Sandigan enters not guilty plea for Vitangcol

MANILA, Philippines - Former Metro Rail Transit (MRT) general manager Al Vitangcol III yesterday refused to enter a plea before the Sandiganbayan, prompting the court to enter a “not guilty” plea for him.

Vitangcol, who faces a graft case for alleged violation of the procurement law in relation to the awarding of a multimillion-dollar deal for MRT maintenance, was not accompanied by a lawyer. He said so far, he has not found a lawyer willing to defend him.

“I’m still in the process of engaging a competent legal counsel. The lawyers I approached refused to handle my case, saying this is a high-profile case,” Vitangcol told the court.

Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, chair of the Sandiganbayan Third Division, entered the plea for him in yesterday’s arraignment.

Co-accused Marlo de la Cruz, Manolo Maralit and Federico Remo entered a not guilty plea, while Wilson de Vera and Arturo Soriano asked for a deferment as the court still has to rule on their pending motions.

Vitangcol, in a chance interview, said he would prove that he has not gained any amount from the questioned deal.

The charge against the six stemmed from the alleged anomalous awarding of the MRT maintenance contract to PH Trams and its joint venture Comm Builders and Technology Philippines Corp. (CB&T) in October 2012.

It was alleged that the company should have been disqualified under government procurement rules. Under the contract, the MRT was set to pay PH Trams-CB&T $1.15 million monthly.