Former Olongapo mayor sees junked graft charges as ‘vindication’

OLONGAPO CITY — Former Mayor Rolen Paulino on Wednesday said the Sandiganbayan’s dismissal of the graft case filed against him and other local officials is a “vindication.”

The Sandiganbayan Seventh Division granted Paulino’s motion to quash the graft charges that stemmed from the alleged anomalous lease and development agreement with a mall developer for the Olongapo City Civic Center.

“Let us move on and leave politics behind,” Paulino said in a statement.

He added: “The decision of the Sandiganbayan to junk the case filed against us is proof that we didn’t do anything irregular. In fact, the Olongapo people benefit from this project.”

Due to the cases filed against him, Paulino withdrew his reelection bid during the May 13 midterm elections.

Instead, his son, Rolen Paulino, Jr. ran as his substitute and won as mayor. /kga