The corruption cases of Valenzuela City mayor聽Rexlon Gatchalian and Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. on Friday were raffled off to their respective Sandiganbayan divisions for trial.
Gatchalian鈥檚聽reckless imprudence charge resulting in multiple homicide and injuries case as well as his graft cases for his alleged involvement in the Kentex fire was raffled off to the anti-graft court Second Division.
The second division is chaired by Associate Justice Samuel Martires, with members Associate Justices Michael Frederick Musngi and Geraldine Faith Econg.
Gatchalian, city hall officials and some firemen were charged with reckless imprudence for聽conspiring with each other in a 鈥渘egligent, careless and imprudent manner鈥� in granting a business permit to Kentex while failing to impose the prescribed sanction under Section 9 of the Revised Fire Code of the Philippines.
The grant of the business permit allowed Kentex to operate under hazardous conditions, while abandoning the necessary precautionary fire safety measures meant to protect the lives of the workers and prevent accidents, thus聽resulting in the deaths of 74 individuals and聽causing injury amounting to聽P3.7 million聽when a fire gutted the slippers factory last May 2015.
Of those killed in the Kentex fire, 69 died of fourth degree burns while three died of inhalation of fumes. The seven-hour fire that did not even spare the life of one of the owners鈥� sons raised the issue of unsafe 鈥渟weatshop鈥� labor conditions for workers in the country.
搁贰础顿:听Kentex fire victims cope with loss of loved ones
Mayor Gatchalian is the brother of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, whose corruption cases for the anomalous buy-out of a family bank by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) were recently dismissed by the anti-graft court.
搁贰础顿:听Sandigan dismisses LWUA cases of Sen. Gatchalian
Mayor Gatchalian was also charged with graft for giving undue advantage to Kentex in the grant of a business permit in 2015 despite its delinquent status and without requiring a Fire Safety Inspection Certificate.
Gatchalian was charged with a second graft rap for聽approving the business permit to Kentex even though it was not qualified or entitled to such a permit because of the absence of the required Fire Safety Inspection Certificate.
搁贰础顿:听Kin of Kentex fire victims air appeal to Duterte聽
Pichay鈥檚 graft and breach of ethical conduct cases for allegedly sponsoring a chess tournament held in his honor聽were raffled off to the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division.
The division is chaired by Associate Justice Roland Jurado, with members Associate Justices Rafael Lagos and Ma. Theresa Mendoza-Arcega.
Pichay was charged with graft for acting with manifest partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence in giving undue advantage to the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) when Pichay sponsored P1.5 million for the chest tournament billed as 鈥�2nd Chairman Prospero Pichay Jr. Cup International Chess Championship.鈥�
搁贰础顿:听Pichay faces graft, breach of conduct raps
Pichay, as both president of the NCFP and acting chairman of the LWUA Board of Trustees, voted for the approval of LWUA鈥檚 2010 corporate operating budget that had a 鈥渘oticeably sizable allocation鈥� of P1.5 million for chess events, even though sponsoring such events was not part of the LWUA鈥檚 functions.
Pichay was also charged with violating Section 7(a) of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
Pichay was accused of allegedly having financial and material interest in sponsoring the chess tournament at a time when he concurrently held the position of LWUA acting board chairman and president of the NCFP.
The prosecution said the NCFP requested financial sponsorship from LWUA at the time Pichay was a high-ranking official of both offices.
Pichay faced new charges just after the Sandiganbayan dismissed his malversation raps over the LWUA buy-out. But the Sandiganbayan sustained his聽graft and violation of Manual of Regulation for Banks (MORB) raps for the anomalous buy-out by LWUA of the insolvent聽bank to save it from the brink of bankruptcy.
Both Pichay and Mayor Gatchalian have denied the allegations.
搁贰础顿:听Sandigan reduces charges vs Gatchalians, Pichay
In a statement, Mayor聽Gatchalian said the Valenzuela City government in granting Kentex the business permit only implemented a joint memorandum circular streamlining its business permit and licensing system.
鈥淲e are not just defending ourselves in this case, we are also acting in defense of our anti-graft and corruption practices program鈥� and the practice of almost all of the nation鈥檚 local government units,鈥� Gatchalian said.
Pichay said there was nothing anomalous in the grant of sponsorship to the chess game聽held in his honor, dismissing the allegation as mere harassment by the Ombudsman of allies of former President Gloria Arroyo.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing at all irregular with the LWUA sponsorship for a National Sports Association like the NFCP. What is irregular is that the Ombudsman continues to have a vendetta against the members of the Arroyo administration with trumped-up聽charges that will ultimately be dismissed by the courts,鈥� Pichay said. CDG/rga