Sandigan convicts Zambales mayor

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales — The Sandiganbayan’s fourth division has sentenced this town’s incumbent mayor to a maximum of 80 years in jail for 10 counts of falsification of public documents.

The anti-graft court has issued an arrest warrant for Mayor Romeo Lonzanida, who was also ordered to pay a P50,000 fine.

As a result of the conviction, Gov. Vicente Magsaysay said he has appointed Vice Mayor Lugil Ragadio as acting mayor although he has reminded him that he has no authority to "fire or hire any employee" until Lonzanida has finally resolved the case.

The graft cases against Lonzanida, documents show, stemmed from a land anomaly for which the mayor was found guilty of faking real property tax declarations in 1996.

He had filed two motions for reconsideration and a third motion for a new trial but they were all denied.