Sandigan upholds Ruffy Biazon’s conviction over ‘pork’ scam

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has upheld the conviction of Muntinlupa City Mayor Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon for graft, over the alleged misuse of P3 million in his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in 2007 when he was a congressman.

In a 33-page resolution promulgated on Nov. 5, a copy of which was released only yesterday, the court’s Special Seventh Division said the prosecution panel of the Office of the Ombudsman was able to present sufficient evidence to establish Biazon’s “gross inexcusable negligence” which permitted the misuse of the PDAF or pork barrel.

“To recap, the evidence established that Biazon’s PDAF fund… was liquidated, but the project it supposedly funded turned out to be fictitious,” the resolution read.

The ruling was penned by Associate Justice Zaldy Trespeses with the concurrence of Associate Justices Karl Miranda and Edgardo Caldona. Associate Justices Lorifel Pahimna and Georgina Hidalgo dissented.

Biazon and his co-accused – detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, Dennis Cunanan and Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana of the defunct Technology Resource Center, and private respondent Evelyn De Leon, president of the Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc. – were convicted of graft and sentenced to serve from six to eight years of imprisonment, aside from being perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

Filed by the ombudsman in 2016, the case stemmed from the allocation of P3 million from Biazon’s PDAF to a fake non-government organization linked to Napoles.

Biazon allegedly received P1.95 million worth of kickbacks from Napoles in exchange for the allocation.

The Special Seventh Division, in upholding Biazon’s conviction, said his conspiracy with the other accused was sufficiently established by the evidence presented by the prosecution.

Biazon may still appeal his conviction before the Supreme Court.