Batangas mayor cries politics amid complaint for graft

Sto. Tomas, Batangas Mayor Edna Sanchez on Tuesday branded as politically-motivated the graft complaint filed against her by an information technology company ahead of the elections.

Sanchez said the alleged crime was committed nine years ago.

Last week, the general manager of WeDo BPO Inc. accused the mayor of demanding kickbacks for a contract for the upgrade of municipality's water billing and collection system back in January 2010.

Sanchez, who is running for her third and last term as mayor in the May 2019 elections, categorically denied the "malicious accusations" in a statement released to the media.

She also described them as "sinister machinations hatched by my political adversaries with no intention other than to sow discord to mislead the public and a desperate attempt to ruin my chances in the forthcoming elections."

Sanchez stated that the alleged felony happened in 2010 which, she said, was a time when she was no longer the mayor of Sto. Tomas.

"Why did it take almost nine years before they brought this out and say that I have wronged them?" she said.

The mayor also cried foul that "the improbability of such allegations based on what was prodded to the media is quite glaring." —Margaret Claire Layug/NB, GMA News