ILOILO City – Unfazed by pending charges of graft, estafa and disbarment, former mayor Jocelyn Posadas attempts to regain the trust of Valderrama, Antique’s voters and runs to get her old job back this May 9 polls.
In 2019 in the midst of preparing to go on trial, Posadas ran for a second term but lost. She was hounded by corruption charges filed by Solexar Energy International Inc.
Solexar filed estafa through misappropriation complaints before the Iloilo City Municipal and Regional Trial Courts, violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the Office of the Ombudsman, and a disbarment case before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
The cases remain unresolved with Solexar demanding reparation. It claimed to have lost a total of P22 million.
In the hope of increasing the power supply and accommodate the growing demands for electrical needs in Iloilo, Solexar sought the conversion of a 55-hectare agricultural land located in Tigbauan, Iloilo.
According to Solexar, Posadas entered the project through the company’s former board member Dr. Louie Tirador. She was in government service at the time as Attorney V in the Department of Agrarian Reform, the government agency authorized to process the conversion of agricultural lands.
Posadas’ daughter, Atty. Charmaine Filarmeo, signed the agreement with Solexar, according to the company.
Despite paying millions, according to Solexar in its complaint, its application for land conversion was done incorrectly and the landowners who agreed to sell did not receive the payment which Solexar claimed to have entrusted to Posadas.
Eventually, the land conversion was approved but through its own efforts, according to Solexar.
The Resolution issued by the Iloilo City Prosecutor’s Office on Solexar’s complaint stated there was no doubt that Posadas and Atty. Filarmeo received money from the company.
As stated in the Information filed in court, Solexar owners complained that their money, which they thought they were investing for innovation and public good, were “converted and misappropriated…to their personal use and benefit” and that despite repeated demands made for the return of the money, the respondents “still fail and refuse to do so.”
Posadas and Filarmeo denied accusations of estafa and graft. In their counter-affidavits to the estafa complaint, they said they fulfilled the jobs they were tasked to do.
They added that both of them had delivered to Solexar what were required of them.
On arraignment, they requested not to read the Information publicly and refused to enter a plea.
A hold departure order was issued as the court found them to be flight risks for having the “means to travel abroad and both well-connected.”
Posadas and Filarmeo were able to post bail for their temporary liberty ahead of the release of their warrants of arrest. Undaunted, Posadas filed her certificate of candidacy for re-election.
In a Joint Order, the Office of the Ombudsman stated there was enough basis to proceed with the preliminary investigation and administrative adjudication proceedings.
On the other hand, the disbarment complaint accused the mother-daughter tandem of violating the ethical standards set for lawyers and Posadas of abusing her public position.
Come May 9, despite the pending raps, Posadas will once again attempt to return to the seat of power as mayor of Valderrama./PN
