Ni BERNADETTE D. NICOLAS
PORMAL nang nagsampa ng kasong kriminal ang mga kasapi ng UST Faculty Union (USTFU) laban sa tatlo nitong dating opisyal at sa dalawa pang hinihinalang kasabwat sa isyu ng nawawalang P9.5 milyong pondo ng unyon.
Idinulog sa Manila City Prosecutor’s Office noong Hulyo 13 ni Noel Asiones, vice president for legal affairs ng USTFU, ang reklamong qualified theft laban sa dating pangulo ng unyon na si Gil Gamilla, dating bise presidente na si Gil Garcia, dating internal auditor na si Raymundo Melegrito, pangulo ng Saturn Resources, Inc. na si Mario Villamor, at chief financial officer ng Wise Capital Investment and Trust Company, Inc. (WISE CITCO) na si Ramoncito Modesto.
“The first type [of complant] involves seven counts of qualified theft by all the respondents (Gamilla, Garcia, Melegrito, Villamor, and Modesto) of the Union funds of USTFU in the total amount of P9.5 million by giving the money to respondent Mario Villamor and their covering up of their crime by trying to make it appear that the taking of the union money were legitimate investments with an investment company named ‘WISE CITCO,’” ayon sa kopya ng complaint-affidavit na nakalap ng Varsitarian.
Iginigiit din ng USTFU na nagsagawa umano sina Garcia at Melegrito ng illegal appropriations ng pondo bilang bahagi ng kanilang personal loans, na walang permiso mula sa mga miyembro ng unyon.
“The second type [of the complaint] is the illegal appropriation of respondent Dr. Gamilla of the Union funds in the total amount of P1,393,509.20 as his personal loans without the knowledge or permission of the union with the indispensable participation of the other respondent officers Mr. Gil Garcia and Engr. Melegrito,” dagdag pa sa complaint-affidavit.
Ayon pa sa reklamo, walang karapatan ang panig ni Gamilla na aprubahan ang pagbibigay ng pera kay Villamor.
“While the records show some of the amounts have been paid, the point is that respondents Dr. Gamilla, Gil Garcia and Engr. Melegrito had no authority to allow the release of these amounts for the personal benefit of respondent Dr. Gil Gamilla,” ayon sa complaint-affidavit. “Clearly, the release of money was only made possible because of their positions in the USTFU.”
Pinirmahan din umano ni Modesto ang mga kopya ng placement certificates na hinihinalang nagmula sa WISE CITCO.
“These certificates were never officially received by USTFU. They don’t bear the stamp of USTFU to indicate that they go through the official process,” ayon sa complaint-affidavit.
Ani Asiones sa Varsitarian, mahirap na desisyon ang pagsampa ng kasong kriminal laban kay Gamilla.
“The Board tried hard and exhausted all possible amicable and intra-union mechanisms to forge an amicable settlement but to no avail,” aniya. “We believe that this would be fair to Dr. Gamilla because he would be given the opportunity to formally refute the allegations against him.”
“This matter has divided and weakened the Union and we hope that with the intervention of an impartial court, the truth would come out and this would usher in the healing process for the Union and put closure to this issue,” dagdag niya.
Ayon naman kay Jose Ngo, Jr., bagong halal na board director ng unyon, mas mabigat ang nasabing kaso kaysa simpleng theft o pagnanakaw lamang.
“They have to undergo the due process of being [under] rehabilitation, para i-improve ‘yung character nila as individuals,” ani Ngo. “Iyon naman ang purpose ng correctional, para baguhin ‘yung pagkatao mo at hindi ka na uulit [sa pagkakamali mo],” ani Ngo.
May mas mabigat na karampatang parusa ang qualified theft kumpara sa simpleng kaso ng pagnanakaw lamang, ayon sa Revised Penal Code (RPC).
Samantala, ayon kay Reynaldo Reyes, USTFU vice president for grievance and complaints, ang kasong isinampa laban kina Gamilla ay magiging “daan sa pagkamit ng hustisya at maitama ang mga kaguluhang naganap sa unyon.”
“Let us not look at [the case filed] as a form of vengeance but rather simply justice, and justice is good for all,” ani Reyes.
Sinabi rin ni Emerito Gonzales, dating board director ng unyon, na “wala nang balakid” para magsampa ng kaso ang unyon laban kay Gamilla sapagkat hindi na siya ang pangulo ng unyon.
Si Gonzales ay kabilang sa dating Fidelity Group na kinasuhan ni Gamilla dahil sa pagpapalabas umano ng mga ulat at dokumento na nagparatang ng illegal disbursement ng pondo ng unyon sa isang property developer noong 2006.
Matatandaang inakusahan ng ilang miyembro ng Fidelity Group si Gamilla ng “impropriety” noong Enero 2010 dahil sa paglalabas ng pondo ng walang pahintulot sa mga miyembro ng USTFU. Ito ang nagbunsod sa pagbuo ng isang lupon na tinawag na Committee of Peers (CoP) na nagsiyasat sa buong anomalya sa pagkawala ng pondo.
Napag-alaman ng CoP noong nakaraang taon na inaprubahan ni Gamilla ang mga kuwestiyonableng check vouchers habang si Garcia naman ay pumirma sa lahat ng tsekeng ibinigay kay Villamor na property developer ng Saturn Resources, Inc.—na kinontratang magtayo ng condominium units para sa mga kasapi ng fakultad.
Samantala, si Melegrito ay nagkasala rin umano dahil sa kapabayaang siyasatin ang mga mahahalagang dokumento “before attesting on the propriety of the check vouchers,” “failure to report transactions of the board,” and “lack of objectivity in the exercise of his function,” ayon sa CoP report.
Sinusubukan pa rin ng Varsitarian na kuhanan ng pahayag sina Modesto at Villamor.
Tumanggi namang magbigay ng pahayag sina Gamilla, Garcia, at Melegrito ukol sa kaso.
In the article “Gamilla, ilang dating opisyal, kinasuhan ng Faculty Union,” which appeared in the Aug. 19 issue (Vol. LXXXIV No. 4) of the Varsitarian, it should have been reported that former UST Faculty Union (USTFU) president Gil Gamilla, former USTFU vice president Gil Garcia, and former USTFU internal auditor Raymund Melegrito declined to give us statement to the Varsitarian due to the sub judice rule.
In the same article, it should have been reported that the Union’s second complaint involved the alleged illegal appropriation of “respondent Dr. Gamilla of the Union funds in the total amount of P1,393,509.20 as his personal loans without the knowledge or permission of the union with the indipensable participation of the other respondent officers Mr. Gil Garcia and Engr. Melegrito.”
In the interest of fair and balanced reporting of matters related to this complaint of the Union vs Gamilla et aI., I think that the V should have also reported about the 5 libel complaints which Gamilla et al. had filed against the 5 COP members, three other faculty members and one USTFU staff to harass and intimidate them. It is their group who drew first blood by slapping them with these libel cases. It is in his light that the qualified theft may also be understood as a form of self defense to give Gamilla et al. a dose of their own medicine . May justice and truth triumph!
In the interest of fair and balanced reporting, the V must also report the 9 libel complaints which Dr. Gamilla et al. slapped against the COP members/USTFU staff (3 complaints) , the Fidelity Nine (4 complaints) , and others (2 complaints). They drew first blood. Feeling harassed and intimidated, we have been on the defensive until the qualified theft was filed before the City Prosecutor of Manila. It is just my prayer that in the midst of all these costly legal battles, the well being of the Union and its members will be utmost in the minds and hearts of all.