Ex-Quezon mayor convicted of estafa

MANILA, Philippines — A former municipal mayor in Quezon province has been convicted of estafa for pocketing P250,000 in loan proceeds intended for a local housing project.

In a ruling dated May 29, the Sandiganbayan sentenced former Sampaloc town mayor Samson Delgado to one year and eight months in prison for violating Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2008, the case stemmed from Delgado’s failure to remit the money to the municipal treasury.

The money came from the Seaway Lending Corp., which granted a loan to the municipal government for the purchase of parcels of land in the villages of Barangays Banot, Alupay and San Bueno.

The anti-graft court said Delgado denied the charges, but the prosecution presented documentary and testimonial evidence showing a loan was granted to the municipal government in October 1998 and the accused received the proceeds of the loan.

The loan remained unpaid up to the time the case was being tried, the Sandiganbayan said.

The court gave weight to the testimony of Nerissa Vergara, cashier of Seaway Lending Corp., who said she received a call from the bank on the day the check was encashed.

Delgado’s nephew Reynaldo Casareo, president of Cargo Safeway Inc., testified that he reminded his uncle several times to pay the loan.

The Seaway Lending Corp. is the lending arm of Cargo Safeway Inc.

The court ordered Delgado to pay P250,000 to Seaway Lending Corp.