Former Muntinlupa City Mayor Aldrin San Pedro and 11 others were arraigned on Nov. 23 at the Sandiganbayan on graft charges in connection with the purchase of trolley bags in 2008 for P22 million.
The 40,000 bags, which were supposed to be distributed to elementary schools in Muntinlupa, were procured from a private company without a public bidding, according to the information filed by a former head of the city’s bids and awards committee secretariat, Abel Sumabat, who has been under the Witness Protection Program of the Department of Justice for four years.
The Office of the Ombudsman noted that the trolley bags were not included in the annual investment plan of the city. After a finding of probable cause, the Sandiganbayan’s 2nd Division denied San Pedro’s motion for reconsideration on Oct. 6.