MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee recommended that former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo face the crime of plunder involving  P244.5 million in allegedly misused of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intelligence funds.

This was contained in a series of recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Senator Teofisto Guingona III after investigating alleged irregularities at the PCSO.

One of the supposed scandals involved intelligence funds that allegedly went to the pocket of Rosario Uriarte, former PCSO general manager and former PCSO vice chairman, “through the indispensable participation” of the former President.

“At least P244.5 million confidential funds were released but liquidated simply through mere certifications.

The actual receipts and documents to support these operations have never been produced and inconsistent testimonies from Mrs. Uriarte, lead on to the reasonable conclusion that these funds were, in fact, illegally diverted to the pockets of GMA (Mrs. Arroyo) and Uriate,” the report said.

The dates covered the years between 2008 and 2010.

Mrs. Arroyo is being detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) on a non-bailable criminal offense of electoral sabotage.

There are also recommendations with the Office of the Ombudsman that she should also face charges arising from the controversial $300- million ZTE broadband contract with a Chinese corporation and the close to P800-million fertilizer fund scam.

The committee report was signed by Senators Sergio R. Osmeña III, Panfilo M. Lacson, Aquilino Pimentel III, Francis N. Pangilinan, Antonio F. Trillanes IV, Franklin M. Drilon, Ralph G. Recto, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, and Pilar Juliana “Pia” S. Cayetano.

However, Recto, Drilon, and Cayetano indicated that they have reservations about the report.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Ejercito Estrada and Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III also signed the report.

Aside from Mrs. Arroyo, the committee also recommended that Uriarte should also be charged with plunder.

Uriarte was then the project officer of the PCSO’s intelligence projects for “bomb threats, kidnapping, destabilization, and terrorism” that clearly were the responsibilities of law enforcement agencies.

Mrs. Arroyo and Uriarte should also be held liable for technical malversation for allegedly using confidential or intelligence funds as “blood money,” the report stated.

“Blood money” refers to funds used by the government to save overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have been convicted of certain offenses in foreign countries involving P17 million in 2009.

The committee thus strongly suggested that the PCSO intelligence/confidential fund must not be greater than P15 million every year whether or not the allocation is through its corporate budget or as a special allocation through the Office of the President.

It deemed a P10-million intelligence budget as sufficient.

The report, likewise, recommended that Manuel Garcia, former PCSO public relations manager, be charged with violation of the anti-graft law for having allegedly received P16 million as kickback from advertisers, and that he has a tax deficiency of P18.9 million.

It also said the PCSO wasted on “needless commercials” and a television (TV) program “with no substantial audience share.”

For supporting the presidential bid of then former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, former PCSO Chairman Manuel Morato should face charges of electioneering, the report added.