NCMF secretary found guilty of simple misconduct over P29-M fund 

THE SUPREME COURT (SC) has found a former secretary of the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) guilty of simple misconduct over the misuse of former Senator Gregorio B. Honasan’s primary development assistance fund (PDAF) worth P29.1 million in 2012.  

The ruling overturned a Court of Appeals and Ombudsman ruling that found former NCMF Secretary Mehol K. Sadain guilty of grave misconduct, a more severe violation that banned him from holding public office. The penalty was also convertible into a fine equivalent to one year’s salary.  

In a 20-page decision dated Feb. 8, 2023 and made public on June 5, the tribunal’s Third Division said there was no evidence against Mr. Sadain of corruption and a deliberate intent to violate the law.  

“It is settled that a respondent cannot be disciplined for any grave offense, such as Grave Misconduct, based on mere conjectures,” Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting said in the ruling.  

The case stemmed from the anomalous release of the PDAF funds to the Focus on Development Goals Foundation, Inc., which were meant to finance livelihood projects for Muslim Filipino communities in Metro Manila and Zambales.  

In 2021, the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan cleared Mr. Honasan, the former senator, of graft cases in connection with his PDAF due to a lack of evidence.  

The high tribunal sentenced the former NCMF chief to a six-month suspension and restored his benefits and privileges as a public officer. It noted that Mr. Sadain was not entitled to back wages due to his liability for simple misconduct. John Victor D. Ordoñez