Police set to arrest Mindoro lawmakers

The National police are poised to arrest two Oriental Mindoro cong­ressmen, whom the anti-graft court ordered arrested for failing to appear at their promulgation hearing earlier this week.

Mindoro Representatives Rodolfo Valencia of the First District and Alfonso Umali Jr. of the Second District were convicted in a 14-year-old graft case filed when they were still governor and provincial administrator, respectively.

The Sandiganbayan sentenced Valencia and Umali—along with other provincial officials—to six to 10 years in prison and perpetual disqualification from public office.

The lawmakers could have posted bail for the graft conviction involving the payment of P2.5 million in provincial funds to a private ferry service, but the bench warrant issued for the lawmakers’ non-appearance is non-bailable.

The Sandiganbayan is scheduled to hold a hearing today, when the court is scheduled to take up the bench warrant.

Police Supt. Edwin Diocos of the Detective and Special Ope­ration Division of the Criminal Investi­gation and Detection Group told The Manila Times that the arrest warrants from the Sandi­ganbayan was turned over to the police at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Police referred the warrants to their regional operating units, particularly in Region 4B and in the National Capital Region, based on the addresses of the cong­ress­men, which are in Oriental Min­doro and in Makati City.

“It means arrest for the two congressmen at any opportune time they will be located,” Diocos explained.

Earlier Wednesday, Valencia issued the statement that the graft case is “politically motivated.”

He explained that as the gover­nor, he simply acted to implement a provincial council resolution to extend an emergency loan to Alfredo Atienza, a boat owner, “so that we could utilize his vessel to save lives and properties and implement our rescue and reha­bilitation efforts.”

His province had been struck by three typhoons at the time, and the ferry was a critical link of people in the province to other parts of the Philippines.

“Because of the province’s effective handling of the situation at that time, I was awarded no less than by former President Fidel V. Ramos as ‘Most Outstanding Governor in Calamity Management,’” he added in the statement.
-- Maricel V. Cruz