Nereus Acosta. Photo from comelec.gov.ph
MANILA, Philippines—“Follow the rule of law.” So said a Palace spokesperson following the issuance by the Sandiganbayan of a warrant for the arrest of former Bukidnon Rep. Nereus Acosta, the general manager of the Laguna Lake Development Authority.
Acosta is the first incumbent member of the Aquino administration to face arrest.
“We expect Secretary Acosta to follow the rule of law and to follow the proper legal procedures especially when it comes to this case,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte at a Palace briefing.
Valte ruled out the immediate relief of Acosta.
“I do not know yet. As of the moment, I do not know yet. This happened while the President is in Davos. I’m sure he (Mr. Aquino) has already been updated but we do not know yet if he has had the time to really process the issue,” said Valte.
On Jan. 24, the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division issued the warrant against Acosta and his mother, Socorro, a former mayor of Manolo Fortich town in Bukidnon, in connection with perjury charges lodged in 2012 by a certain Fr. Venancio Balansag.
The warrant, signed by Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Roland Jurado, allowed the Acostas to post bail of P6,000 each.
Balansag had accused them of making bogus declarations in their counter-affidavits filed in the Office of the Ombudsman in 2006 in connection with alleged illegal channeling of P5.5 million from his priority development assistance fund, as a lawmaker at the time, to the Bukidnon Vegetable Producers Cooperative.
The cooperative is a private entity controlled by the Acosta family.
A Jan. 4, 2013 news story in the Inquirer quoted Acosta as telling the antigraft court that the complainant had already withdrawn the complaint and executed an affidavit of desistance. Thus, according to Acosta, the charges filed last October no longer had a leg to stand on as the complainant had abandoned the case.
But the antigraft court, instead of dismissing the case, issued the warrant.