Sandigan presses NBI to serve 6 month-old arrest warrant on Cuerpo

The NBI is urged to serve the warrant of arrest on former Rodriguez, Rizal, Mayor Pedro Cuerpo /Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Sandiganbayan has pressed National Bureau of Investigation Director Dante Gierran to execute the arrest warrant against convicted former Rodriguez, Rizal, Mayor Pedro Cuerpo that has been pending for six months already.

In a two-page resolution dated Oct. 27, the court’s Second Division gave Gierran 20 days from receipt of the order to submit a report on the enforcement of the warrant of arrest it issued last Apr. 27.

Although the NBI’s General Services Division had received its copy of the warrant on May 15, the court never received any information on its enforcement.

Had the warrant been executed promptly, Cuerpo would probably have been done with his short sentence of one month and 11 days to a maximum of six months.

“To date, the NBI has not made any return nor submitted any report regarding the execution of the warrant,” read the resolution penned by Associate Justice Oscar C. Herrera Jr., and concurred in by Associate Justice Michael Frederick L. Musngi and Lorifel L. Pahimna.

Cuerpo was convicted on Nov. 24, 2012 for the crime of “open disobedience” in violation of Article 231 of the Revised Penal Code. The said decision became final and executory on Jan. 9 this year.

Besides the penalty of imprisonment, he and municipal engineer Fernando Roño were ordered to each pay a P1,000 fine.

The case arose from their refusal to execute the Regional Trial Court’s Sept. 17, 2003 order for the municipal government to process the building permit applications of the members of Samahang Magkakapitbisig.