The Sandiganbayan has convicted former Lingig, Surigao del Sur Mayor Roberto M. Luna Jr. and three others of their graft charges on ghost purchase of communications gadgets worth P18.9 million in 2007.
Luna, Sangguniang Bayan Secretary Jethro P. Lindo, Municipal Treasurer Ebrenico F. Indoyon Jr., and Philflex Trading and General Merchandise (Philflex) President Ma. Luzviminda A. Lopez were sentenced to six to eight years imprisonment with perpetual disqualification from holding public office for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
They were also ordered to pay the municipality of Lingig P18,928,571.43, representing the amount paid for the gadgets, with a six percent interest per annum reckoned from the finality of the decision until full payment.
Lingig's former bids and awards committee (BAC) members Teofilo Catig Maymay, Aludia De Castro, and Carmelo Rebosura were all acquitted for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The case against their co-accused, former Surigao del Sur Rep. Peter Paul Jed Falcon, had been dismissed in a resolution last March 14 on account of his death on Nov. 12, 2021.
Case records showed that the municipality of Lingig purchased 36 sets of SENAO SN-6108 handsets and 35 sets of SENAO SN-568 super long range cordless radio/telephone double bases from Philflex worth P18,928,571.43 in 2007.
However, the court found there was no public bidding conducted and the gadgets were not received by the intended beneficiaries.
The court said that “the series of acts of the accused and their respective approvals despite the striking irregularities in the documents show that they had the ultimate goal to award the contract to Philflex and approve the payment despite the lack of delivery to the municipality of Lingig.”
The decision was written by seventh division Chairperson Ma. Theresa Dolores C. Gomez-Estoesta with the concurrence of Associate Justices Zaldy V. Trespeses and Georgina D. Hidalgo.