71-year-old former book board exec wants bail reduced

Citing her meager pension, a 71-year-old former government official asked the Philippine anti-graft court to reduce the P140,000 bail required for her temporary liberty. Carolina Javier, a former member of the National Book Development Board, was convicted of graft last Feb. 10 for failing to liquidate P139,199 in cash that was released to her in 1997 to attend a book fair in Spain. Although she returned the entire amount later, it was done when she had already been indictment for two criminal offenses. She also did not attend the book fair in Spain. The Sandiganbayan First Division meted her six to eight years imprisonment for graft and another 10 to 18 years for malversation of public funds. To remain out of jail pending resolution of her appeal, she was ordered to post double her previous bail bond of P70,000. In her motion, Javier said she cannot afford the P140,000 bail as her only source of income is the P2,900 monthly pension from the Social Security System, which she said is already tied up on an advance loan from a financing company. “Aforesaid amount of the cash bond is way beyond the financial capacity of the accused or her family which helps in her day-to-day sustenance and medical expenses," said defense lawyer Beato Alessandro dela Cruz III. “The accused, who is already 71 years of age, has long retired from her publishing business and has without any means of livelihood for the past seven years. She has no assets of any kind aside from her personal necessities," Dela Cruz added. — KBK, GMA News