DIatrngSu
Business
Thursday, February 27, 2O!9
Cancer-stricken Iloilo solon
suspended over gtaft case
BY PEIER IABINGO
THE Sandiganbayan Fourth
Digision has suspended cancer-
stricken Iloilo Second Disttict
Rep. Arcadio H. Gorriceta over
a pending graft case filed against
him last lear bv the Of6ce of the
Ombudsman.
Over objections from the de-
fendant, Associate Justices Alex
L. Quiroz, Reynaldo P Cruz, and
Bayani H. Jacinto declated the
SOLON
money was funneled iostead into
the Tagipusuon Foundation, Inc ,
a ooo-governmeotal organization
(r..rGo).
Siuco and Gordceta contested
the same seat in the Lowet House
ir 2016 elections, with Gorriceta
winning
Gotriceta's lawyer tried to 6ght
his suSpension, saying the accused
is oo longet in posidon to adversely
affect the prosecution's case silce
he is novr a member of the House
of Representatives and not a mu-
nicipal mayor.
The defense also invoked the
Insght
suspension of a public oflicial is
mandatory once there has been a
determination that he was charged
rvith a r.alid case fot r.iolation of
RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and
Corrupt Practices Act.
A copy of the ruJing sas fur-
nished the Office of Speaker
Gloria Nfacapagal Arrol-o with
directive to implement tlte preven
tive suspension and to infotm the
court of the ittion takeo vithin
6r'e days from teceipt. . See
judicial leniency extended by the
Supreme Court to fotmer sena-
tor |uan Ponce Entile. It said the
defendant has undergone several
surgical procedutes to treat his
"renal cell carciloma with spinal
metastasis" hence can hardly be
considered a tlreat to the ptosecu-
tion and its wimesses.
The Sandiganbayan, however,
said being elected to a diffetent
public oflice does not change the
application of the law on tl-te ac
cused.
'qWhile accused was charged as
municipal mayor ot Pavia, whereas
he now occupies to position of
Representative of the 2nd Disttict
\\f B0lT PAq---,,
Gorriceta, 73, a former mayor
of Par.ia tovn in lloilo, was named
a co-defendant in the case involv
ing allegations of mishandling
of P1 million Counuy-rXride De-
veiopment Fund (CDF) or pork
barrel allocations of former Iloilo
Rep. Augusto Syjuco in 2004.
a Prosecutors said Syjuco's CDF
was intended for the municipaliq"s
Education for .\ll program but the
SOLON > Pase Bl
of lloilo, such change of oflice
does not bat his prei'entive suspen-
sion," the coutt said.
The court also said that Gor-
riceta's invocation of the Enrile
case has no medt since the said
case involved the question of the
gmnt of bail to the fotmer sena-
ror, making his state of health a
relevant considemtion
"On this score, accused Gor-
ricetak health is of no moment,
considering t}lat the only relevant
consideration fot the Court is
applying the legal mandate for
preventive suspension is the fact
that accused presendyholds public
office," it pointed oul