Filtered By: Topstories
News

Aquino standing by MMDA chair despite graft charges


President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is standing by his appointment of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino despite the graft charges filed against the former Tagaytay City mayor, Malacañang said Tuesday. At a press briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Aquino views the charges against Tolentino — who was Tagaytay City mayor from 1994 to 2004 — before the Office of the Ombudsman as mere "harassment" because those who filed it were political opponents of Tolentino's brother, incumbent Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino. "The president was aware of the graft cases filed before the Ombudsman," said Lacierda. "Tingin po ng presidente at tingin po ng iba talagang harassment po itong ginagawa kay Francis Tolentino dahil if you remember all the cases filed recently against Francis Tolentino were filed by those candidates against his brother." In their complaint filed before the Ombudsman, defeated mayoralty candidate Arnel Taruc and vice mayoralty candidate Ronald Tan accused the MMDA chair of establishing family-owned hotels within the city without declaring them in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and that P130 million in Tagaytay's funds were missing. Tolentino said the complaint — which he said he has yet to read — was driven by "nuisance black propaganda." "I think this is just meant to derail the plans and to distract us from pursuing our long term objectives for MMDA," said Tolentino, who recently began the MMDA's crackdown on corrupt traffic officials, in a separate ambush interview after his oath-taking in Malacañang. The MMDA chief said the charges were filed against him after his term as Tagaytay City mayor. "Hindi naman required yung isang pribadong mamamayan na magkaron ng Statement of Assets and Liabilities at yung sinasabi na hotel, totoo yun but that's covered by a mortgage. Inutang ko po iyon sa bangko. Palagay ko po naman po ay walang masama bilang isang pribadong mamamayan nitong mga nakaraang taon ng magkaron din ng sariling hanapbuhay," he said. (A private citizen is not required to file a SAL. What they're saying about the hotel, that's true. But it's covered by a mortgage. I loaned that from a bank. I don't think it's wrong for someone who was a private citizen in the past few years to have his own means of livelihood.) — Jam L. Sisante/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV

LOADING CONTENT