THE PHILIPPINES’ anti-graft court junked the motions of a former Pangasinan municipal mayor and his co-accused businessman to dismiss graft and corruption charges against them over an alleged unlawful land swap deal in 2013.
Charged in the case are former Bayambang, Pangasinan mayor Ricardo M. Camacho and a businessman, who had swapped a 31,650 square-meter government lot for a 20,581-sqm parcel of private land.
“After examining the prosecution’s evidence and the parties’ arguments, the Court rules that granting accused Camacho and [co-accused] leave to file their respective demurrers to evidence will merely cause delay in the proceedings,” read part of the nine-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Sarah Jane T. Fernandez on May 22 and released on Thursday.
Mr. Camacho did not immediately respond to a Facebook Messenger chat requesting comment on the matter.
Mr. Camacho argued in his motion that the municipal government of Bayambang did not “suffer injury,” even benefitting from the alleged unlawful land swap as the parcel of land owned by the co-accused businessman was valued at more than P50 million than the government property.
The prosecution countered that the municipal property was worth more than the valuation forwarded by Mr. Camacho “based on the revised zonal values of real properties.”
The prosecution said the municipality’s property is worth P4,600 per sqm while the land owned by Mr. Camacho’s co-accused is valued at P3,500 per sqm.
The Bayambang government’s lot has a total area of 31,650 sqm and a market value of P25.32 million in contrast to the 20,581 sqm parcel of land with a total market value of P16.5 million owned by the businessman, according to the prosecution.
Associate Justices Karl B. Miranda and Kevin Narce B. Vivero concurred with the resolution denying the demurrer motions. The resolution is posted on the official website of the Sandiganbayan. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
