Agusan del Sur governor refuses to enter a plea in fertilizer scam case

Agusan del Sur Governor Adolph Edward Plaza refused to enter a plea at the Sandiganbayan on Friday in connection with the so-called fertilizer fund scam case for allegedly purchasing overpriced fertilizer worth P9.9 million.

During the proceedings at the Fourth Division, lawyer Keith Richard Pioquinto said his client refuses to enter a plea since he still has a pending petition for a temporary restraining order before the Supreme Court.

The legal counsels of Plaza's 13 other co-accused also said they will not honor the charges against them, thus prompting Division Chairperson Alex Quiroz to enter a plea of not guilty in the court records on their behalf.

The prosecution had accused Plaza and other Agusan del Sur officials of graft and malversation for giving unwarranted advantage to Feshan for the purchase of fertilizer that cost about P9.9 million between March and May 2004.

The prosecution said the provincial government entered into a contract with Feshan despite irregularities and violations of the Government Procurement Reform Act.

This includes the lack of a public bidding and failure to comply with conditions for direct contracting, non-posting of a security bond, discrepancies in the delivered fertilizers, and failure to monitor the utilization of public funds.

Then-provincial officials Jesusimo Ronquillo, Cristobal Cellan Jr., Maximo Gegato Jr., Niceto Ranario, Celsa Sanchez, Andre Bustamante, Arnold Calang, Sofronio Raro, Villa Udad, Emmanuel Quiban, Pamela Yucosing, Domingo Castro Jr., and Roberto Natividad were named as co-accused.

Bustamante and Calang, however, were not included in the malversation charge.

Feshan Philippines Inc. representative Lucio Lapidez is the sole private respondent in the case but he failed to appear in the arraignment. — BAP, GMA News