The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has formally filed the P50.5-million plunder charge it has long been dangling against Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella before the Department of Justice, making the incumbent Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman the first sport official to be slapped with a grave, non-bailable offense.

In the complaint affidavit signed by PSC chairman Harry Angping before State Prosecutor Vilma Lopez-Sarmiento, the agency accused Puentevella of violating Republic 8070, or the anti-plunder law, for directing the P50.5-million fund to his personal account and for "misappropriating, misusing and malversing" the money for his own benefit.

The PSC has yet to include former PSC chairman William "Butch" Ramirez and his board of commissioners as it is still trying a possible "conspiracy" between him and Puentevella that led to the release of the money to a non-recognized entity like the Bacolod Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Basoc) of Puentevella.

Puentevella’s wife, Josefa, was also not included in the complaint although the PSC already raised the possibility of linking her in the case for being the signatory in the cheque vouchers Puentevella had issued to various suppliers.

The incumbent representative of Bacolod City and chairman of Basoc, Puentevella, was supposed to use P50.5 million of the P300-million total fund for the city’s hosting of five events in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

Out of the P50.5 million, which Puentevella immediately deposited to his RCBC (Rizal Memorial Banking Corp.) account, P10.5 million was supposed to be spent for the floodlighting system of the Paglaum Football Stadium while an additional P30 million was allocated for the renovation and floodlighting equipment at the Paglaum Sports Complex.

The PSC also appropriated P10 million for the operating expense of Bacolod’s hosting of the 23rd biennial meet.

But in the March 24 report of Commission on Audit (CoA) auditor Mario Lipana, deficiencies were found in Puentevella’s liquidation papers, prompting the CoA to give Puentevella until April 15 to submit the necessary documents.

Since Puentevella failed to comply, CoA recommended the PSC to send a final demand letter on Aug. 18 to clear his name. Instead of complying, Puentevella sent an extension request to the PSC last Sept. 3.

The PSC denied his request and slapped him with plunder — a criminal offense for taking advantage of his official position to amass an ill-gotten wealth worth at least P50 million.

"The timetable is not in our hands anymore," Angping said in a press briefing last week. "Remember; it was CoA that made a report to us. It was a complete, detailed report. So we have to file the case to implement CoA’s recommendation."