BANGUED, Abra August 27 – Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales found strong ground and probable cause to indict Christopher Millare, former mayor of Licuan-Baay town in Abra, for illegal use of public funds.
According to a Resolution approved in the first quarter of this year, Carpio-Morales ruled in favor of three concerned citizens of the town who accused Millare of violating the town’s 20% Development Fund by approving more than P3 million allocations over two years for the rehabilitation of the municipal hall.
The Ombudsman in her resolution said, “Clearly, respondent [Millare] appropriated the funds intended for development projects for a purpose different from which they were appropriated by law.”
In 2011 and 2012, the Ombudsman said Millare, then still municipal mayor, applied P1.2 million and P2 million, respectively for a purpose “explicitly excluded from where the 20% of the IRA [Internal Revenue Allotment] for the development funds shall be used.”
For this reason, she found probable cause to indict Millare for two counts of violating Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code or for illegal use of public funds.
Previously, the Ombudsman also fined Millare for misconduct amounting to three-month’s worth of his salary mayor.
Millare was mayor of Licuan-Baay for one term (2010-2013) but lost his re-election bid. He has expressed intention to run for mayor again in 2016 despite the legal issues that continue to hound him.
