Comelec says Ejercito still a candidate

Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito III

SAN PEDRO CITY — Former Laguna Gov. Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito III may still run in the May elections despite his graft conviction by the Sandiganbayan.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said only a final ruling by the Supreme Court could disqualify a candidate from running for public office.

In a statement by his camp, Ejercito said he would appeal the conviction.

“As of this moment, (Ejercito) remains a candidate,” said Gloria Petalio, Comelec director for Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) in a phone interview on Sunday.

Ejercito is running under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas against reelectionist Ramil Hernandez of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan.

‘Good intention’

The Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division found Ejercito, an actor-turned-politician, guilty and sentenced him to six to eight years in prison and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

The decision stemmed from a 2008 contract between the Pagsanjan municipal government and First Rapids Care Ventures (FRCV) to provide insurance to boatmen offering tours to Pagsanjan Falls.

The Office of the Ombudsman, however, in 2016, said the contract did not go through public bidding and that FRCV was not authorized to sell insurance.

Ejercito, then mayor of Pagsanjan, said the contract was born out of his “good intention” to provide an “accident protection assistance program” to boatmen and tourists.

Also convicted were former Pagsanjan Councilors Arlyn Lazaro-Torres, Terryl Gamit-Talabong, Kalahi Rabago, Erwin Sacluti and Gener Dimaranan, and FRCV owner Marilyn Bruel.

A nephew of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, Ejercito was elected governor in 2010, but his second term was cut short when he was disqualified in the 2013 elections for campaign overspending.

Hernandez, the former vice governor, took over after Ejercito was unseated in 2014. —MARICAR CINCO