ILOILO City – The Sandiganbayan dismissed the graft complaint filed against Mayor Jerry Treñas for the alleged misuse of the P500 thousand Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of then senator Loren Legarda.
Treña, who was in Manila yesterday, announced his acquittal through text messages sent to city hall reporters.
“I thank the Almighty for my acquittal in the Iloilo Press Club case,” stated Treñas.
The PDAF of Legarda (now Antique congresswoman) was intended for the Iloilo Press Club (IPC) in 2003 and coursed through the city government of Iloilo.
According to the Office of the Ombudsman, Treñas should have not authorized the release of the fund as the press club was not an accredited non-government organization of the city government.
“I have always believed that in the end the truth will set us free. God is good,” according to Treñas who revealed that this dismissed graft case was his first in his long years in public service.
The P500 thousand was for the construction of the IPC building in Barangay San Pedro, Molo district.
Treñas was charged with giving “unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference” to the club.
But the mayor argued that there being no Notice of Disallowance from the Commission on Audit, there was no basis to say that the issuance of financial assistance to the IPC from Legarda’s PDAF was a transaction that could be described as illegal, irregular, unnecessary, and extravagant.
He further argued that the Ombudsman failed to prove that he favored the press club over any other beneficiary since it was Legarda who selected the project for her PDAF.
Treñas added that Legarda had the sole discretion on how her PDAF would be used./PN
