Sandigan asked to junk bid stopping trial for Macapagal road mess

A division of the Philippines’ anti-graft court was asked to junk an appeal that sought to stop the trial of former officials involved in building the overpriced P1.1 billion-Macapagal Boulevard. Filed on Tuesday by government prosecutors, the appeal said that the Sandiganbayan First Division’s order — which ordered the start of the trial in a resolution dated February 4, 2010 — contained no ambiguity as claimed by the defense. Earlier, defendants composed of former Philippine Estate Authority (PEA) officials asked the court for leave to file a demurrer to evidence which will challenge the sufficiency and strength of documents and testimony offered by the prosecution as proof of their guilt. But this was opposed by state prosecutors, saying that the court’s resolution “was clear enough that it found considerable weight on the evidence of the prosecution." “Before ruling on this matter, the Honorable Court heard the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and went over the documents that were offered, and eventually admitted into evidence," state prosecutors said in a 20-page Opposition filed last March 4. “To insist on the leave to file demurrer to evidence after the court has already found considerable weight on the evidence of the prosecution, will only cause unnecessary delay in the proceedings," the prosecution said. The opposition was filed by Prosecution Bureau I director Raymundo Julio Olaguer, assistant special prosecutors III Louella Mae Oco-Pesquera and Omar L. Sagadal and assistant special prosecutor II Edwin B. Gomez. Defendants include former PEA board members including Manuel R. Beriña Jr., Jaime R. Millan, Bernardo T. Viray, and Raphael Pocholo A. Zorilla. Others accused included fellow board directors Carlos P. Doble, Frisco F. San Juan, Carmelita de Leon-Chan, Daniel T. Dayan, Salvardo P. Malbarosa, Leo V. Padilla, Elpidio G. Damaso, Ernest Frederick O. Villareal, Benjamin V. Cariño, Joemari D. Gerochi, Angelito M. Villanueva, Martin S. Sanciego, Jr., Rodolfo T. Tuazon, Theron Victor V. Lacson, Ernesto L. Enriquez, and Cristina Amposta-Mortel. Among those indicted included Commission on Audit officials such as state auditor V Manuela E. dela Paz, state auditor and technical services division chief Arturo S. Layug, supervising technical audit specialist Benilda E. Mendoza, asst. chief of technical services Epifanio L. Pureza, technical specialist II Jose G. Capistrano, and technical audit specialist I Ma. Cecilia A. dela Rama. Contractor Jesusito Legaspi was also indicted as a private defendant. Earlier, Ombudsman investigators claimed that all the defendants conspired to defraud the government by overpricing the cost of the Macapagal Boulevard project by over P630 million. Whistleblower Sulficio Tagud, also a former top PEA official, testified before a Senate inquiry that virtually all requests for price adjustments made by contractor JD Legaspi Construction were approved by the board. The case is more than seven years old. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV