Ecleo to fight arrest warrant

CEBU, Philippines - Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA) supreme master and Dinagat Representative Ruben Ecleo Jr. would seek legal remedy to stop the warrant of arrest issued by the Sandiganbayan against him.

Lucas Carpio, counsel of Ecleo, for the graft case, said in an interview over ABS-CBN that they have filed an urgent motion for the issuance of restraining order.

He said the Supreme Court has to rule on their motion first and Ecleo would not be arrested for the meantime.

“There is a pending motion in the Supreme Court, urgent motion for the issuance of restraining order and the high court must resolved it before Ecleo will be arrested,” Carpio said.

The Sandiganbayan issued the warrant of arrest after the Supreme Court ruled with finality to convict Ecleo in three graft cases over construction projects San Jose town, Dinagat Island.

The warrant of arrest was issued last Thursday.

The three projects that are the subject of the graft charges are the construction of a public market, municipal building, and the repair and rehabilitation of a building owned by the PBMA Women’s League.

These projects funded by the government of San Jose town were all built by PBMA Builders as contractor.

Lawyer Orlando Salatandre, Ecleo’s counsel in his parricide case, said that this conviction will not affect the case that his client is also facing.

Ecleo has been tagged as the suspect in the death of his wife, Alona, in 2002.

Salatandre also said that if the court would decide to have his client jailed, they would again ask that he be put under ‘hospital arrest.’

He told The FREEMAN that Ecleo is very sick and is not fit to be put in jail.

In fact, the congressman is now out on bail for the parricide case because of his health condition, which was described by his lawyer as like a ‘walking time bomb.’

Salatandre also said that he has no idea about the graft cases as he is not Ecleo’s lawyer for them.

The charges stemmed from when Ecleo was mayor of San Jose town back in the early 1990s.

The lawyer also assured that his client would be attending the next hearing of the parricide case set on February 23 at the sala of Judge Soliver Peras of Regional Trial Court Branch 10.

Lawyer Democrito Barcenas, who is the private prosecutor in the parricide case, agrees with Salantandre that this recent decision will not affect their case.

Barcenas said that even if Ecleo would be arrested, he is still obligated to attend the hearings.

The family of Ecleo’s late wife, in an interview over ABS-CBN said that they are happy with the decision of the Supreme Court convicting the former mayor in the graft cases.

They, however, said that they would be happier if he will also be convicted in the parricide case.

The anti-graft court found probable sufficient evidence to prove the conspiracy between Ecleo, town treasurer Arsenia Orejas and planning officer Andalia Navarra for conspiring to release a total of P8,257,669 to Ricardo Santillano, representing PMBA Builders for the three projects.

The anti-graft court also rejected the contractor’s argument that he was justified in collecting additional payments.

According to government auditors out of the three projects only two were valid and only one was completed when the payment was made.

The government should have only paid P5,000,272.13.

The three face imprisonment of six years and one month to 10 years and six months plus “perpetual disqualification from public office” for each of the three cases.

House of Representatives Majority Floor Leader Neptali Gonzales said that they might be forced to remove Ecleo from their ranks if he will be arrested.

The House is just waiting for the certificate of finality upholding the conviction. — /NLQ (FREEMAN)