Villafuerte suspended for graft

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan ordered yesterday the suspension of Camarines Sur second district Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte for 90 days over the graft charges he is facing in connection with the alleged misuse of P20 million in public funds when he was governor.

On Wednesday, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division also issued a 90-day preventive suspension against former Pangasinan governor and now fifth district Rep. Amado Espino for alleged illegal black sand mining operations in Lingayen Gulf.

A copy of the Sandiganbayan resolution was furnished to Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for the implementation of the suspension order.

Villafuerte’s graft case stemmed from his alleged misuse of P20 million in public funds from January to April 2010.

Former provincial board member Carlo Batalla filed a complaint against Villafuerte in July 2011 over the alleged questionable purchase of fuel by the provincial government from a certain Jeffrey Lo without public bidding.    

The case against Espino stemmed from his alleged involvement in illegal black sand mining operations in Lingayen Gulf in 2011.

Ombudsman probers said because of extraction activities done by an unqualified contractor, the government lost P10.7 million with the export of the extracted minerals to China.

The Sandiganbayan ordered Villafuerte and Espino to “cease and desist from further performing or exercising their functions, duties and privileges for a period of 90 days.”

Magistrates of the anti-graft court granted the motions filed the Office of the Ombudsman, citing mandatory preventive suspension rules under Section 13 of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

House to act on suspension

The House of Representatives will take action on the suspension of Espino and Villafuerte by the Sandiganbayan.

“We will act on it. We will refer it to the committee on rules and then decide what to do,” Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas told reporters yesterday.

Fariñas refused to categorically say what the rules committee, which he chairs, would do.

“We have five days from receipt of the order to act. Let us wait for it,” he said.

He said he was informed that Espino intends to deliver a privilege speech next week on his suspension.

Fariñas added that the Sandiganbayan order suspending Villafuerte would take the same route as Espino’s.

The anti-graft court asked the House to inform it of the action taken on the order.

Espino, former three-term governor of Pangasinan, said the suspension order issued against him by the Sandiganbayan was “bound to happen as a matter of legal procedure” pending his trial for graft.

“It is the ministerial duty of the court to issue a preventive suspension order. It is not penal in character but merely a preventive measure before final judgment. A person under preventive suspension remains entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” he said.

Espino described the graft charges filed against him as “fabricated, politically-motivated harassment.”

President Duterte has linked Espino to illegal drugs, an accusation the former governor has denied.

Espino has met with Duterte to explain himself.  – With Jess Diaz, Eva Visperas