Sandigan finds evidence vs Iloilo lawmaker ‘strong’

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has warned Iloilo City Rep. Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas that he could be convicted of graft if he fails to submit his counter-affidavit in a case filed against him by the Office of the Ombudsman.

In a resolution promulgated on Jan. 28, the anti-graft court said the pieces of evidence presented by the ombudsman against Treñas were strong enough to warrant his conviction.

The court denied Treñas’ motion for leave to file a demurrer to evidence, which would have allowed him to seek the dismissal of the case without presenting his defense.

The charges against Treñas stemmed from the allegedly anomalous release of funds to the  Iloilo Press Club (IPC) when he was city mayor.

Records showed that from December 2003 to January 2004, Treñas released to the IPC a total of P500,000.

The amount, which was sourced from the priority development assistance fund of Sen. Loren Legarda, was intended for the construction of the IPC’s office in Barangay San Pedro in Molo district.

The ombudsman said Treñas should have not authorized the release of the fund as the IPC was not an accredited non-government organization of the city government.

The ombudsman said Treñas failed to monitor the implementation of the project and liquidate the fund.

In his motion, Treñas said the prosecution failed to prove that he acted with partiality, in bad faith or committed negligence when he authorized the release of the fund.

He said there was nothing irregular with his action, noting the special allotment release order pertaining to Legarda’s project specifically identified the city government as the implementing agency and the IPC as the beneficiary.

The anti-graft court said Treñas should support his claim by presenting his counter-evidence.