Suspend Puno over radio contract, Sandigan asked

The Ombudsman urged the Sandiganbayan to suspend newly elected Antipolo City Rep. Ronaldo Puno over his alleged cancellation of a multimillion-peso radio transceiver contract during his stint as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Special prosecutors Rohermia Jamsani-Rodriguez and Ma. Hazelina Tujan-Militante asked the fourth division of the anti-graft court to impose sanctions on the neophyte lawmaker pending the litigation of graft charges against him.

"Considering the indictment and the validity of the information and invoking the mandate of the law and jurisprudence, suspension of the public officer-accused pendente lite (pending litigation) is mandatory under the premises," the prosecutors stated in their two-page motion.

Puno, who served as DILG chief during the administration of deposed President Joseph Estrada, said there is more to it than a mere suspension.

"This is pure harassment. Why only now when the prosecution is about to finish its case?" Puno told The STAR.

The Antipolo lawmaker, the younger brother of Ricardo "Dong" Puno who also served as press secretary during the Estrada administration, also claimed that the move was directed against him for being more vocal for reforms in the incoming 13th Congress.

"No amount of harassment will silence me," Puno said. "Why are they doing this only now after three years? The timing is suspicious."

The graft charges stemmed from his cancellation of the contract to supply Motorola multi-trunked radios to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the construction of repeater stations in Metro Manila and in a number of provinces.

The Ombudsman alleged that the government came out at the losing end with the canceled contract by way of unrealized sales in the amount of $3.5 million to its exclusive Philippine representative, Thesys Inc.

The company also lost P6 million in commissions, the prosecutors said.

They claimed that the PNP lost $104,000 worth of additional free four-channel repeater stations and the opportunity for policemen to train under Motorola on the use of the high-end communications equipment.

The government said it lost some $55 million worth of counter-trades from Motorola.

Puno suspected that the move calling for his suspension stemmed from his vocal opposition against the "backroom negotiations" of some lawmakers scrambling for committee chairmanships and memberships in Congress.

Puno headed a 72-member bloc of lawmakers which revived Kampi, a political party founded by President Arroyo in 1996.

Puno said Kampi will support the President’s legislative and 10-point agenda when the 13th Congress begins session on July 26.

In a news conference Monday, Puno deplored the mad scramble for juicy assignments and chairmanships of various House committees.

He said there is an urgent need to overhaul the process of selecting the chairmen of sensitive committees, which he said is done through "backroom and shady deals."

"We will take the matter (of choosing committee chairmen) to the floor (plenary)," he said.

"The matter of assignments should not be (a) backroom operation and there should be an end to ‘business as usual’ by the Speaker," he added.

Puno claimed that Speaker Jose de Venecia appears to be "stampeding" the appointments of his favorite lawmakers to the committee on appropriations, ways and means and other powerful committees.

He said Kampi had already sent notice to De Venecia endorsing Albay Rep. Joey Salceda and Tarlac Rep. Jesli Lapus to head the appropriations and the ways and means committees, respectively.

Although Salceda and Lapus are not members of Kampi, Puno said their qualifications, not their supposed connections to the administration, made them ideal to head the two committees.