Sandigan urged: Speed up trial of Marinduque gov

MANILA, Philippines - Former Marinduque congressman Lord Allan Velasco yesterday urged the Sandiganbayan to speed up the trial of incumbent Gov. Carmencita Reyes on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam during the previous administration. 

Reyes, together with agriculture officials, is facing charges of graft and illegal use of public funds before the anti-graft court for allegedly misusing funds intended for poor farmers in 2004.

The cases involving alleged anomalies in the use of P5 million in fertilizer funds that went to Marinduque were filed in June 2011, but Reyes has yet to be arraigned.

“This is a patent double–standard of the highest order just because the accused is a member of the ruling Liberal Party while thousands of government officials have been immediately suspended by the Sandiganbayan upon the filing of the information,” Velasco told journalists.

“Where is justice here when the criminal cases against the governor are strongly anchored on solid factual and legal basis?” he added.

Velasco, who is embroiled in an electoral dispute with Reyes’ daughter Regina over the congressional post, also questioned the special prosecutor for not filing a motion to suspend the governor in accordance with Section 13 of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in connection with the graft cases filed three years ago.

Reyes was accused of purchasing agricultural equipment such as a shredding machine, Hammermill shifter, pelletizer and Tornado British chipper/shredder from LCV Design and Fabrication Corp. for P5 million when the funds were intended for fertilizers.

In another case, she was also accused of awarding the purchase of the equipment without any public bidding although LCV Design and Fabrication Corp. was not the exclusive distributor of such equipment.

Last Wednesday, Reyes asked the Sandiganbayan to defer court proceedings and her arraignment while her petition for review of the case remains pending with the Supreme Court (SC).

In an omnibus motion, she said proceeding with her arraignment would render her petition before the SC moot and academic.

She assured the anti-graft court’s Second Division that the motion was not meant to delay the proceedings on her cases.

The court has set her arraignment on Jan. 14 but Reyes wanted it reset until after the SC has resolved her petition.