GUARDO ARRESTED
NBI agents serve Manila warrant for P10-M malversation case in Southeast Asian Games
He didn't know what hit him.
Jonathan Guardo, sportsman and defeated Cebu City congressional candidate, was playing tennis at the Alta Vista Golf and Country Club in Cebu City when his game was disrupted by an arrest warrant.
Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) arrived about 5 p.m. to serve the order issued by a Manila judge.
The warrant stemmed from charges of malversation of public funds in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, where he was chairman of the Cebu organizing committee.
Guardo spent the night in the office of the NBI-7 in barangay Capitol Site. He declined to issue a statement to the media waiting outside.
He is expected to be brought to the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City in the morning where he can post P40,000 bail for his temporary liberty, while the trial proceeds.
The graft charge, which Guardo had previously denied in interviews, haunted his campaign for the south district congressional seat, a post won by Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who harped on the case.
The malversation charge was filed by the Philippine Sports Commission PSC) in 2009.
Guardo was accused of misappropriating and misusing P10 million, an amount intended for Cebu's hosting of the 23rd SEA Games from Nov. 27 to Dec. 5, 2005. He was then chairman of the Cebu Southeast Asian Games Organizing committee (Cebu SOC).
His liquidation report came three years after the event and covered only P8 million of expenses. He was ordered by auditors to refund the entire P10 million.
The case is pending before Judge Cicero Jurao Jr. of RTC Branch 11 in Manila, who issued the arrest warrant.
Outgoing Mayor Osmeña said the arrest warrant was “long overdue”.
“I can only imagine if he (Guardo) won the election. We would all be embarrased,” Osmeña told CEBU DAILY NEWS.
“I would like to thank the people of Cebu who voted for me. They made the right decision.”
Guardo did not resist arrest yesterday, said NBI supervising agent Reynaldo Villordon.
Tinago barangay councilor Joel Garganera, an ally of Guardo in the Kugi Uswag Sugbu (Kusug) party, accompanied Guardo to the NBI office. Guardo refused to grant media interviews.
He stayed in the office of NBI regional director Medardo de Lemos but was supposed to be transferred later to the detention cell, said NBI supervising agent Rennan Augustus Oliva.
The original complaint filed by PSC lawyer Paul Vega was based on a report of the Commission on Audit (COA) about P10 million given to the Cebu SOC headed by Guardo for the “repair/construction and refurbishing of facilities” in the cities of Mandaue, Cebu and Danao and the entire province.
CEBUSOC was one of three organizing committees of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games. The others were the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee and the Bacolod Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee.
The national government allocated P300 million to host the games. Only P250 million was eventually released. Of the amount, P10 million went to CEBUSOC.
COA said Guardo was not able to liquidate expenses within the prescribed 60 days. Guardo submitted his liquidation report on Jan. 21, 2009, more than three years after the athletic meet.
State auditors also noticed some discrepancies.
Of the P10 million allocation, liquidation documents covered about P8 million. An amount of P1,929,768.47 was not accounted for and subject to refund.
Of the P8 million, only P700,000 was spent on expenditures for their intended purpose. The liquidation for P700,000 also lacked required plans and program, detailed estimate, program of work, among others.
Expenses were liquidated for the purchase of T-shirts, payment of telephone bills, television and radio advertisement, taurpalins, printing jobs, rental sound system, gas, hotel accommodations and honorariums.
In previous interview, Guardo said he did not use the P10 million for infrastructure alone since part was needed for operations.
He said P10 million was not enough to build new venues for the games so the organizing committee decided to use existing venues in Cebu like the Cebu City Sports Complex and Mandaue City Sports complex.
He said it was unlikely for Cebu SOC to build a structure in just two months when the money was released on Sept. 14, 2005 and the events would be held on Nov. 27 to Dec. 5, 2005.
Expenses included payment for food of the volunteers during the games, said Guardo.
Guardo was asked to refund the entire P10 million but the businessman apparently didn't, prompting the PSC to file charges against him.
Source: Cebu Daily News | Cebu's Only Independent Newspaper
Guardo arrested
Originally Posted by luke0917
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