Former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista and the ex-city administrator Aldrin Cuña on Thursday pleaded not guilty to graft charges initiated by the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged anomalous computerization project worth P32 million.
Bautista and Cuña entered their not guilty plea during their arraignment on the graft charges, accusing them of “partiality” in awarding the contract to Geodata Solutions for an Online Occupational Permitting and Tracking System despite the absence of a specific appropriation approved by the city council.
“Not guilty po tayo. [This is] politically motivated. The case was filed against me by the Quezon City government,” Bautista told reporters after the arraignment.
“I devoted myself to Quezon City for 34 years, and then because of politics, we have this [case],” Bautista lamented, referring to his rise from serving as the Sangguniang Kabataan councilor, vice mayor, and mayor until his term expired in 2019.
“I leave it up to you,” he said.
Cuña’s lawyer, Enrico Mira, Jr., tried to stay the arraignment by citing their filing of a motion to quash a day before.
The Sandiganbayan denied the motion, saying Cuña failed to serve the prosecution a copy of the pleading ahead of the arraignment date in violation of the rules.
“Section 13 of the Rules of Court is clear. The motion is denied outright,” Sandiganbayan Seventh Division chairperson and Associate Justice Theresa Gomez-Estoesta said.
The pre-trial conference then commenced, with both the prosecution and the defense agreeing to the existence, due execution and authenticity of documents related to the Geodata contract such as Bids and Awards Committee Resolution, Notice of Award, and delivery receipts among others.
Likewise, both parties agreed to furnish each other copies of the pleadings and motion concerning the case within five days via email and furnish each other and the court with the corresponding hard copies within 48 hours after sending the email via accredited courier services of the court or personal delivery.