The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has ordered the filing of graft and bribery charges before the Sandiganbayan against former Davao del Sur Congressman and now Governor Douglas Cagas for allegedly misusing his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) amounting to P16 million. Investigation showed that Cagas received in 2007 P16 million as part of his PDAF which he channeled to non-government organizations (NGOs) owned by Janet Lim Napoles. Cagas wrote the Department of Budget and Management requesting the release of funds through the Technology Resource Center (TRC), the Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic and Development Foundation, Inc. (CARED), and the Philippine Social Development Foundation, Inc. (PSDFI). OMB probers found that the livelihood projects and technical assistance were all ghost projects as no actual deliveries to the beneficiaries were made. Whistleblowers testified that Cagas received P9.3 million in kickbacks from Napoles coursed through former Pampanga Representative and Energy Secretary Zenaida Ducut. [...]
