Ombudsman charges ER Ejercito, 8 others with graft

Disqualified Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito and eight other individuals were charged with graft before the Sandiganbayan over an alleged anomalous insurance deal entered in 2008.

In a four-page case information filed on Wednesday, the Office of the Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) charged Ejercito, with violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The offense was allegedly committed in 2008 during the term of Ejercito as mayor of Pagsanjan.

Charged with Ejercito were former Pagsanjan vice mayor Crisostomo Vilar and former municipal councilors Arlyn Lazaro-Torres, Terryl Gamit-Talabong, Kalahi Rabago, Erwin Sacluti, Gener Dimaranan and Ronaldo Sablan.

Also named as respondent in the case was private respondent Marilyn Bruel owner and proprietor of First Rapids Care Ventures (FRCV).

Based on the information of the case, Ejercito “conspired” with the other accused public officials in giving “unwarranted benefit, advantage and preference” to FRCV by entering into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the company on October 23, 2008 without holding the required public bidding.

The MOA was for the supposed “accident protection and financial assistance” coverage of tourists and qualified boatmen plying the route to and from the Pagsanjan Gorge Tourist Zone.

Supposed to have been covered under the insurance deal were “loss of life, disablement, medical reimbursement and ambulance/hospital transfer reimbursement”.

The OSP said that aside from the respondents’ failure to conduct a public bidding which is required under the government procurement law, the deal was also awarded to FRCV despite the fact that it has no license or certificate of authority from the Insurance Commission to engage in the insurance business.

“This is to certify that, based on records, a preliminary investigation was conducted in this case, that there is sufficient ground to engender a well-founded belief that the crime charged was committed and that the accused are probably guilty thereof,” the OSP said in a certification attached in the charge sheet.

The OSP recommended P30,000 bail bond for the case.

Meanwhile, among the witnesses listed by the OSP for the case are municipal council secretary Anna Linda Jardin-Cabrega, municipal accountant Melanie Galema, Insurance Commissioner Emmanuel Dooc and members of the United Boatmen Association of Pagsanjan.

Ejercito, who also goes by the screen name Jeorge Estregan, was unseated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in May 2014 as Laguna governor over campaign overspending in 2013 elections.

In February 2015, the Supreme Court ruled with finality to uphold the Comelec’s ruling. —JST, GMA News