- A youth group called iBBM has filed plunder complaint against Senator Bongbong Marcos
- The group accused Marcos of diverting P205-M from his pork barrel to NGOs linked to Napoles
- It is the third group formed before election to oppose Marcos’ impending return to Malacañang
MANILA, Philippines – A youth organization calling itself iBalik ang Bilyones ng Mamamayan (iBBM) has filed plunder charges against vice presidential aspirant Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos for allegedly diverting P205-M of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to non-existent NGOs.
The iBBM is the same group who earlier challenged Senator Marcos to return the alleged ill-gotten wealth his family amassed during his father’s two-decade rule.
In filing the corruption complaint, iBBM cited records recovered from whistleblower Benhur Luy’s digital files that purportedly showed Marcos allocated P205-M of his pork barrel to at least five fake NGOs linked to alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
These NGOs have been identified in an Inquirer article as the Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation (SDPFF), Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic Development Foundation (CARED), People’s Organization for Progress and Development Foundation (POPDFI), Health Education Assistance Resettlement Training Services (HEARTS), Kaupdanan Para Sa Mangunguma Foundation (KPSMF) and National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC).
“The Commission on Audit characterized these disbursements as ‘illegal and irregular.’ Furthermore, due to these organizations’ status as bogus foundations intended only to launder money for the personal enrichment of particular elected officials and private individuals,” read the complaint.
The group also alleged that the Ilocano senator conspired with Napoles and Senate consultant Catherine Mae Santos to divert the amount from his PDAF to the bogus NGOs.
The fund supposedly did not reach its intended beneficiaries, thus violating Republic Act 7080 or “An Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder.”
“This complaint is also filed to seek justice for the people of the Philippines whose tax money, intended for development, has instead been defrauded through official acts and the abuse and neglect of official responsibility on behalf of public office-holders,” the complaint added.
The iBBM is the third group to openly oppose Marcos’ bid to return to Malacanang.
Earlier, groups calling themselves Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (CARMMA) and Anti-Bongbong Coalition (ABC) were formed in February, with specific intention to derail’ Marcos’candidacy.
The son and namesake of the late dictator has been faring well in latest surveys and is now statistically tied with Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero on top, leading political analysts to believe that his return to Malacañang will prove to be unstoppable.
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