Razon, others plead not guilty

Former Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Former Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Avelino Razon Jr. and several other retired police officers, along with some civilian contractors, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to multiple charges of graft and malversation in the Sandiganbayan.

Through counsel Maria Nympha Mandagan, Razon maintained his innocence of the charges during the arraignment in the antigraft court’s Third Division composed of Associate Justices Alex Quiroz, Maria Cristina Cornejo and Oscar Herrera Jr.

Razon, who has posted bail of P30,000 for each of four counts of graft, and some of the others are still detained, however, due to the malversation through falsification of public documents charge against them, which is nonbailable, in connection with the alleged fictitious repair and maintenance of 28 V-150 PNP Light Armored Vehicles for P358.58 million in 2007.

Also arraigned were retired Directors Geary Barias and Eliseo de la Paz, Senior Superintendents Emmanuel Ojeda and Reuel Leverne Labrado, Supt. Josefina Dumanew, Chief Insp. Analee Forro, Alex Barrameda, Oscar Madamba, Patricia Enaje, Maria Teresa Narcise, Tyrone Ong, Pamela Pensotes, Evangeline Bais, Artemio Zuniga and Nancy Basallo.

Among the accused still at large are former Chief Supt. Teodorico Lapus IV, Senior Supt. Victor Agarcio, Superintendents Edgar Paatan, Warlito Tubon, Rainier Espina and Henry Duque, Henry Antonio Retrato, SPO4s Victor Puddao and Alfredo Laviña, Eulito Fuentes, Artemio Zuñiga and Harold Ong.

The state was represented by Prosecutors Irenio Paldeng, Leoveminda Villanueva and Jorge Espinal of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Mandagan was the lead counsel for Razon, Oneida, Labrado, Barrameda, Enaje, Narcise and Basallo and a collaborating counsel for Barias.

Razon served as PNP chief from October 2007 to May 2008 before moving to Malacañang as then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s adviser on the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The irregularity was discovered in 2011 when then PNP Director General Raul Bacalzo ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to determine the criminal liability of the police officers and suppliers.