Sandiganbayan orders ER Ejercito arrested

Former Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

A division of Sandiganbayan on Monday has ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant against former Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito after he failed to show up in his arraignment for graft in connection with an allegedly anomalous insurance deal made in 2008.

Ejercito’s lawyers filed a medical certificate that said he is currently confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City and thus cannot attend his arraignment.

READ: ER Ejercito asks court to defer graft arraignment

The former governor was diagnosed to have “community acquired pneumonia” which posed “moderate risk.”

However, the Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division did not honor Ejercito’s medical certificate as it challenged the document’s authenticity.

The Fourth Division said that there was an alteration on Ejercito’s confinement date.

The court also ordered Ejercito’s P30,000 bail bond to be confiscated.

The supposed irregularity in the insurance deal for boatmen and tourists in Pagsanjan falls occurred during Ejercito’s term as mayor of Pagsanjan town from 2001 to 2010.

The Ombudsman upheld the indictment of Ejercito and eight other people for the insurance deal made with First Rapids Care Ventures (FRCV) without conducting public bidding.

The others who were indicted for violation of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, were incumbent Pagsanjan Vice Mayor Terryl Talabong; former Vice Mayor Crisostomo Vilar; and former Councilors Arlyn Torres, Kalahi Rabago, Erwin Sacluti, Gener Dimaranan and Ronald Sablan. FRCV owner Marilyn Bruel was also named as a respondent in the case.

READ: ER Ejercito, 8 others face graft raps over insurance deal

Aside from failure to conduct public bidding, the Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor said that the FRCV was not licensed  by the Insurance Commission to conduct an insurance business. RAM