen Jimeno and somewhere in the interview, Crisologo explained about how the TUPAD was implemented and along the way, he admitted that the money was entrusted to his assistant.
The interview was made on Oct. 8, 2024 but when it was reported to them, they were alerted such that nobody forced him to admit about the TUPAD money such that how the money was handed to his assistant.
“It should be the Executive Branch that should give and handle the money such that out of the 100,000 voters, only 20,000 can benefit from the TUPAD money such that P5,700 per beneficiary which when multiplied by 20,000 is equivalent to P114 million,” Atty. Falcis said.
Atty. Falcis added that would be the staggering amount misappropriated by Crisologo and his assistant. “Such would constitute malversation, graft and corruption, and/or plunder,” he said.
“Syempre, we are Quezon City fighting corruption. We are also fighting for the victims of corruption,” Orate said.
He asked the DOLE on what happened on the P100 million. “Saan na po ang pera? Ano na po ang nangyari/” he asked the DOLE.
Atty. Falcis III stressed that if Crisologo was serious in discharging his role as an elected public official and if he was innocent of any criminal participation, he should have filed criminal cases against his assistant who pocketed the money.
Orate said that people may again think that they are politicking against Crisologo. He dared Crisologo where did the money? Was it stolen?
Falcis said that after they have filed the letter-complaint, many Quezon City residents are still reporting about the matter.
He added that some complainants claimed that of the PhP5,500 in TUPAD in 2019, they only received PhP1,500 and the PhP4,000 times 20,000 beneficiaries is equivalent to PhP80 million.
The minimum wage in 2019 was Php550 and multiplied by 10 days is equivalent to PhP5,500 and further multiplied by 20,000 beneficiaries which is equivalent to PhP80 million.
Other recipients claimed, Falcis said, were forced to receive the PhP1,500 for fears that they would not anymore be included in the list of beneficiaries for the TUPAD of the DOLE.
Orate explained that after the community service, the beneficiary will go to the money transfer to receive the PhP1,500 who were not friendly to the beneficiaries.
Falcis said that they have the “intelligence” as to who was the “assistant”, but the witnesses were afraid to come out in the open.
“This is enough evidence. Admission against interest such that nobody would admit that he has committed any crime,” Falcis said.
“Conspiracy is the act of one is the act of all. From AICS to TUPAD, the Congressman should have no participation in the process,” he added.
Orate said that they received the first complaint about the TUPAD just last month, adding that, they would not reveal the identity of the assistant, as well as the identities of their witnesses for security reasons.
They urged the Comelec to take the appropriate and immediate action such as issuing a show cause order to Crisologo, conducting a motu proprio investigation into his remarks over the TUPAD, publicly condemning such remarks and filing the appropriate election offense case.
The QCAC was founded in 2018 and since then, it has more than 8,000 volunteers all over Quezon City. ###
