San Juan exec: No malversation in gun deal

MANILA, Philippines – There was no malversation in the purchase of P2.1 million worth of rifles for the San Juan police force in 2008, Vice Mayor Francis Zamora said recently.

The Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft and malversation charges against Zamora, then mayor and now Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito and city councilors.

“We like to make it clear… that the accusations against us have no basis. There was no technical malversation for which the city council of 2008 can be held liable,” Zamora said in a statement. According to Zamora, the city government’s accounting records point to the fact that not a single centavo of the calamity fund was disbursed to pay the gun supplier allegedly favored by Ejercito.

“The funds came from the supplemental budget,” he said.

Earlier, Ejercito claimed that the charges were politically motivated as he hinted that the family of San Juan Rep. Ronnie Zamora, the vice mayor’s father, is behind it.

However, the younger Zamora said Ejercito should answer the charges directly as he pointed out that under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code, the mayor is authorized to receive money, disburse it for a specified public purpose and account for it.

According to the ombudsman, there was no competitive bidding for the contract.