Mindoro’s Villarosa gets 10 years for graft

MANILA, Philippines - Former Occidental Mindoro congressman Jose Villarosa was sentenced yesterday to a maximum of 10 years in prison for issuing quarry permits when he was mayor of San Jose town in 2011.

 In a 20-page decision, the Sandiganbayan First Division said Villarosa was found guilty of giving unwarranted benefits, advantage and preference to certain companies in violation of the Local Government Code and Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

He was meted the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

The anti-graft court said Villarosa was not authorized to issue the permits, noting that only the provincial governor  can regulate and impose taxes on extraction activities.

Ombudsman prosecutors said Villarosa “allowed private firms to benefit and take advantage of the privilege to extract quarry resources without legal authority and official support.”

In his defense, Villarosa said there is no provincial ordinance granting exclusive power to the governor to grant quarry permits.

However, the Sandiganbayan said “the provision is clear and explicit that the permit to extract is exclusively issued by the governor.” 

“When the law speaks in clear and categorical language, there is no room for interpretation. There is only room for application,” the ruling stated.

Villarosa had served time at the New Bilibid Prison for the 1997 murders of two sons of his political opponent Ricardo Quintos.

In 2008, the Court of Appeals reversed his conviction and he was freed.

Mayor, councilor suspended

In a related development, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur Mayor Roque Verzosa Jr. and Councilor Arthur Chua have been suspended for two months for refusing to acknowledge quarry permits issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the provincial government.

Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Luis Singson ordered the suspension after receiving the recommendation of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. 

“Under the Local Government Code, the provincial government has the authority to cancel or revoke quarry permits that have been legally issued and not the municipal mayor,”  Singson said.

“It seems that they are bullying the provincial government. We have to act on this…to remind Mayor Verzosa on the scope of his powers as local chief executive,” he said.

The suspension order was to be served yesterday.