Former mayor says graft conviction unfair

LUCENA CITY—Former Mayor Ramon Talaga Jr. said he would exhaust all legal remedies to correct what he called an “unfair” decision from the Sandiganbayan that found him guilty of graft over irregularities in a P36-million computerization project in 2002.

The Sandiganbayan’s Third Division sentenced Talaga and three former city officials to six to eight years in prison and disqualified them from holding public office for the city government’s failure to hold a public bidding for the project.

The antigraft court also said the firm that won the contract had failed to “meet the specifications or technical requirements as provided in the [terms of reference].”

The court ruled that the award of the P36-million contract to Amellar Solutions, P10.56 million of which ended up being paid, was done with “at the very least, gross inexcusable negligence.”

Talaga, on Thursday, said his lawyer would file a motion for reconsideration on the decision, which he also described as “politically motivated.”

“This case is far from over,” he said. —REPORTS FROM DELFIN T. MALLARI JR. AND VINCE F. NONATO