Sandigan junks bid to dismiss raps vs Mabilog, councilor

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan will proceed with the trial for graft of Iloilo City Councilor Plaridel Nava II and former mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

In a resolution promulgated on Oct. 9, the anti-graft court’s third division denied Nava’s motion to quash the case for lack of merit.

The court said the charge sheet filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against Nava and Mabilog early this year was sufficient in form and substance.

The court said the arguments raised by Nava in his motion such as his supposed lack of participation in the commission of the crime are “matters of defense that are better threshed out during the trial of the case.”

Filed by the ombudsman on March 9, the case stemmed from a memorandum of agreement (MOA) entered into by the city government with 3L Towing Services in January 2015 for the clamping and towing of illegally parked vehicles in the city.

Under the MOA, 70 percent of the fines collected would be given to the towing company while the remaining 30 percent would be the city government’s share.

The ombudsman said its investigation showed that Mabilog was the owner of 3L Towing Services, with the firm’s named proprietress, a certain Leny Garcia, a dummy owner.

The ombudsman said Mabilog contributed P500,000 as initial capital of the towing company.

Mabilog fled the country in August 2017 after being tagged in the illegal drug trade by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In October 2017, the ombudsman ordered Mabilog’s dismissal from office for serious dishonesty in connection with his alleged questionable wealth amounting to P8.9 million.