Sandiganbayan convicts ex-PADC officials of graft, malversation

MANILA, Philippines – The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has convicted two former Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC) officials of graft and malversation of public property over the loss of an aircraft spare part in 2008.

The Sandiganbayan 7th Division sentenced former PADC president and managing director Danilo Crisologo and former senior vice president for marketing Roberto Manlavi to 6 to 10 years imprisonment for graft, plus two to six more years for malversation.

The court also ordered the issuance of a warrant of arrest against former PADC consultant Louise Cabahug, the third accused in the case, who remains at large.

The case against the private defendant – Wingtips Parts Corporation president Generoso Quilatan – was dismissed as he died while the case was being heard. 

In the decision penned by Associate Justice Georgina Hidalgo, the court found Crisologo and Manlavi guilty of conspiracy to defraud the PADC, leading to the loss of an Aircraft Fuel Pressure Indicator (AFPI) worth P111,754.

Associate Justices Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta and Zaldy Trespeses concurred.

The prosecution had said that Crisologo and Manlavi eased security measures that allowed unauthorized people access to the PADC store. 

“The evidence, taken together, support a finding, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the acts of both accused show a collective design to cause undue injury to PADC,” the Sandiganbayan said.

According to court records, the missing AFPI surfaced after Wingtips Parts sold it to the Philippine Navy. The ownership of the AFPI was determined through its serial number. – Rappler.com