NORTH Cotabato Rep. Nancy Catamco, her former husband Pompey Perez, and Cebu’s former mayor Edgar Rama have each posted a cash bail bond of P110,000 when the Sandiganbayan issued arrest warrants against them.
The three were indicted for two counts of malversation of public funds and one graft charge by the Office of the Ombudsman in May for supposed fraudulent use of a P5-million fertilizer fund sourced from the Department of Agriculture.
In a one-page order signed by Associate Justices Sarah Jane Fernandez, Karl Miranda and Kevin Narce Vivero, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division approved the defendant’s bail and ordered the recall of their arrest warrants.
It also ordered all the defendants to appear in court on June 22 at 1:30 pm for their arraignment and pre-trial
Also facing one count of graft were former vice mayor Ronald Carcellar and Sangguniang Bayan members Gorgonita Gonzales, Sergio Zurita, Nilo Gorgonio, Gregorio Dorog and William Surbano.
The respondents were accused of conspiracy to defraud the municipal government in an anomalous procurement of P5 million worth of liquid organic fertilizer in 2004.
Graft investigators said the procurement deal pushed through despite lack of public bidding and even if the supplier was barely two months old as shown in the articles of incorporation.
According to the Ombudsman, the fertilizers were sold for P1,500 per bottle, but the actual price was only P408 per bottle or an overprice of P1,092 per bottle.
The transaction was undertaken in two separate delivery contracts – the first for P3.2 million and the second for P1.675 million.
Prosecutors noted that neither procurement deals had the prior approval of the municipality’s bids and awards committee.