BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – “Shocked” was how Mayor Neptali Salcedo of Sara, Iloilo felt upon learning that the Sandiganbayan had issued an arrest warrant against him. Again.
For his lawyer, James Balsomo II, it was a bad case of miscommunication.
This was the second time the anti-graft court issued Salcedo with an arrest warrant for a graft case filed way back in 2011, according to Balsomo.
The first warrant of arrest was issued on May 2013 but even before it was served, Salcedo was able to post bail – P30,000 – at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 66 in Barotac Viejo town, Balsomo said.
Judge Globert Justalero approved it, he added.
The police should have returned the arrest warrant to the Sandiganbayan to inform the anti-graft court that bail had been posted, said Balsomo.
For some reason, the police here failed to do that, he said.
Thus just this June 24, the Sandiganbayan re-issued the warrant of arrest against Salcedo and three other officials of the local government of Sara for violation of section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 (The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act).
Associate Justice Gregory Ong signed the arrest warrant.
Balsomo said the three other respondents in the case also posted bail last year – Municipal Treasurer Edna Pacrim, Municipal Engineer Roel Salcedo and Municipal Accountant Edgardo Beatingo.
The complainant in the graft case was Cong. Niel “Jun-jun” Tupas Jr. He accused them of overpricing fuel and lubricants.
Citing a Commission on Audit report, Tupas claimed the local government of Sara paid P1 million to the Sara Caltex gas station for fuel and lubricants used in several road repair and expansion projects.
State auditors found an excess payment of P153,721 because the actual cost of fuel consumed was only P846,279 for 10 different projects, said Tupas.
There was no overpricing, Balsomo told Panay News yesterday.
He attributed the disparities in the figures to the unavailability of documents when state auditors reviewed the expenditures.
“We already submitted documents to the Sandiganbayan. In fact, we are now waiting for the dismissal of the case,” Balsomo said./PN
