4 former AFP-RSBS officials found guilty of graft

Four former officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Retirement Separation and Benefit Systems (AFP-RSBS) were found guilty of graft in connection with the purchase of an overpriced land property in Batangas in 1997. The Sandiganbayan's Fourth Division found retired Brig. Gen. Jose Servando Ramiscal Jr., lawyer Meinrado Enrique Bello, lawyer Manuel Se Satuito, and Capt. Perfecto Quilicot guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The four were responsible for the purchase of a 7,582 square-meter property in Tanauan for P1.5 million on April 23, 1997. The prosecution had argued that the property's actual price was only P227,460 — the amount that was received by the original owners Marianito Plaza, Glicerio Plaza and Petra Maunahan from the AFP-RSBS.

Investigators discovered the discrepancy after finding two Deeds of Sale for the property — one bearing the bigger value and the other showing a smaller price. “Of these two amounts, this Court considers the P227,460 as the actual selling price by the land owners; it was on the basis of this sale that the title was transferred to AFP-RSBS," the court said in its 31-page decision. The court also disregarded the testimony of Plaza, one of the original owners of the land, that he actually received "more than a million" for the purchase. "The oral testimony of Glicerio Plaza cannot override what is written on the documents," the court said. The four were sentenced to imprisonment between six and 10 years, and were ordered to jointly pay the AFP-RSBS P1,304,104 equivalent to the supposed overprice. Apart from the graft conviction, Ramiscal was separately found guilty of estafa through falsification of public documents. Ramiscal, as chief of the AFP-RSBS, signed the second Deed of Sale bearing the bigger amount. "It was pointed out earlier that the Board directed the documentation to be rectified so as to reflect the actual price. Despite his knowledge of this directive, he chose not to make the necessary corrections on the documents where his signature was affixed," the court said. For the second conviction, Ramiscal was sentenced to additional imprisonment of between two and six years, bringing his total maximum prison term to 16 years. He was also ordered to separately pay a P5,000 fine. In response to the guilty verdict, the four said they would be appealing the decision. Ramiscal was ordered to put up additional bail bonds amounting to P160,000 so he can remain out of jail while appealing the decision. — KBK, GMA News