CEBU, Philippines - Former National Economic Development Authority-7 director Jose Romeo Escandor was fined P20,000 after the Sandiganbayan found him guilty of sexual harassment.
The anti-graft court, through Justice Alexander Gesmundo of the fifth division, found sufficient evidence against Escandor to hold him guilty of “perpetrating immoral advances against a subordinate division chief from 1999 to 2003.”
“The anti-graft court gave credence to the testimony of the complainant who testified that Escandor committed a series of specific acts of sexual harassment such as holding her hands while attending meetings, unwanted sexual advances such as kissing her on the cheek, inappropriate text messages such as “I missed you,” and phone calls telling her that he wanted to have sexual relations with her,” read a press statement from the Office of the Ombudsman.
It was the second time that Escandor was convicted of the same charge. In 2013, the third division of Sandiganbayan also found him guilty of sexual harassment filed by another staff where he was sentenced to suffer six months imprisonment and P20,000 fine. (FREEMAN)