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Arrest order out vs. Masbate Governor Lanete for plunder raps in PDAF scam
The Fourth Division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan on Wednesday ordered the arrest of former Masbate Representative and incumbent Masbate Governor Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, after the court found probable cause to try her for plunder and graft charges in connection with her alleged involvement in the pork barrel fund scam.
"After personally evaluating the Joint Resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman and the supporting evidence...the court finds probable cause to hold the accused herein for trial for the crime of plunder," the order read.
"Wherefore, let a warrant of arrest be issued against the accused,"the court said in its ruling on the Seachon's plunder case," it added.
"Wherefore, let a warrant of arrest be issued against the accused,"the court said in its ruling on the Seachon's plunder case," it added.
The ruling and the attached arrest order were signed by Fourth Division chairman Associate Justice Jose Hernandez and members Associate Justices Alex Quiroz and Oscar Herrera Jr.
Also ordered arrested as Lanete's co-accused in the 11 counts of graft were Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Mario Relampagos, DBM officials Rosario Nuñez, Lalaine Paule and Marilou Bare, former Technology Resource Center (TRC) director Dennis Cunanan and National Agri-Business Corporation (NABCOR) officials Allan Javellana, Rhodora Mendoza and Victor Roman Cacal.
Arrest orders were also issued against the following individuals for graft charges: Evelyn De Leon, Gondelina Amata, Francisco Figura, Gregoria Buenaventura, Emmanuel Alexis Sevidal, Chita Jalandoni, Sofia Cruz, Ofelia Ordoñez, Eulogio Rodriguez, Maria Ninez Guañizo, Maria Julie Villaralvo-Johnson, Henry Soliman, Romulo Relevo, Salvador Salacup, Eduardo Nolasco, Roy Bongalo, Antonio Ortiz, Marivic Jover, Ma. Rosalinda Lacsamana, Filipina Rodriguez, Jeaneth dela Cruz and Consuelo Lilian Espiritu.
The court deferred the issuance of arrest order against Lanete's chief of staff Jose Sumalpong, after the latter filed on Feb. 7 an urgent motion to defer the issuance of warrant of arrest.
Second batch
Lanete was in the second batch of lawmakers recently charged by the Office of the Ombudsman before the Sandiganbayan for their alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.
The other lawmakers were former Benguet Representative Samuel Dangwa, former Cagayan De Oro Representative Constantino Jaraula, former Agusan Del Sur Representative Rodolfo Plaza and former Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) party-list Representative Edgar Valdez.
Based on the complaint of the Ombudsman, Lanete allegedly received P108.4 million-worth of kickbacks for allowing the allocation of her Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel to fake non-government organizations (NGOs) allegedly owned by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.
The Ombudsman said P112.29 million of Lanete's PDAF during her term as Masbate Representative was allocated to the Napoles-linked NGOs from 2007 to 2009.
The court also found probable cause to try the cases and order the arrest of 30 others of Lanete's co-accused including Napoles.
Napoles is currently detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig for another set of plunder charges filed by the Ombudsman last year also in connection with the pork scam allegedly involving Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada.
Aside from Napoles, also ordered to be arrested as Lanete's co-accused in the plunder case was Napoles' driver and bodyguard John Raymund De Asis. —with a report from Joel Locsin/NB, GMA News
