Sandiganbayan affirms Joey Marquez conviction over walis tingting deal

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan's fourth division affirmed on Wednesday the conviction of former Parañaque City Mayor Joselito “Joey" Marquez and other ex-officials on five counts of graft involving the procurement of brooms (walis tingting) worth over P2.9 million. Noel Malaya, counsel for Marquez, said he would file a petition for review before the Supreme Court. “We have no other option but to go to the SC," he said in an interview with GMANews.TV. Malaya said he has yet to get a copy of the anti-graft court ruling. “I haven’t received a copy but I heard that all the motions were denied except for the accountant who was acquitted," he said. Marquez and the other accused have 15 days upon receipt of a copy of the decision to file a petition for review with the Supreme Court. In view of the voluminous documents he has to go over, Malaya said he may have to seek an extension beyond 15 days. In August last year, the anti-graft court found Marquez, former city treasurer Silvestre de Leon, former city accountant Marilou Tanael, and former general services section officer in charge Ofelia Caunan guilty of the graft charges and sentenced them up to 50 years imprisonment. The former city officials were also ordered to reimburse the city government P462,708, equivalent to the overpriced value of the purchases brooms (walis tingting). One of the accused, De Leon, died of diabetes last August. The anti-graft court threw out the former city officials' appeal. They were on P90,000 bail bonds, and P150,000 additional cash bonds. Three other accused -- former city budget officer Flocerfida Babida, mayor's office staff Ailyn Romea and trader Antonio Razo -- were acquitted for insufficiency of evidence submitted against them. Razo owns ZARO Trading, supplier of the brooms to the Parañaque city government. The Sandiganbayan upheld the positions taken by director Cornelio Somido and prosecutor Karen Funelas of the Office of the Special Prosecutor that the contract was awarded without going through the required bidding process. The Commission on Audit found that 31,334 "extra-sized" brooms were overpriced by P4 each, while the prices of 24,098 "extra large" brooms were jacked up by P14 each. The brooms were purchased at P14 and P25 for smaller and larger brooms, respectively, from January 1996 to September 1997 during Marquez's tenure as Parañaque city mayor. Marquez served as mayor of Parañaque from 1995 to 2004. He also served as the city's vice mayor from 1992 to 1995. He was also a professional basketball player who played for Great Taste and Gilbey's Gin (now the Ginebra Gin Kings). He currently hosts GMA Network's show Kung Ako Ikaw. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV GMANews.TV is the of.ficial website of GMA News and Public Affairs, a unit of GMA Network Inc.