JV’s complaint: Why am I not on page 1?

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito. LYN RILLON/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Why was his story buried in the inside pages when he is front-page material?

While Sen. JV Ejercito on Friday  expressed gratitude for the Sandiganbayan’s decision to clear him of graft charges stemming from an arms deal during his time as San Juan City mayor, he complained that stories about his acquittal did not make front-page news.

He said the news did not get the same treatment as when he was charged in court.

“News about my acquittal are in the inner pages. When I was being charged and tried, it was on the front pages,” he said in his Twitter account.

Asked about his tweet, Ejercito said, “That was just a joke.”

Nevertheless, Ejercito said on his Twitter account that he would be able to “sleep with a smile on my face” after months of dealing with the graft case filed against him over a

P2.1-million contract to acquire high-powered firearms using calamity funds in 2008 during his time as mayor.

“One case down, one more to go,” he said.

In a statement, Ejercito said he was eager to return to the Senate after serving his suspension for just shy of two months, even as he thanked Sandiganbayan justices “for remaining true to their duty of upholding justice and fairness.”

“I look forward to returning to my official task as senator of the Republic of the Philippines and continuing my advocacies on public transportation, youth empowerment, education, energy, housing and economic development,” Ejercito said.

“This decision should give our dedicated public servants, especially those in local government, the assurance that for as long as we have the interest of our people at heart, our justice system will protect us from those whose intention is to sow intrigue and whose motivations are purely partisan,” he said.

 Lack of proof

All along, Ejercito said, he was firm about his innocence as he maintained faith that the judicial system would bear him out.

In its ruling earlier  this week, the Sandiganbayan granted Ejercito’s demurrer to evidence, leading to the dismissal of the case for lack of proof of the allegations against him.

The decision also  lifted his 90-day preventive suspension, which the antigraft court ordered in August but which the senator started serving only on Nov. 8.

Ejercito is expected to return to the Senate when it returns after the holidays on Jan. 3, and when the session resumes on Jan. 18.