Ex-PNP officials get 8 years for helicopter deal

MANILA, Philippines —  The Sandiganbayan has sentenced four former officials of the Philippine National Police to up to eight years in prison for graft in connection with an allegedly anomalous PNP helicopter procurement in 2009.

In a 346-page decision promulgated yesterday, the court’s Seventh Division found former PNP bids and awards committee vice chairman Director Luizo Ticman and BAC members Directors Ronald Roderos, Romeo Hilomen and Leocadio Santiago Jr. as well as private defendant Hilario de Vera guilty of violating Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

They were sentenced to a minimum of six years and one month to a maximum of eight years of imprisonment with the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

They were also ordered to jointly or individually pay the government P11.377 million for each of the two secondhand helicopters found to have been illegally procured, or a total of P22.754 million for the two units.

Roderos was also found guilty of falsification of public documents under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code. He was sentenced to four years and two months to up to eight years of imprisonment for the offense. He was also ordered to pay a fine of P5,000.

Meanwhile, the primary accused in the case, former PNP chief Jesus Verzosa, 11 other former ranking officials and one non-uniformed personnel were acquitted “due to reasonable doubt.”

They are Deputy Director General Jefferson Soriano, Director George Piano, Senior Superintendents Luis Saligumba, Job Nolan Antonio and Edgar Paatan, Superintendents Ermilando Villafuerte, Roman Loreto and Claudio Gaspar Jr., Chief Inspector Maria Josefina Recometa, Senior Police Officer 3 Ma. Linda Padojinog, PO3 Avensuel Go Dy and Ruben Gongona.

With their acquittal, the Seventh Division ordered the release of the bail bond that each of them had earlier posted for their provisional liberty. The court also ordered the lifting of the hold departure order it earlier issued against them.

The cases stemmed from the PNP’s purchase of three helicopters from Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corp. in 2009, which included two standard Robinson R44 Raven I light police operational helicopters worth P62.672 million and one fully equipped Robinson R44 Raven II LPOH worth P42.313 million.

The ombudsman said a resolution issued by the National Police Commission in 2008 required that the three helicopters to be purchased by the PNP should be brand new.

In its investigation, the ombudsman revealed that only the Robinson R44 Raven II was brand new while the two Robinson R44 Raven I were pre-owned by former first gentleman Mike Arroyo, resulting in an overpayment of about P34 million.

The Seventh Division dismissed the case against Arroyo on Sept. 21, 2022, but ruled to proceed with the trial of the case against the other accused in compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling.