Former CamSur governor ‘puzzled’ over graft raps

Former Camarines Sur Gov. Luis “LRay” Villafuerte Jr.: Puzzled. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Former Camarines Sur Gov. Luis “LRay” Villafuerte Jr. is “puzzled” why he is facing graft charges for buying P20 million worth of fuel from a single supplier without a bidding when even the Office of the Ombudsman itself is doing the same.

In a letter to the Inquirer, Villafuerte said: “We were informed that not even the Office of the Ombudsman conducts public bidding for its purchase of fuel. Even national government agencies and other local government units follow this practice. It is thus a continuing puzzle why we are being singled out.”

In her July 4 recommendation approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Blesilda T. Ouano said Villafuerte and his coaccused, Jeffrey Lo, owner of Naga Petron Fuel Express Zone in Naga City, should be charged with violation of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft Law.

Ouano also found Villafuerte “guilty” of grave misconduct for the administrative aspect of the case “given the indubitable facts on record, which now constitute the prima facie underpinnings of the criminal aspect of this case.” But Ouano pointed out that Villafuerte’s administrative liability was rendered moot by his reelection in 2010.

The case stemmed from a complaint of Carlos Batalla, a former provincial board member of Camarines Sur, who accused the two of conspiring to purchase fuel for the provincial capitol from Jan. 22 and April 7, 2010, (during the third and final term of Villafuerte as governor) without a public bidding.

In his letter, Villafuerte said no bidding was necessary for fuel purchases because the prices of petroleum were “basically uniform and it is the oil industry that determines the prices.” Ouano dismissed Villafuerte’s explanation as a “lame justification for his irregular acts.”

Villafuerte belittled Batalla as a “perennial case filer being used by a family of politicians in our province.” Villafuerte claimed that Batalla has filed 16 cases against him for various charges, all of which had been dismissed.

Villafuerte claimed that this legal case against him was part of “a multimillion PR campaign” meant to undermine his credibility as the lead opposition to his political rivals’ campaign to divide his province into two.

Villafuerte denied he was in danger of an imminent arrest from Sandiganbayan as this case was just based on preliminary findings and recommendations contained in a Commission on Audit report. “Such preliminary findings are not legally actionable as they are in the nature of mere observations intended for remedial action by the government agency,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte also said there could be no imminent arrest warrant against him because his case was different from the one faced by Lanao del Norte Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo, who was served an arrest warrant without bail in his hospital suite in San Juan City.

Dimaporo was charged with diverting P5 million in government funds meant for the purchase of fertilizer to his nongovernment organization.

“The case where the congressman is one of the accused is totally unrelated to the case against me, and the two cases do not even bear any similarity in fact or circumstance,” Villafuerte said.