2 solons now serving suspension, Sandigan told

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has informed the Sixth Division of the Sandiganbayan that two members of Congress accused of graft are complying with the court’s order suspending them for 60 days.

In separate letters to the antigraft court dated Dec. 19, Alvarez said Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino Jr. and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. had started serving their suspension on Dec. 15.

The Sandiganbayan ordered the suspension of the two representatives in September and directed the House Speaker to implement its order. The two congressmen appealed their suspension, but their motions for reconsideration were denied by the court in November. Villafuerte and Espino wrote Alvarez separately on Dec. 8 and Dec. 15, respectively, saying they would abide by the court’s order.

Espino’s case arose from his alleged collusion with two other provincial officials to give “unwarranted benefits, privilege and advantage” to Alexandra Mining and Xypher Builders by issuing them extraction permits when he was governor in 2011.

Espino was accused of authorizing the black sand mining activities even though the two companies lacked registration with the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board, as well as area clearance from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Villafuerte was charged with graft for the allegedly anomalous procurement of P20 million worth of petroleum products without going through public bidding. He was the governor of Camarines Sur during the January-April 2010 transactions with proprietor Jeffrey Lo.