By Gina Tabonares
Variety News Staff

FOR the third time, a trial setting on the corruption case against Charles Pangelinan, who was indicted for embezzling port workers’ fund, was rescheduled for an undisclosed reason.
Pangelinan, the son of Guam International Airport Authority deputy manager Edith Pangelinan, was indicted in August 2006 along with Antonio Susuico, his former co-worker at the port for embezzling the workers’ fund of the Port Authority of Guam.
The first trial setting set on March 19 was moved to April 9 after Superior Court Judge Steven Unpingco decided to give way to the March 28 hearing on the motion to withdraw counsel.
The trial setting will be continued on June 11 at 10 a.m.
Through a trial court grand jury, Pangelinan and Susuico were charged with conspiracy to commit theft as a third-degree felony and theft as a third-degree felony.
Pangelinan and Susuico were both officers of the Port Authority of Guam Goodwill and Morale Association, or PAGGMA, when they allegedly conspired to commit the theft.
The questionable disbursement of some $33,750 in PAGGMA fund was discovered in August 2003 when officers of the workers association began planning for the approaching Port Week celebration.
Pangelinan, who was the treasurer of PAGGMA from 2001 to 2003, together with Susuico, who was then the association president, failed to provide financial information on the alleged misuse of the workers’ funds.
Results of an Office of the Public Auditor investigative audit showed that Pangelinan endorsed and cashed 23 checks totaling $11,080 without supporting documentation while the other payments endorsed by the former officers of PAGGMA totaled $22,670.
OPA also reported that the former PAGGMA officers did not maintain adequate documentation to warrant the disbursement of the workers’ group fund, and did not disburse the funds in accordance with the organization’s objectives nor maintain sufficient records and documentation.
Pangelinan was also a suspect in the theft of $4,000 from Allegro Café at the airport. But no criminal case was filed against Pangelinan in this case after his family reached a settlement agreement with the owner of the restaurant.