Ex-mayor, sister cleared

A former mayor of Parañaque and his sister were acquitted by the Sandiganbayan of graft charges filed by the office of the Ombudsman. Acquitted were former Parañaque mayor Walfrido Ferrer and his sister Flordeliza Ferrer-Cordero.

In its decision, the anti-graft court’s fifth division said that the prosecution failed to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

The case against Ferrer and Cordero stemmed from their alleged involvement in an anomalous contract entered into by the city government with the Social Development Communications Foundation (SDCF), where Cordero is the president and chief executive officer.

Government prosecutors claimed that the contract was hastily approved after Cordero used her influence together with her brother who intervened and facilitated the initial release of P500,000 for the communications development project of Parañaque in 1990.

But the anti-graft court found out, during the hearings of the case, that everything was in order.

The anti-graft court said that nothing was anomalous in the memorandum of agreement (MOA) entered into by the Parañaque City government under Ferrer with the Social Development Communications Foundation, as represented by Daniel Santos, for the implementation of a development communications program.

The project was also covered by a corresponding Ordinance No. 71, Series of 1990, passed by the Parañaque City council which also approved the initial release of P500,000 for the "communication development program that will strengthen the leadership and enhance the public service performance of the duly elected and constituted local government performance of Parañaque." – Jose Rodel Clapano