Six members of the board of trustees (BOT) of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) have been acquitted by the Sandiganbayan of graft charges over the alleged anomalous 2009 car plan loans worth about P15 million granted to employees.
In a 45-page decision penned by Associate Justice Karl B. Miranda and promulgated last Dec. 2, acquitted were PhilRice BOT members Johnifer Galamay Batara, Fe Divinagracia Laysa, William Gonzales Padolina, Senen Carlos Bacani, Rodolfo Corpuz Undan, and Fe Negosa Lumawag of violations of Sections 3(e) and (g) of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
“The prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that accused violated Sections 3(e) and (g) of R.A. No. 3019. The demand for accountability should not be at the expense of well-meaning public officials who may have erred while performing their duties but have done so without a criminal mind. Our penal laws against corruption in the government are meant to enhance, rather than stifle, public service. If every mistake, error, or oversight is met with criminal punishment, then qualified individuals would be hindered in serving the government,” the anti-graft court pointed out.
On the other hand, the Sandiganbayan ordered the issuance of an alias arrest warrant against PhilRice BOT member Winston C. Corvera.
“The cases against accused Winston C. Corvera who has since remained at large, are ordered archived until he is brought within the jurisdiction of the court,” it said.
Their co-accused, former Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary and former PhilRice BOT chairman Arthur C. Yap, was acquitted by the Supreme Court due to inordinate delay in the filing of the case before the Sandiganbayan.
The case stemmed from the car loan plan in 2009 that was implemented by PhilRice as an incentive to retain its employees.
PhilRice entered into a hold out agreement (HOA) with the Philippine National Bank (PNB) and, because of this, PhilRice could not withdraw its deposits with the bank until the total loans of P15,780,000 that were made by the employees were fully paid.
Though the beneficiary employees were already receiving transportation allowance, PhilRice also allegedly leased the vehicles for the use of the beneficiary employees without undergoing public bidding.
“In this case, while the BOT approved in principle the piloting of a car plan for PhilRice employees, there was never a discussion during the BOT meetings on the execution of the HOAs to secure the vehicles that wil be acquired,” the court said.
“In fact, the BOT resolved that the car plan was still subject to certain conditions before it can be fully implemented to ensure that its terms will be most advantageous to the government,” it added.
It pointed out that then PhilRice executive director Ronilo A. Beronio “did not follow the directive of the BOT.
“He singlehandedly, implemented the car plan and bypassed the BOT in violation of Sections 5(c), 6, and 7 of Executive Order No. 1061,” it said.
Beronio had been convicted by the Sandiganbayan in 2020 for three counts of violating Section 7(a) of Republic Act 6713, also known as Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, after reaching a plea bargain deal with the prosecution and pleaded guilty to a lesser offense.