Ex-Palawan gov Joel Reyes faces new graft rap over fertilizer scam

Joel Reyes. REDEMPTO ANDA/INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON

On top of his murder trial in his home province, detained former Palawan governor Joel Reyes faces a new criminal case before the Sandiganbayan over the 2004 fertilizer fund scam.

A special panel from the Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor formally charged Reyes with one count of graft for the misuse of P3.25 million supposedly meant for farm inputs.

As then Palawan governor, Reyes allegedly gave undue benefit to the Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation (Mamfi) when he coursed through the fake nongovernmental organization P3.25 million to purchase 3,240 bottles of liquid fertilizers in February 25, 2004 without public bidding and without the required accreditation.

The Ombudsman has already charged a number of local officials for the scam, wherein funds released by the Department of Agriculture purportedly for farm inputs shortly before the May 10, 2004 presidential elections were found to have been used to purchase overpriced fertilizers.

Then president now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo won a fresh six-year term in 2004, although she later publicly apologized for the “Hello Garci” election cheating scandal.

The Office of Special Prosecutor also charged three others alongside Reyes, including one of the state witnesses in the pork barrel scam cases, Marina Sula who then acted as Mamfi president.

The others were Mamfi representative Nathaniel Tan and then regional executive director Dennis Araullo and regional technical director Rodolfo Guieb from the DA Regional Unit IV.

Ortega is currently detained at the Puerto Princesa City Jail after the court denied him bail while being tried for the assassination of environmentalist and radio commentator Gerry Ortega in 2011.

The court earlier granted bail at half million pesos to his brother and co-accused, former Coron mayor Mario Reyes.

The brothers ran but lost in the May 9, 2016 elections as mayor and vice mayor of Coron, respectively.

They fled the country in 2012 after they were indicted by the Department of Justice based on the confession of the convicted gunman who pointed to them as the masterminds.

They were arrested in Phuket, Thailand in September 2015.