4 LP leaders face perjury charges

CEBU, Philippines - Medellin Mayor Ricardo Ramirez has filed criminal complaint for perjury against four political leaders of the Liberal Party for allegedly accusing him of vote buying in the last elections.

Ramirez accused Jocelyn Rosende, Romel Bacalaños, Rolito Gonzaga, and Nida Alub of lying in their affidavit.

The suspects claimed to have seen Ramirez entering the multi-purpose hall of Barangay Kawit during the last elections where the voters were allegedly paid.

  The suspects said they were doing their rounds at the polling center in Kawit when they saw Ramirez prompting them to check on what was going on inside the multi-purpose hall.

One of the voters who came from the multi-purpose hall told the suspects that Ramirez and Vice Mayor Juan Alfonso Lim were giving out money.

“One voter informed me that she went inside to get her number from the list of voters. She also informed me that Mayor Ramirez and Vice Mayor Lim were giving out money,” the joint-affidavit of the suspects read.

Alub also claimed that she and her husband saw Ramirez and Lim handing out P50 bills to voters with their names on it.

Ramirez said he was never at the Kawit Barangay hall during the election day.

According to him, he was with his driver Joyny Ygot at Capatutan Elementary School. He stayed outside the school with Capatutan Norte Barangay Captain Agnes Yaun, Vice Mayor Lim and other Capatutan Norte Barangay Officials to check on the elections.

Ramirez went back to his residence in Capatutan Sur by 12 noon and stayed there until 3 p.m. He then went to a resort in Barangay Tindog, Medellin  to enjoy two hours of Jet Ski. At 5 p.m. Ramirez went home and drove alone to Capatutan Sur to vote.

Ygot, Floredelis Horteza, a Barangay Kagawad of Kawit; Ade Dinoy, caretaker of the resort at Brgy. Tindog; and Leo Sta. Theresa, treasurer of Brgy. Kawit, all attested to the claims of  Ramirez.

Ramirez and Lim won in the last elections against the candidates of the Liberal Party. They were running under the National Unity Party – an affiliate of the United Nationalist Alliance.—(FREEMAN)