Caloocan City 1st District Congressman Oscar “Oca” Malapitan is in hot water again after city residents have filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) for alleged illegal use of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel.
Among those who filed a complaint were Amparo Tagapan, Marilyn Joson, Valerie Regalado, Arlyn Dizon and Jessica Bordomeo, residents of Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City.
The complainants said that the act of Malapitan is a clear violation of the Commission on Election (Comelec) law which they alleged is form of vote-buying.
Based on the complaint of the residents, Malapitan allegedly used the funds from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) allotted in the pork barrel of congressmen.
It was alleged that a staff member of Malapitan offered assistance thru DSWD to city residents and said that they would receive P3,000 check that can be encashed at the government office in Batasan, Quezon City.
“Pag-uwi po namin mula sa Batasan, nakita po namin na naghihintay sa bahay namin ang staffer ni Malapitan at kinolekta sa nila ang P2,600 sa bawat isa sa amin,” one of the complainants said. But the complainants said that they only received P400 cash out of the P3,000 cash offered to them.
Last week, Caloocan City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Dionisio Sison ng Branch 125 issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Malapitan on the use of his pork barrel from DSWD.
The court said that the act is a clear violation of the Election Ban regarding the use of government funds. It stated that such move is a form of “corruption, vote-buying and fund-raising.”
Caloocan Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri and Councilor Ricojudge “RJ” Echiverri thanked the court’s swift action on the case.
“Ang masaklap dito sa halip na tulungan ni Malapitan ang mga mahihirap nating mga kababayan ay niloko pa sila at pinagsamantalahan,” Mayor Echiverri said.